Martin Milner
Encyclopedia
Martin Sam Milner is an American
actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12
and Route 66
.
He has also appeared in other television series, numerous films, radio dramas, a Broadway
play
, and even a radio
fishing show. In addition, his appearance was the inspiration for Guy Gardner
, the Green Lantern Corps
superhero created in 1969 by John Broome
and Gil Kane
.
. The family left Detroit when he was very young, and moved frequently before settling in Seattle by the time he was nine. It was in Seattle that he became involved in acting, first in school, and then in a children's theater group at the Cornish Playhouse.
When Milner was fourteen, he moved with his family to Los Angeles
where his parents hired an acting coach and later an agent for the budding star. Milner had his first screen test and began his film career with his debut in the 1947 film Life With Father
, in the role of "John Day", the second oldest son of "Clarence Day" played by William Powell
. Not two weeks after filming for Life With Father ended in August 1946, Milner came down with polio. He recovered within a year and had bit parts in two more films before graduating from North Hollywood High School
in 1949. He immediately landed a minor role in the film Sands of Iwo Jima
starring John Wayne
. It established him an actor with the look of an innocent juvenile, which would serve well for ten years. It was the first of several war films in which he would have both minor and major roles in the 1950s. It was on the set of Halls of Montezuma
in 1950 that he met and befriended actor Jack Webb
. Soon thereafter, he began intermittent work on Webb's radio series Dragnet
.
Milner juggled school and career, taking classes at San Fernando Valley State College
, and then attending the University of Southern California
for a year (where he joined the Phi Sigma Kappa
fraternity
), before dropping out to concentrate on acting in the fall of 1950. He made his first television appearance in 1950 as a guest star on The Lone Ranger
. That same year, he began a recurring role as "Drexel Potter" on the television sit-com The Stu Erwin Show (aka Trouble With Father).
at Fort Ord
on California's Monterey Bay peninsula, he directed training film
s and, with fellow actor/soldier David Janssen
, emceed and performed in skits to entertain the soldiers. Milner and Janssen encouraged fellow soldier Clint Eastwood
to pursue an acting career when his time in the Army ended. While in the Army, Milner continued working for Jack Webb
, playing "Officer Bill Lockwood" (briefly the partner of "Sgt. Friday") and other characters on the Dragnet
radio series on weekends. He also appeared on six episodes of Webb's Dragnet
television series between 1952 and 1955.
After his military service ended, Milner became a regular on two television sit-coms, as "Jimmy Clark" on The Stu Erwin Show
and as "Don Marshall" on The Life of Riley
. He made guest appearances on numerous television shows and acted in films, the most notable of which were: The Long Gray Line
(1955), Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
(1957), Sweet Smell of Success
(1957), Marjorie Morningstar
(1958), Too Much, Too Soon
(1958), and Compulsion
(1959).
in the iconic CBS
television series, Route 66
(1960 to 1964), created by Stirling Silliphant
. Like Adam-12, Route 66 was essentially about two regular guys in a car.
After the sudden death of his father left him unexpectedly penniless, Tod wandered the United States
with his friend Buz Murdock
(George Maharis
) in Tod's Chevrolet Corvette
, taking a variety of jobs and getting involved in other people's problems. Maharis was eventually replaced by Glenn Corbett
as Linc Case, but Milner starred throughout the show's run. Since the show was filmed almost entirely on location, Milner spent nearly four years traveling the country in reality, sometimes bringing his wife and children along.
series Dragnet
. (Milner had also worked with Webb in the 1950 film Halls of Montezuma and the 1955 film Pete Kelly's Blues.) This ongoing working relationship eventually led to the role for which Milner is best known.
In 1968, Milner returned to television as seven year LAPD
veteran uniform patrol Officer Peter Joseph "Pete" Malloy in the Jack Webb-produced police drama, Adam-12
. His co-star Kent McCord
played his partner, rookie Officer James A. "Jim" Reed. The popular NBC
series ran from 1968 to 1975. Like Webb's Dragnet
, it was based on real Los Angeles
police procedures and cases, and was hailed for its realistic, positive portrayal of ordinary police officers.
