Biography
Character actor Larry "Flash" Jenkins built a four-decade career that featured dozens of roles beyond his famed appearance in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986) as one of the Ferrari joyriders. A native of Long Island, New York, he moved first to Chicago and then to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He made his screen debut in the TV movie "Crisis in Sun Valley (1978). A recurring role on the drama "The White Shadow" (CBS, 1978-81) followed. He began making guest appearances on shows like "M*A*S*H" (CBS, 1972-83) and "Quincy M.E." (NBC, 1976-83). He then stepped up to a series regular role on Steven Bochco's short-lived baseball drama "Bay City Blues" (NBC, 1983-84). On film, he appeared in small roles in "Body Double" (1984) and "Fletch" (1985) with Chevy Chase. He also appeared in the comedy "Mr. Mom" (1983), written by John Hughes who would later cast Jenkins in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" alongside New York musician Richard Edson (Sonic Youth's original drummer) as one of the two joyriding garage attendants. Through the '90s, he continued making television appearances, including on "Home Improvement" (ABC, 1991-99) and "Providence" (NBC, 1999-2002). On the big screen, he acted in Ron Howard's reality show comedy, "Edtv" (1999). After the turn of the century, the actor began increasingly moving into faith-based projects. He wrote the film "Pastor Jones" (2005), and wrote and directed "Don't Touch If You Ain't Prayed" (2005) and "House of Grace" (2006). However, he didn't restrict himself to only material with a religious element. As a director, he also helmed the comedy "Marriage Vows" (2017) and acted in projects such as "Brothers in Arms" (2005) and "Low Town" (2017). Jenkins died suddenly after suffering a heart attack at the age of 63 on April 25, 2019.
