John McMartin

For the mining speculator and politician in Ontario, Canada, see John McMartin (Canadian politician). For the rugby league player, see John McMartin (rugby league).
John McMartin

McMartin in July 2011
Born John Francis McMartin
(1929-08-21)August 21, 1929
Warsaw, Indiana, U.S.
Died July 6, 2016(2016-07-06) (aged 86)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1956–2015
Spouse(s) Cynthia Baer (m. 1960; div. 1971)
Partner(s) Charlotte Moore
Children 2

John Francis McMartin (August 21, 1929[1] – July 6, 2016) was an American actor of stage, film and television.

Life and career

McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana on August 21, 1929[2] and raised in Minnesota. After graduating from high school McMartin joined the United States Army and became a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division He attended Columbia College Chicago, but did not graduate and he later attended college in New York.[3] He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, opposite Eileen Brennan and Elmarie Wendel. He won a Theatre World Award for his role as Corporal Billy Jester, and married one of the show's producers, Cynthia Baer, in 1960; they divorced in 1971.

His first Broadway appearance was as Forrest Noble in The Conquering Hero in 1961, which was followed by Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole. He created the role of Oscar in Sweet Charity in 1966, opposite Gwen Verdon,[4] garnering a Tony nomination, and played the role again in the 1969 film opposite Shirley MacLaine.[5] He was reportedly cast in Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1962, but his role was cut before the show opened.

He later starred in the original Broadway production of Sondheim's Follies opposite Alexis Smith in 1971 as Benjamin Stone, introducing the ballad "The Road You Didn't Take".[6] His association with Sondheim has continued, appearing in A Little Night Music as Frederick at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, in 1991.[7][8] The reviewer for the Orange County Register (California) wrote that the actor was "aggressively deadpan as her rediscovered old flame ..."[9] He appeared in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods in 2002, in the dual role of the Narrator/Mysterious Man.[10][11][12]

Other Broadway roles include the Narrator in Happy New Year, Ben in A Little Family Business (adapted by Jay Presson Allen, 1982),[13] Donner in Tom Stoppard's Artist Descending a Staircase, Cap'n Andy in Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat (1994),[14] and Uncle Willie in Cole Porter's High Society (1998).[15] He also had a role, as the American Revolutionary naval hero John Paul Jones, in the unsuccessful Loesser/Spewack musical, Pleasures and Palaces, which closed in Detroit.[16] In regional theater, he originated the role of Benteen in the Folger Theater Group's 1979 production of Custer at the Kennedy Center.[17]

McMartin was a leading member of the New Phoenix Repertory Company during their three Broadway seasons in the early 1970s, appearing onstage in, among other productions, Eugene O'Neill's The Great God Brown (opposite Katherine Helmond), Molière's Dom Juan, and Luigi Pirandello's The Rules of the Game.

He played "Anton Schell" opposite Chita Rivera in Kander and Ebb's musical The Visit (based on the play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt) at the Goodman Theatre. He created the roles of "J.V. 'Major' Bouvier" and Norman Vincent Peale in Grey Gardens, opposite Mary Louise Wilson and Christine Ebersole. He played Thomas Jefferson in the original cast of John Guare's A Free Man of Color at Lincoln Center (2010–2011), and next played "Elisha Whitney" in the 2011 Broadway revival of Anything Goes, opposite Jessica Walter.[18]

On television, he appeared on the soap opera As the World Turns as John Rice, whose mother's death had been blamed on Dr. Doug Cassen. He later was on the CBS drama Eastside/Westside and in the first two seasons of Beauty and the Beast (1987) as Charles Chandler, father of Catherine (Linda Hamilton). He also appeared in The Golden Girls (Season 2) as Frank Leahy who, unbeknownst to Dorothy (Bea Arthur) who is romantically attracted to him, is a priest. He appeared on Cheers (Season 7) in "The Visiting Lecher". He appeared as radio personality Fletcher Grey on Frasier (Season 1). He also appeared in four episodes of Murder, She Wrote. He also appeared as Shirley Jones' love interest in The Partridge Family episode titled "When Mother Gets Married".[19]

