CHARLES BANNING

Charles Banning was the head of the Banning crime family, an organization dealing in a variety of illegal activities including foreign espionage and murder. Despite his public persona as a kind-hearted senior citizen who doted on his granddaughter and was often known as "Papa Chuck," Banning was a ruthless businessman with no qualms about selling out his own government.

Banning had been selling top-secret technology to the East Germans. To do so, he needed a contact within Vectrocon Systems, and he tapped Michael Simmons, the Director of Project Development at Vectrocon, to steal technology and make the sale to his East German clients. However, when Simmons turned rogue and swindled the East Germans out of three quarters of a million dollars for his own profit, Banning sought retribution for the double-cross and ordered that Simmons be killed.

Jimmy Kendall had been associated with the Banning crime family for about 20 years before serving a ten-year prison sentence. Banning had given him his start in the business, and Jimmy had earned the reputation as "The Eraser," a ruthless hitman. Upon his release from prison, however, Jimmy sought only to retire in peace, but Banning threatened to call in his markers and ordered him to take out one more contract, to kill Simmons.

Several bodyguards worked for Banning, including Ralph, who hoped to rise within the organization. He cooperated with Jimmy's plan to find and kill Simmons, but when Jimmy finally relented and let Simmons go with MacGyver to be taken into custody, Ralph reported back to Banning that the contract had not been carried out. In response, Banning gave the order for Ralph to eliminate Jimmy.

MacGyver had befriended Jimmy, and together they created an optical illusion that fooled Ralph into believing that Jimmy was dead. Banning ordered that a large floral arrangement be sent to Jimmy's funeral, and Ralph stepped into the role of Banning's right-hand man. Neither realized that Jimmy had been given a new identity and was living in Florida under the witness protection program.

Portrayed by: Henry Jones

Cross Reference: Jimmy Kendall, Ralph, Michael Simmons, Vectrocon Systems

Episode Reference: The Eraser