1941-11-13

DACK RAMBO, born Norman Jay ‘Dack” Rambo on this date, (d: 3/21/1994) was an American actor, widely known for his role as Walter Brennan’s grandson Jeff in the series The Guns of Will Sonnett, as Steve Jacobi in the soap opera All My Children, as cousin Jack Ewing on Dallas, and as Grant Harrison on the soap opera Another World. His siblings were William Donald Rambo; identical twin Orman Ray “Dirk” Rambo (died 1967), and sister Beverly Jean Rambo.

After moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s, the 20-year-old twins were discovered by actress Loretta Young in 1962 and cast in her CBS series The New Loretta Young Show. In February 1967, Dirk Rambo was killed in a road accident at the age of 25.

Later that same year, Dack Rambo landed the role of Jeff Sonnett on The Guns of Will Sonnett and co-starred in the short-lived Gunsmoke spin-off Dirty Sally, with Jeanette Nolan. During the 1970s and 1980s, he made guest appearances on Marcus Welby, M.D.House CallsWonder WomanThe RookiesCharlie’s AngelsFantasy IslandThe Love BoatHotel and Murder, She Wrote. He played Steve Jacobi on All My Children in the early 1980s. He also acted the lead role in Sword of Justice, which lasted for 10 installments in 1978–79. Rambo may be best remembered on television for playing Jack Ewing in 51 episodes of the soap opera Dallas from 1985 to 1987. Rambo also played Wesley Harper on the 1984 short-lived TV series soap opera Paper Dolls.

Rambo promoted a line of men’s underwear trademarked in 1987 as “Under Ware by dack rambo” [sic]. While working on Another World, Rambo learned that he was HIV+ in August 1991. He quit the series shortly thereafter and retired from acting. Rambo then made his HIV infection and his bisexuality public, revealing that he had been in relationships with both men and women since his 20s. He died on March 21, 1994, at the age of 52 of complications from HIV/AIDS.