On film his roles included the foreign editor in All the President's Men (1976), a Senator in Brubaker (1980), a political advisor in Blow Out (1981) and a significant part in Legal Eagles (1986) as millionaire Mr. Forrester.[19]

Death

McMartin died of cancer in Manhattan on July 6, 2016, aged 86.[20][21] He is survived by his two daughters from his marriage, and his long-time partner, actress Charlotte Moore, the artistic director of the Irish Repertory Theatre.[22]

Broadway credits

Off-Broadway credits

Regional theatre credits

Selected filmography

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ Obituary, playbill.com; accessed July 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ Some sources inaccurately cite the date as November 18, 1929.
  3. ↑ Grimes, William (2016-07-12). "John McMartin, 86, versatile and prolific actor of stage, screen". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  4. ↑ Kaufmann, Stanley. "Theater: Show That Wants to Be Loved; 'Sweet Charity' Opens at Refurbished Palace" The New York Times (abstract), January 31, 1966, p. 22
  5. ↑ Canby, Vincent. New York Times movie review, Sweet Charity, April 2, 1969
  6. ↑ "'Follies' listing, Broadway 1971", sondheimguide.com; accessed August 26, 2012
  7. ↑ "1990-91 SEASON; A Little Night Music, April 18-June 30, 1991" centertheatregroup.org (webcache.googleusercontent.com), accessed August 26, 2012
  8. ↑ Willis, John. "Ahmanson Theatre" Theatre World 1990-1991, Vol. 47 (books.google.com), Hal Leonard Corporation, 1992, ISBN 1557831254, p. 121
  9. ↑ O'Connor, Thomas. "REVIEW;'Night Music' makes its way to Doolittle", Orange County Register (California), April 19, 1991, SHOW; p. 18
  10. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Fifth Time the Charm for John McMartin?: 'Into the Woods' Star Talks Sondheim", playbill.com, May 23, 2002
  11. ↑ "'Into the Woods', 2002 Broadway Revival Production", sondheimguide.com, accessed August 26, 2012
  12. ↑ Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review; Sondheim Reprise Puts Music Ahead of the Journey", The New York Times (abstract), May 1, 2002 (Late Edition), Section E; Column 2; Arts/Cultural Desk; p. 1
  13. ↑ Rich, Frank. " 'Family Business', with Angela Lansbury", The New York Times, December 16, 1982, p.C15
  14. ↑ Lefkowitz, David. "John McMartin Returning to 'Show Boat' Nov. 5" playbill.com, October 28, 1996
  15. ↑ Haun, Harry. "Uncle Of The Bride: John McMartin in 'High Society'" playbill.com, May 21, 1998
  16. ↑ Suskin, Steven. "Frank Loesser" Show Tunes : The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers (2010), (books.google.com), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0199886156, p.242
  17. ↑ James Lardner (1979-10-29). "Taking Another Stand on 'Custer'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  18. ↑ Jones, Kenneth."Bow Voyage Extended: 'Anything Goes' Will Steam Into April 2012, With Sutton Foster on the Bow", playbill.com, September 19, 2011
  19. 1 2 John McMartin at the Internet Movie Database
  20. ↑ Associated Press Tony Award nominated Broadway actor John McMartin dies aged 86
  21. ↑ "JOHN MCMARTIN Obituary" The New York Times
  22. ↑ Viagas, Robert. " 'Follies' Star John McMartin Dead at 86" Playbill, July 7, 2016
  23. ↑ Kenrick, John. "'Thrill Me', The York Theatre Company Musicals101.com, May 2005, accessed August 26, 2012
  24. ↑ Saltzman, Simon. "A CurtainUp Review. 'Indian Blood'" CurtainUp.com, August 4, 2006
  25. ↑ Playbill.com
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