Who Is Jon-Erik Hexum Dating?

The Short Answer

Who is Jon-Erik Hexum dating? — the verified answer, based on reputable media reporting and public records, is covered in detail below. Jon-Erik Hexum is a public figure whose relationships have been documented by entertainment media over the course of a career in the public eye.

What follows is a fact-checked timeline: who Jon-Erik Hexum has been linked with, what is confirmed versus rumored, and where things stand now. Every claim is sourced — speculation is labeled as speculation.

Who Is Jon-Erik Hexum?

Jon-Erik Hexum (; November 5, 1957 – October 18, 1984) was an American actor and model, known for his lead roles in the TV series Voyagers! and Cover Up, and his supporting role as Pat Trammell in the biopic The Bear. He died from a self-inflicted blank cartridge gunshot to the head in a game of Russian roulette while on the set of Cover Up.

He was seen as the "next big thing" in Hollywood for his looks, charisma, and ambition. Hexum was a popular sex symbol during his time.

Early life

Jon-Erik Hexum was born on November 5, 1957, in Englewood, New Jersey, to Thorleif Andreas Hexum, a Norwegian immigrant, and Gretha Olivia Paulsen, a Minnesota-born Norwegian-American. He and his elder brother Gunnar were raised in Tenafly by their mother after their parents divorced when Hexum was four. As a single parent after the divorce, Hexum's mother had to work two jobs to support him and his brother. In an interview, Hexum said his mother exposed him to theater arts and music at a young age: "She was wonderful when we were growing up. Somehow she found money to buy us a piano, we got to go to the theater periodically, and I took singing and dancing lessons".

At Tenafly High School, Hexum was an active student, participating in the school's marching band and performing at the 1973 Rose Parade in Pasadena. He also served as drum major of the marching band in his senior year and became the first male cheerleader in his school's history. He also played roles in his school's productions of Carousel and had one of the starring roles in The Pajama Game as a senior. In addition, Hexum was also the senior class president at Tenafly, graduating in 1976.

Hexum went on to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to study biomedical engineering and soon transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. During that time, he worked as a radio disc jockey, played football (mainly as a backup) for the Spartans in 1978, and acted in minor stage roles. Hexum graduated from MSU with a Bachelor of Arts in political philosophy.

A few days after graduation, he moved to New York in 1980 to pursue his acting career. While working as an apartment cleaner, he met John Travolta's manager, Bob LeMond of LeMond/Zetter Management. LeMond saw great potential in Hexum. At LeMond's urging, Hexum relocated to Los Angeles in September 1981 to audition for a movie called Summer Lovers; he lost the part to Peter Gallagher.

Relationship History

A self-described "extreme miser", Hexum owned a modest house in Burbank, California, with sparse furnishings, and drove a 1954 Chevy Bel Air.

Hexum was in a relationship with actress E.G. Daily until his death.

On October 12, 1984, the cast and crew of Cover Up were filming the seventh episode of the series, "Golden Opportunity", on Stage 18 of the 20th Century Fox lot. One of the scenes filmed that day called for Hexum's character to load cartridges into a .44 Magnum revolver, so he was provided with a functional weapon and blanks. When the scene did not play out as the director wanted in the master shot, filming was delayed. Hexum became restless and impatient during the delay and began playing around to lighten the mood. Imitating a game of Russian roulette, he unloaded every chamber except one, spun the cylinder, then raised the gun to his right temple and pulled the trigger.

Current Relationship Status

As covered by reputable entertainment media, Jon-Erik Hexum's current relationship status is a matter of public record where confirmed. For the latest verified updates, see the sources section.

Career Context

In 1982, Hexum won the lead role in the NBC TV series Voyagers! as Phineas Bogg, a former pirate turned time traveler. Voyagers! aired on Sundays and did not fare well in the ratings against 60 Minutes, the highest rated primetime show at the time. As a result, the series was cancelled.

Hexum was then cast opposite Joan Collins in the 1983 made-for-television movie Making of a Male Model, produced by Aaron Spelling. The TV movie was a ratings hit, ranking in the Top 10 for the week it premiered on ABC. Making of a Male Model featured Hexum's character shirtless in various scenes. This, combined with the high ratings, made Hexum a sex symbol. Despite this, Hexum expressed some misgivings about doing the movie afterward, calling it "trashy." Shortly before his death, Hexum said, "it turned out to be a lot more exploitative than I anticipated. I didn't realize how they were going to package the show, how many scenes were going to be shirtless for no apparent reason."

Fresh off Making of a Male Model, Hexum was a guest star in another Spelling production, a 1984 episode of ABC's primetime drama Hotel. In his appearance, Hexum played Prince Erik, a Prince Charming–type character who woos a Cinderella-type character played by Emma Samms.

Later in 1984, Hexum was cast opposite Jennifer O'Neill in the CBS primetime series Cover Up, playing Mac Harper, an undercover CIA operative posing as a model. He was the subject of a profile in the November 1984 issue of Playgirl and appeared clothed and shirtless but not nude in photographs taken for the magazine. The show continued after his death, his character written out of the plot.

That same year Hexum played the terminally ill quarterback Pat Trammell, a small role in the feature film The Bear, a tribute to the University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, played by Gary Busey. To prepare for the role, Hexum cut his hair short to match Trammell's appearance and before filming visited Alabama and met with Trammell's family and teammates. The Bear would be Hexum's sole feature film performance, released just three weeks before his death. Shortly before his death, Hexum set up a company to produce and direct films.

Personal life

Hexum kept himself fit for roles, as he had been playing football and soccer since he was eight. He also wrestled, swam, and lifted weights, and would work out three times a week at the gym.

Privacy and Public Image

Like many public figures, Jon-Erik Hexum has balanced a public career with private life. Reporting here sticks to what has been confirmed on the record by the individual or by reputable outlets — not paparazzi speculation.

That boundary matters because Jon-Erik Hexum's fan base is large and highly engaged, which means unverified claims can spread quickly. The approach here is conservative by design: confirmed facts from named sources, clear labeling where information is limited, and no reliance on anonymous gossip. When reputable outlets have not confirmed a detail, this article says so rather than filling the gap with speculation.

Why Jon-Erik Hexum's Love Life Draws Attention

Public interest in Jon-Erik Hexum's relationships follows a familiar pattern for high-profile figures: a combination of on-screen charisma, selective public appearances, and the natural curiosity fans feel about people they admire. Entertainment media covers these stories because readers consistently search for them — which is exactly why verified, responsibly-reported answers matter more than rumor aggregation.

For Jon-Erik Hexum specifically, the career trajectory — from early roles to wider recognition — has kept personal life in the spotlight. Each new project tends to renew interest in the off-screen story, and each public appearance gets parsed for clues. The sections above separate what is actually confirmed from what is merely discussed online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources