Jeff Conaway

Infobox Actor

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name = Jeff Conaway
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1950|10|5
location = New York, New York, U.S.
deathdate =
othername =
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
spouse = Rona Newton-John
(1980-1985)
Keri Conaway
(1990-?)

Jeff Conaway (born October 5, 1950, New York City, New York, U.S.) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Kenickie in the 1978 motion picture musical "Grease" and out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler in the TV series "Taxi". He has also directed direct-to-video features.

Biography

Conaway began acting on Broadway at the age of two. He is most commonly known for playing "Kenickie" in the movie "Grease" and for his role on the television series "Taxi" (1978-1981) where he played grinning, high-energy, out-of-work actor Bobby Wheeler. Conaway left "Taxi" during the fourth season.

Conaway also played Sgt. Zack Allan (later Security Chief) on "Babylon 5". He made an appearance in the film "Jawbreaker" as the father of one of the teenage girls. From 1989-1990 he was cast on "The Bold and the Beautiful" in the role of Mick Savage. He has made guest appearances on shows ranging from "Barnaby Jones" to "George and Leo". He also appeared in the Disney film "Pete's Dragon".

ubstance abuse problems

After hitting bottom in the mid 80s, Conaway came to grips with the fact that he had a substance abuse problem. He successfully underwent treatment in the late 80s and often spoke candidly about his problemFact|date=September 2008.

By the late 2000s however, Conaway's problems with drugs had resurfaced. Conaway appeared in VH-1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and in early 2008 appeared with other celebrities in the VH1 reality series "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew". The show revealed a wheelchair-bound, raging Conaway addicted to cocaine, alcohol, and painkillers, and in a co-dependent relationship with his girlfriend Vikki, also a user of prescription opiates. Conaway had suffered a back injury earlier in his career, which had been exacerbated more recently as a result of lifting boxes in his home. Dr. Drew Pinsky said that Conaway's bad back has been detrimental to his sobriety. Faced with the need for surgery, Conaway opted to leave the rehab facility during the series' seventh episode. During group sessions, Conaway revealed "torture" from his childhood, as older boys in his neighborhood would put the young 3 or 4-year-old Jeff into dangerous situations, tying him up and threatening him. Then when he was 7, he was a victim of pedophiles and child pornographers. [ [http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1584047&vid=206176 "Celebrity Rehab" episode, "Jeff reveals his traumatic history"] ] Conaway stated that he had been an addict since he was a teenager. [ [http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1584047&vid=211256 "Jeff talks about Vicki and drugs at home", "Celebrity Rehab" episode] ]

With John Travolta's support, Conaway took courses and auditing from the Church of Scientology to cope with his drug problem and depression,cite interview
first=Jeff|last=Conaway
title=Former Greaser Kicks Drugs with Scientology
program=Inside Edition|date=2008-03-03] although he did not intend to become a Scientologist.cite journal
first=Walter|last=Scott
title=Personality Parade
journal=Parade|date=2008-03-30]

Conaway will appear on "Celebrity Rehab"'s second season, which will premiere in October 2008."TV Guide"; June 23, 2008; Page 8] [http://blog.vh1.com/2008-06-10/new-slate-of-celebs-check-into-rehab-2-with-dr-drew/ "Celebs Check Into Rehab 2 With Dr. Drew"; vh1.com; June 10, 2008.] ]

Confrontation

On BBC Radio 2's "Russell Brand Show", ["The Russell Brand Show" on BBC Radio 2, 1 March 2008] Noel Gallagher claimed that he got into a confrontation with Jeff Conaway backstage at a gig resulting in Conaway pulling a knife on Gallagher. [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/3am/2008/03/05/grease-star-jeff-conaway-pulls-a-knife-on-noel-gallagher-89520-20340590/ "Grease star Jeff Conaway pulls a knife on Noel Gallagher"; mirror.co.uk; May 3, 2008] ] According to his interview on the show the following week, ["The Russell Brand Show" on BBC Radio 2, 8 March 2008] Conaway confirmed he regularly carries a knife and sometimes even a hatchet with him which he blames on "growing up in New York."

References

External links

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