Victor John Holchak

Victor (Vic) Holchak, actor and sports journalist, passed away on September 5, 2014 in his home in West Hollywood, CA.

He was born in South Central Los Angeles on August 10, 1940, to Victor A. Holchak and Norma Jean (Philen) Holchak, who both predeceased him.

He graduated from Manual Arts High School in 1958 and attended Los Angeles City College. After graduating from LACC, he left for London to attend the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England, to study acting and theatre craft.

But as a high school student his interest was in sports and sports journalism. He became the High School Editor of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Sports Section at 14. The Herald sent him to cover the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia in 1956, making him the youngest journalist to ever officially cover a Summer Olympics Games for a major news outlet. CBS sent him to Rome to cover the 1960 Summer Olympics, and he also covered the Summer Olympics as a journalist in Mexico City in 1968.

He took time off from journalism and worked successfully as an actor for many years, but never gave up his true passion, sports.

In the 1980’s he was part of the ‘team’ chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers to fly to Japan and help develop content for what came to be known as Diamond Vision, in Dodger Stadium. It was the precursor to the current DodgerVision.

He began covering both the summer and Winter Olympics, and The World Track and Field Championships in the early 1980’s for ABC Radio Sports. After a few years he created his own syndicated radio sports show called Vic Holchak’s Cavalcade of Sports. He also traveled the globe covering track and field events creating content for an immediate update call-in telephone information show: 1-800/94-TRACK and 1-900/94-TRACK

As an actor he created some buzz, as well. After finishing his training at RADA, he was hired as a member of the original acting company at the Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, MI, and, once back in LA, he became a member of The Company of Angels, the very first Equity Waiver Theater company in the US. He not only became a member, he was elected president, and produced some very good, award-winning plays. Audiences may remember The Angel’s hilarious 1974 production of Georges Feydeau’s “A Flea in Her Ear,” which won almost every theatre award there was in LA that year. Vic played Ferraillon, and played him very well!

He is still remembered as Jim Phillips on “Days of Our Lives.”

He guest starred on “The Hardy Boys,” “Police Story,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Police Woman,” “Cannon,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Gunsmoke” (2),” “The FBI” (2), “Ironside” (2), “The Mod Squad” (2), “Dan August” (2), and “The Young and the Restless,” to name a few.

He married actress Leslie Easterbrook in 1979, and they were divorced in 1988. They performed together on an episode of “Tattletales.”

Some may remember him as the manager of the Yankees. Not THE Yankees, but a very memorable softball team that played in the Broadway Show League in West Hollywood during the 80”s.

He was on the pitching staff and threw a mean medium-pitch fastball. Great team, great manager, minor scuffles and great fun for the team and the fans!

He was also known around town as someone you didn’t want to tangle with on the racquetball court or the basketball court. In his case, the punch matched the swagger.

Vic was a bigger than life character. A man you could never quite figure out, but simply wanted to know. He stood 6’7,” but tried to convince everyone he was only 6’6” because he was ostensibly too tall for TV (a lighting thing.) His favorite acting story: “I’m too tall to work with most folks, so I finally got a call to audition for a monster. Great! Can’t be too tall for that. They told me right after my reading, “That was terrific, but you’re just too short!”

Let’s dim the lights. He will be missed.

Family and friends are gathering for a small graveside memorial on Wed. Oct. 29, 2014 at 12pm

at Crestlawn Memorial Park 11500 Arlington Ave. Riverside, Ca. 92505

Arrangements under the direction of Pierce Bros. Crestlawn Mortuary, Riverside, CA.