Friday, March 29, 2024

RIP: John McMartin, Great Actor from Movies, TV, Broadway, Dies at 86

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John McMartin is a face you know, and a voice, too. He was a journeyman actor who moved easily to from TV to movies to Broadway as a significant supporting player. His death at 86 was announced this morning in a typical low profile listing in the New York Times obits.

McMartin was known for playing patrician characters, often in conflict with their surroundings. He was the foreign editor in “All the President’s Men” and a regular presence on nearly every TV series of the 1970s. He played everything from Mary Tyler Moore’s lawyer when Mary Richards went to jail and Jane Wyman’s foe on “Falcon Crest.” He could be alternately heroic, noble or sniveling.

McMartin’s greatest successes came on Broadway and in theater. With dozens of credits and many nominations for awards, McMartin’s last two shows — the musical “Anything Goes” with Sutton Foster, and the play “All the Way” with Bryan Cranston– were huge hits with long runs and many accolades for McMartin. He originated key roles in the premiere productions of “Sweet Charity” and “Follies.”

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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