Person Biography:
Dan Rowan was born Daniel Hale David on July 22, 1922, in Beggs, Oklahoma. He was the son of show people and grew up touring the carnival circuit with his mother and father as part of a song and dance act. After his parents' death in 1933, Rowan was adopted by a family in Denver, Colorado.
Rowan moved to Hollywood after high school and began working as a writer at Paramount Studios. He joined the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and became a P-40 fighter plane pilot in the Pacific Theater. He was credited with downing two Japanese aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart.
After the war, Rowan returned to California and married Phyllis Mathis in 1946. They had three children together before divorcing in 1963. Rowan married Adriana Van Ballegooyen in 1963 and had no children with her.
Rowan's career in comedy began when he teamed up with Dick Martin to create a comedy act that toured the night-club circuit and played Las Vegas. They made TV appearances on shows like "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Merv Griffin" before being hired by NBC to host a comedy special in 1967. The success of the special led to the creation of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," a hybrid comedy-variety program that aired from 1968 to 1973.
"Laugh-In" was known for its anarchic style, which downplayed guest star appearances and emphasized the antics of the regular cast, including announcer Gary Owens, Emmy-winner Ruth Buzzi, and Henry Gibson. The show was revolutionary in terms of production, using quick-cutting, fragmentary editing and a melding of form and content.
Rowan & Martin won three Emmys for "Laugh-In," including Outstanding Musical or Variety Program, Best Musical or Variety Series, and Best Writing. The show was groundbreaking in its introduction and use of female and minority performers, bringing to a mainstream audience diverse entertainers like Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham and Goldie Hawn.
After "Laugh-In" was canceled, Rowan occasionally made TV appearances and retired to Florida. He died of lymphatic cancer on September 22, 1987, at the age of 65.
