Jack Cassidy

Jack Cassidy was an American actor and singer known for stage work including Wish You Were Here (1952 Tony nomination) and It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Superman! (1966), and television roles in Columbo and He & She. He was the father of David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy. His bisexuality has been discussed by biographers and in accounts by his son David, who described his father's affairs with men and the volatile family atmosphere they created. Cassidy died in a fire in 1976. His story is part of the broader documentation of mid-century show business figures whose queerness was known within the industry but hidden from the public.