Biography
Son of 1940s and 1950s bandleader Frankie Kaye and a former nationally recognized radio personality during the 1960s Top-40 era, known as "Lee Vaunce" at KGFJ in Los Angeles and "Mike Sheppard" at both San Francisco's KDIA and New York's WWRL. While working as a DJ at KPOI in Honolulu, Gwynne set a Guinness World Record for nonstop drumming, lasting 92 hours, at the 1965 "Drum-A-Thon." He later performed as a drummer with many R&B bands of that time.
In 1969, during a visit to Hollywood to see a friend, he met a man at a party who claimed to be Universal Studios producer Jerrold Freedman. They connected over jazz and radio, with Gwynne expressing an interest in acting and Freedman promising they would collaborate. Skeptical of the man's claim, Gwynne dismissed the encounter as just a "Hollywood" party fantasy.
Three weeks later, Gwynne received a telegram summoning him to Freedman’s office at Universal. It turned out the producer was real. Upon arrival, Gwynne was introduced to Bob Edmiston, who silently shook his hand before leaving. Gwynne soon realized he was being offered a role on The Bold Ones: The Senator (1970), directed by Daryl Duke, with whom he later worked on several films including Payday (1973) alongside Rip Torn, marking his first major feature film break in 1971.
Shortly after, through an ex-girlfriend, Gwynne met an enthusiastic young man seeking a directing break. This director was Steven Spielberg, who, with Freedman’s involvement, was offered a TV show called "Par for the Course." Gwynne was thrilled to work with Spielberg, portraying a psychiatrist alongside Roy Thinnes and Clu Gulager. This marked the start of a lifelong career in acting across radio, television, and film.
As of 2016, Gwynne is writing scripts and living contentedly in the wooded Westchester area of New York, just north of Manhattan, where he occasionally plays drums, sitting in at the Showman's Club in Harlem.
