R. J. Adams
R. J. Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Lee Adams September 20, 1942 St. Catharines, Ontario , Canada |
| Died | January 26, 2015 (aged 72) Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, acting coach, radio personality, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1967–2015 |
| Spouse |
Diane Adams (m. 1967) |
| Children | Rob Adams |
R. J. Adams, also known as Bob Shannon (September 20, 1942 – January 26, 2015), was a Canadian-American film and
Beginnings
Adams was born in
(AM) in the mid-1970s that Adams turned his attention back to film acting.Radio career
Adams began his 30-year radio career as Bob Shannon at
Following his departure from Phoenix, Shannon held air shifts at
BS in the morning
Following St. Louis, Shannon joined a couple of famous stations, including KJR Seattle, Washington, WIXY Cleveland, Ohio and KDKA, before returning to KDWB Mpls/St.Paul as "BS" in the morning. It was here that he gained instant popularity by a myriad of stunts such as broadcasting live from the streets of the Twin Cities while distributing cans of beans during the gas shortage of the mid-1970s which he promoted as a "natural gas substitute". His name recognition eventually brought him to the attention of KFI Los Angeles in 1975, where he enjoyed several successful years doing afternoons as "BS in Drive".
In 1976 Shannon with the help of his vast audience, as well as the national media,[3][4][5][6] succeeded in persuading NOA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to adopt male hurricane names in an effort to bring equal hurricane rights to men. Up until that time hurricanes had only been named for women. His successful campaign brought about the naming of Hurricane David,[7] the name of Shannon's son.
From KFI, he went on to KHJ (AM) and KLAC, Los Angeles before retiring from radio in the mid-1980s to devote his attention to film acting.[8]
In 2000 Adams returned to the airwaves once again as Bob Shannon, this time joining the air staff of KRTH 101 in Los Angeles. He is not to be confused with a radio personality of the same name who is midday host on New York City's most popular radio station, classic-hits WCBS-FM.
In 2003 he ventured into talk radio as host of Back Stage Live, a film and television call-in program specifically geared toward aspiring and professional actors on "Smart Talk" KRLA.
In 2011, Adams played a serial-killing priest in a dark suspense thriller.[9]
Film and television acting
From 1975 to 1978, Adams studied under acting coach
Film and television acting coach
Shortly after leaving the Charles E. Conrad Studio in 1978, Adams began teaching a handful of actors from the local
Documentary producer
In 1976, Adams founded
Ownership of Shannon & Company changed when R.J. Adams' son, Rob Adams, took control of the company in the spring of 2000 and steered the company toward the production of feature films and episodic television.
Personal life
Adams and his wife, Diane, were married for 48 years. His children Jill, Robert, David and Kara. Son, actor Rob Adams, is the owner and acting coach at The Actors Workshop.[11]
Adams was an
Adams died of a heart attack in Coatesville, Pennsylvania on January 26, 2015. He was 72.[12]
References
- ^ "Phoenix Metro Area". The Pulse, Inc.
- ^ "St. Louis Metro Area". The Pulse, Inc. 1967-10-11.
- Orange County Register.
- ^ "Sex Change for Hurricanes". The Boston Globe. 1975-11-18.
- ^ "Agency Balks at Male Names for Hurricanes". The Phoenix Gazette. 1975-11-10.
- ^ "Man Wants Hurricane Sex Change". Middletown Times Herald Record. 1975-11-08.
- ^ http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/general/lib/lib1/nhclib/reviews/1979.pdf 1979 Monthly Weather Review
- ^ Lycan, Gary (2011-07-31). "R.J. Adams left Bob Shannon behind". Orange County Register.
- ^ Lycan, Gary (2011-07-28). "Bob Shannon finds his voice in acting career workshop". Orange County Register.
- ^ "The Studio Club". Orange County Register. 2012-10-18.
- ^ "Norwegians Swedes and more". VirtualbookWorm.com, inc. March 2, 2007. p. 263.
- ^ "Bob Shannon Dies". LARadio.com. January 27, 2015.