Shishalh Nation member Pat John, who gained international recognition for his role as Jesse Jim on the classic TV series The Beachcombers, died at a relative’s home in Sechelt on Wednesday, July 13.
After the last episode of Beachcombers Sunset, which aired on December 12, 1990, Pat John started a new job with fishing and clams.
After appearing in the 2002 film The New Beachcombers made for television, John did not return to the big screen.
Pat John: Who is he?The shocking death of an actor
Pat John plays the loyal business partner of Bruno Gerussi’s lumber salvage Nick Adonidas, who leads a group of Aboriginal TV performers in unorthodox roles.
John attended Sechelt’s St. Augustine’s Indian Residential School, which closed in 1975. He left school early to work in a nearby sawmill.
In 1971, John received a call from one of his former mentors, who suggested he audition for the role of a 16-year-old Aboriginal child in a brand new TV series.
He delivered a rambling monologue, tested the camera, and returned to work at the sawmill. Six months later, he was hired for 10 weeks at $600 a week.
The Beachcombers member Jesse Jim dies at 69.
Just three months before the 50th anniversary of the famous series, which premiered in October 1972, Pat John died. Beginning on September 11, 1971, Gibsons began filming.
The show’s unaired pilot episode, “Jesse’s Car,” revealed in its title just how much of an influence the humble John had on the CBC television series’ 19-season run.
When Degrassi hit episode 387, Beachcombers’ longest-running Canadian TV show was only 10 years old.
John, 69, has been in decline for some time.
Pat John net worth
Beachcombers have been an important source of income for Pat John throughout his career. According to the accounts, he makes a decent $600,000 a week.
John handles the tension between the irascible Nick (Bruno Grussey) and the sarcastic foe Relick with ease and power, turning Jesse Jim into a reliable sidekick for the audience (Robert Closier) . Jesse has a natural sense of humor.
Beachcombers syndicated broadcasts in more than 50 countries. John’s swift international reputation as a role model for Indigenous youth caused problems early in the series. In March 1974, he was briefly fired after leading the legal police on a quick pursuit of Earl Bay.
