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 and affairs with men, including composer Cole Porter, were documented posthumously in his son David's 1994 memoir, C'Mon, Get Happy, and in his wife Shirley Jones's 2013 memoir — accounts that described a volatile family life shaped by secrets his children only learned after his death. Cassidy died in a fire at his Los Angeles apartment 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.