John McMartin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2015
Spouse(s)	Cynthia Baer ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1971)​
Partner(s)	Charlotte Moore
Children	2

John McMartin and Shirley MacLaine in Sweet Charity (1969)

John Francis McMartin (born August 21, 1929 – died July 6, 2016) was an American actor. He was famous for his work in plays, movies, and TV shows.

Life and Career

John McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana, on August 21, 1929. He grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. After high school, he joined the United States Army. He became a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. He later studied at Columbia College Chicago and another college in New York.

Early Acting Days

McMartin started acting off-Broadway in 1959. His first show was Little Mary Sunshine. He acted alongside Eileen Brennan and Elmarie Wendel. For his role as Corporal Billy Jester, he won a Theatre World Award. In 1960, he married Cynthia Baer, who was one of the show's producers. They later divorced in 1971.

Broadway Success

John McMartin first appeared on Broadway in 1961. He was in a play called The Conquering Hero. He then acted in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole.

One of his most famous roles was Oscar in Sweet Charity in 1966. He starred with Gwen Verdon and was nominated for a Tony Award. He played Oscar again in the 1969 movie version with Shirley MacLaine.

McMartin also starred in another famous musical, Follies, in 1971. He played Benjamin Stone and sang the song "The Road You Didn't Take." He continued to work with the famous composer Stephen Sondheim. He appeared in A Little Night Music in 1991.

More Broadway Roles

In 2002, McMartin was in the Broadway show Into the Woods. He played two roles: the Narrator and the Mysterious Man.

He also had many other roles on Broadway. These included Cap'n Andy in Show Boat (1994) and Uncle Willie in High Society (1998). He played the American hero John Paul Jones in a musical called Pleasures and Palaces.

McMartin was a main actor in the New Phoenix Repertory Company in the 1970s. He acted in plays like The Great God Brown and Dom Juan.

Later in his career, he played Anton Schell in the musical The Visit. He also created the roles of J.V. "Major" Bouvier and Norman Vincent Peale in Grey Gardens. In 2010, he played Thomas Jefferson in A Free Man of Color. In 2011, he was Elisha Whitney in Anything Goes.

Television Appearances

John McMartin appeared in many TV shows. He was on the soap opera As the World Turns. He also had a role in East Side West Side.

He played Charles Chandler, the father of Catherine, in the first two seasons of Beauty and the Beast (1987). He was also in an episode of The Golden Girls as Father Frank Leahy. He appeared on The Bob Newhart Show, Cheers, and Frasier. He was in four episodes of Murder, She Wrote. He even appeared in The Partridge Family as Shirley Jones's love interest.

Film Roles

McMartin also had several movie roles. He played a foreign editor in All the President's Men (1976). He was a senator in Brubaker (1980). He also appeared as a political advisor in Blow Out (1981) and a millionaire in Legal Eagles (1986).

Death

John McMartin passed away from cancer in Manhattan on July 6, 2016. He was 86 years old. He was survived by his two daughters and his longtime partner, actress Charlotte Moore.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Awards and Nominations

Honor

• In 2009, John McMartin was added to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: John McMartin para niños