Jan Merlin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jan Merlin
Merlin in 2013
Born	Jan Wasylewski (1925-04-03)April 3, 1925 New York City, U.S.
Died	September 20, 2019(2019-09-20) (aged 94) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, author, screenwriter
Years active	1946–1992
Spouse(s)	Patricia Ann Datz (married 1951–1986, her death); Barbara Doyle (married 1988–2019, his death)
Children	1
Awards	Golden Halo Award, 2009 (from Southern California Motion Picture Council)

Jan Merlin (born Jan Wasylewski, April 3, 1925 – September 20, 2019) was an American actor, writer, and author. He was known for playing many different types of characters in movies and on TV. He also wrote books and TV shows.

Early Life and Navy Service

Jan Merlin was born Jan Wasylewski in New York City. His family came from Poland. He went to Grace Church School for Boys. He left school early to join the Navy.

During World War II, he joined the United States Navy. He worked as a torpedoman, handling torpedoes. After the war, he studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

Acting Career

After leaving the Navy, Jan started acting in 1946. He performed in "summer stock" plays, which are shows put on in theaters during the summer. In 1949, he made his first appearance on Broadway, a famous theater district in New York City. He was in the play Mister Roberts with Henry Fonda.

Jan Merlin acted for over 50 years! He performed in plays, radio shows, and many TV series. He also appeared in more than 30 movies. His last performances were in live radio plays in 2010.

In movies and TV, Jan often played the "heavy," which means the bad guy or villain. Because of this, his characters often died in the story. One of his early movie roles was in the 1956 Western A Day of Fury. He played Billy, a small-town boy who gets into trouble. In 1960, he was Travers in Hell Bent for Leather. He also appeared in films like Guns of Diablo (1965) and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967).

Jan had main roles in two TV series. From 1950 to 1953, he played Cadet Roger Manning in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. In 1959, he was Lieutenant Colin Kirby in the Western series The Rough Riders. He also played Kenneth in the drama Kitty Foyle in 1958.

In 1960, he was Mick Norton in an episode of The Islanders. This adventure show was set in the South Pacific. He also appeared in an episode of Bat Masterson where his character died.

Jan Merlin made many guest appearances on popular TV shows. He was in The Tall Man in 1961. He appeared twice on Perry Mason. In 1954, he was in an episode of Dragnet. He played a villain in three episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In 1962, he was in an episode of Bonanza. He also appeared in two episodes of Combat! in 1966. In 1974, he played Jon Nordstrom in an episode of Little House on the Prairie.

Writing Career

Jan Merlin was also a talented writer. He won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1975 for his writing on the TV soap opera Another World. He was nominated for the award again in 1976.

His first novel was published in 1982. He wrote several novels, including Gunbearer, Part I, Gunbearer, Part II, Ainoko, Gypsies Don't Lie, Crackpots, and Shooting Montezuma. He also wrote several books with co-author William Russo.

Personal Life

Jan Merlin married Patricia Datz in 1951. They had one son, Peter William Merlin, born in 1964. Patricia passed away in 1986. Two years later, Jan married Barbara Doyle. They were married until his death on September 20, 2019. He was 94 years old.

Film and Television Roles