The Charismatic Life and Career and Tragic Death of TV's 'Medical Center' Star Chad Everett

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He was a charismatic cross between big-screen legends Clark Gable and Gary Cooper, and small-screen music icon Ricky Nelson, but somehow Chad Everett, best known as Dr. Joe Gannon from classic TV's Medical Center (CBS, 1969-1976), never became the superstar he should have.

Everett, who succumbed to lung cancer in 2012, was one of the last, if not the last, contract players of the old Hollywood studio system; in this particular case, associated with MGM Studios.

Had he been born ten years earlier, Everett's status in Hollywood may have equaled Gable or Cooper.

A Closer Look

According to People Magazine, Everett arrived in Hollywood from the Midwest. He was born Raymond Lee Cramton in South Bend, Ind., on June 11, 1937, and grew up in Dearborn, Mich., where his father was a race car driver and racing mechanic. He studied drama at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Everett became interested in acting because he was easily bored. He had tried other interests, including music, football, and business endeavors with his father. But nothing stuck.

Then came acting. Beginning in 1961, Everett was cast in guest-starring roles on various episodic TV shows. Two years later, he was hired for lead in the Western, titled, The Dakotas.

He signed his contract with MGM in 1964 and appeared in movies like Made in Paris with Ann-Margret, and The Singing Nun with Debbie Reynolds, released in 1966.

Everett worked steadily in television before and after Medical Center, appearing as a regular in Hagen, The Rousters, McKenna, Melrose Place, Manhattan, AZ, and Chemistry.

A riveting pre-Medical Center guest appearance on TV's The FBI showcased Everett's range as an actor when he portrayed a murderous, psychotic con artist.

As The Los Angeles Times reported, one of his last most memorable roles was that of a lothario who engages in a steamy audition with a young ingenue portrayed by Naomi Watts in director David Lynch’s 2001 feature film, Mulholland Drive.

Everett's other motion pictures included Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and the 1998 remake of Psycho.

Everett's kindness and humanitarianism were well known in the entertainment industry, as he held a special place in his heart for various charities.

And though he never became a full-blown star on the big screen, Everett, a conservative Republican, cared greatly about his performance as Dr. Gannon in Medical Center. The day after Marcus Welby, M.D. premiered in 1969 on ABC, CBS launched its competing medical drama with Medical Center, which co-starred James Daly.

As documented on PBS.org, "From the beginning, Medical Center set itself apart by striving for a real-life sense of medical accuracy, an effort championed by Everett...Despite his adherence to realistic portrayals of the medical profession, Everett’s acting chops drove him to request a bit more dramatic effect from the producers. After wrapping the first season of Medical Center without ever losing a patient, Everett knew that the audience desired a stronger life-and-death storyline. The show’s creators agreed, and Everett performed the devastating scene with conviction and poise."

Conclusion

Everett was a loyal and devoted husband for 45 years to actress Shelby Grant, who had guest-starred on Medical Center several times. Grant died one year before Everett of an aneurysm at age 74. They had two daughters, Katherine Thorpe and Shannon Everett, and six grandchildren.