John McMartin

John McMartin Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: November 18, 1929

Death Date: July 6, 2016

Birth Place: Warsaw, Indiana

John McMartin is one of those "You know, that guy who was in..." actors. His decades-long career began with an appearance in a small role in the durable TV omnibus series "Armstrong Circle Theater" (1958). Not long after this, he landed his first significant New York stage part as Corporal Jester, one of a pair of bickering lovers, in the long-running spoof musical "Little Mary Sunshine" (1959). The role was enormously beneficial not only to McMartin's career, but also to his personal life--he won a Theater World Award for his performance, and went on to marry the show's producer, Cynthia Baer, with whom he had two daughters. This was the start of a very long and busy career in the Big Three--TV, movies, and theater. Among his dozens of televised appearances were multi-episode roles in the police drama "Hawaii Five-O" (1971), the popular nighttime soap-opera "Falcon Crest" (1985), and the dark HBO prison drama "Oz" (2000). In film, he showed up in a small role as a journalist in the Watergate thriller "All The President's Men" (1976) and a larger one as wealthy businessman Huntington Hartford in the 2004 sex-researcher biopic "Kinsey," among many other movies. He also originated the role of the shy Oscar Lindquist in the hit Broadway musical "Sweet Charity" (1966), and played and sang the part in the 1969 film adaptation of the same name.

Credits

No Reservations

Actor
Mr. Peterson
Movie
2007

KinseyStream

Actor
Huntington Hartford
Movie
2004
90%

Welcome to New York

Guest Star
Show
2000

The BeatStream

Guest Star
Series
2000
92%

The Dish

Actor
U.S. Ambassador
Movie
2000

OzStream

Guest Star
Lars Nathan
Series
1997
93%

Spin CityStream

Guest Star
Series
1996
69%

Touched by an AngelStream

Guest Star
Series
1994

FrasierStream

Guest Star
Fletcher Grey
Series
1993
95%

Citizen Cohn

Actor
Older Doctor
Movie
1992

Separate but Equal

Actor
Governor James F. Byrnes
Show
1991

Law & OrderStream

Guest Star
Series
1990

A Shock to the System

Actor
George Brewster
Movie
1990

CoachStream

Guest Star
Judge R.J. Watkins
Series
1989

LincolnStream

Actor
Movie
1988

Lincoln

Actor
Show
1988

Little Sweetheart

Actor
Uncle David
Movie
1988

Roots: The Gift

Actor
Edmund Parker Sr.
Movie
1988

Beauty and the Beast

Guest Star
Charles Chandler
Series
1987

Who's That Girl?Stream

Actor
Simon Worthington
Movie
1987
35%

Murrow

Actor
Frank Stanton
Movie
1986

Dream Lover

Actor
Martin
Movie
1986

Legal Eagles

Actor
Forrester
Movie
1986

Native Son

Actor
Mr. Dalton
Movie
1986

The Golden GirlsStream

Guest Star
Father Frank Leahy
Series
1985

Murder, She WroteStream

Guest Star
Hudson Blackthorn
Series
1984

The Last Ninja

Actor
Mr. Cosmo
Movie
1983

CheersStream

Guest Star
Dr. Lawrence Crandell
Series
1982
87%

Falcon CrestStream

Actor
Julian J. Roberts
Soap
1981

Pennies from HeavenStream

Actor
Mr. Warner
Movie
1981
83%

Magnum, P.I.Stream

Guest Star
Bill Campbell
Series
1980

Hart to HartStream

Guest Star
Series
1979

Thieves

Actor
Gordon
Movie
1977

All the President's MenStream

Actor
Foreign Editor
Movie
1976
94%

Fear on Trial

Actor
Tom Murray
Movie
1975

The Rockford FilesStream

Guest Star
Timson Farrell
Series
1974

Harry O

Guest Star
Show
1974

The Bob Newhart ShowStream

Guest Star
Reverend Daniel Bradford
Series
1972

Cannon

Guest Star
Sen. Arlen Andrews
Series
1971

The Partridge FamilyStream

Guest Star
Larry Metcalfe
Series
1970

The Mary Tyler Moore ShowStream

Guest Star
Barry Munroe
Series
1970

Love, American Style

Actor
Peter Fergusson
Series
1969

Sweet Charity

Actor
Oscar
Movie
1969
82%

Ritual of Evil

Actor
Edward Bolander
Movie
1969

Premiere

Actor
John Higher
Show
1968

East Side West Side

Actor
Series
1963