Nothing brought genuine joy to viewers like the hilarious sketches of Rowan and Martin’s laugh with comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. The series ran from 1968 to 1973 with an incredible cast of great actors, including Goldie Hawn, lily tomlin, Richard Dawson and more. Rowan’s life and career changed immensely during her time on the series.
Inside Dan Rowan’s early years before finding fame on ‘Laugh-In’
Rowan was born on July 22, 1922, in Beggs, Oklahoma, to parents who performed a carnival circus act. He later became an orphan and was fostered by a family in Colorado, where he completed his high school education. Rowan eventually moved to Hollywood and began working behind the scenes at Paramount Pictures.
The comedian joined the US Air Force in World War II, where he served as a P-40 fighter pilot. He later he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. After serving, Rowan returned to California and married Phyllis Mathis in 1946.
Rowan and Mathis welcomed three children during their marriage: Thomas, Mary Ann, and Christie. The couple divorced in 1960. In 1963 he married his second wife, Adriana Van Ballegooyen. They were married until 1971.

Rowan teamed up with Martin to start a nightclub comedy act that performed across the country. They were invited to make appearances on comedy and variety shows hours before NBC presented them with the opportunity to host Laugh-In.
Before his fame on television with laugh-inRowan sparked a rivalry with Peter Marshallwith whom he was in dispute to host hollywood squares. Marshall ultimately ended up taking the role.
“I’ve only ever disliked two people in my entire life, and Dan Rowan was one of them,” Marshall admitted during a February 2022 interview with Near. “They told me that if I didn’t do Squares, Dan Rowan would. And I said, ‘Fuck Dan Rowan.’”
What happened to Dan Rowan after ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’?
Laugh-In came to an end in 1973 after winning several Emmy Awards and breaking the barriers for female comedians on television. Rowan made a few television appearances in the years that followed, including a cameo in fantasy island and the love boat.
In her later years, Rowan liked to spend time in Florida with her family. He was married to his third wife, young joanuntil his death on September 22, 1987, at age 65 from cancer.