Milner was Webb's hands-down choice for "cop behind the wheel" Pete Malloy, in part because his relative youth and prior acting credits, and also (in Milner's words) because of his on-camera driving experience from his days on Route 66
.
in the episode "Mirror Image". In 1965, he made a guest appearance as Kahuna, a surfer, in the short-lived ABC
television series, Gidget
starring Sally Field
. Milner also co-starred as Dr. Del Hartwood in Zebra in the Kitchen
, a 1965 animal movie which starred a 12-year-old Jay North
.
Just before Adam-12, Milner starred on Broadway in The Ninety Day Mistress. This might have interfered with the start of Milner's involvement in the television production, but the play lasted considerably less than 90 days, opening and closing in November 1967.
After Adam-12 Martin Milner starred as Karl Robinson in a television series version of The Swiss Family Robinson (1975–1976), produced by Irwin Allen
. Most of his other work since then has been as a television guest star, most notably in MacGyver
(as James MacGyver, MacGyver's father), Life Goes On
and RoboCop: The Series
.
Milner also has the distinction of having portrayed the victim in the very first murder that Columbo had to solve when the series premiered on the NBC Mystery Movie
series. Martin Milner re-teamed with Kent McCord, his co-star from Adam-12, in the cable TV-movie Nashville Beat (1990), originally shown on the now-defunct The Nashville Network
. The story, partly written by Kent McCord, had Kent McCord as an LAPD detective who teams up with his old partner, Martin Milner, in Nashville, Tennessee
. Martin Milner also played Harris Cassidy in five episodes of the 1992 television series Life Goes On
.
During the filming of Route 66, Milner became concerned about his lack of time spent at home with his young family. He outfitted a Chevrolet Corvair Greenbriar wagon for himself, his wife Judy, his young children (Andrew was not yet born), the family housekeeper and the family dog, so that he could have his home life on the road, and so that his children would have the presence of their father. He was relatively unconcerned about the effect of this nomadic life on Molly and Stuart, who were too young to notice much difference. As for his eldest, Amy, Milner felt that the travel would enhance her ability to make friends wherever she went.
By contrast, Adam-12 years later involved no travel at all. Milner once joked that the show "is shot on various locations around North Hollywood." Two of his children, Andrew and Amy, each appeared in an episode of the series.
Milner has a passion for fishing, and has traveled all over the world pursuing his hobby. From 1993 to 2004 he was co-host of "Let's Talk Hook-up", a radio talk show about fishing based in the San Diego area. His health eventually led him to retire from the radio show, but not from the fishing. He still resides in Southern California with his family.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
and Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
.
He has also appeared in other television series, numerous films, radio dramas, a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, and even a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
fishing show. In addition, his appearance was the inspiration for Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...
, the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...
superhero created in 1969 by John Broome
John Broome (writer)
John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
and Gil Kane
Gil Kane
Eli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
.
Early years
Milner was born to film distributor Sam Gordon Milner and Paramount Theater circuit dancer Mildred E. "Jerre" Martin in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. The family left Detroit when he was very young, and moved frequently before settling in Seattle by the time he was nine. It was in Seattle that he became involved in acting, first in school, and then in a children's theater group at the Cornish Playhouse.
When Milner was fourteen, he moved with his family to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where his parents hired an acting coach and later an agent for the budding star. Milner had his first screen test and began his film career with his debut in the 1947 film Life With Father
Life with Father (film)
Life with Father is a 1947 American comedy film. It tells the true story of Clarence Day, a stockbroker who wants to be master of his house, but finds his wife and his children ignoring him, until they start making demands for him to change his own life. In keeping with the autobiography, all the...
, in the role of "John Day", the second oldest son of "Clarence Day" played by William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
. Not two weeks after filming for Life With Father ended in August 1946, Milner came down with polio. He recovered within a year and had bit parts in two more films before graduating from North Hollywood High School
North Hollywood High School
North Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white and grey....
in 1949. He immediately landed a minor role in the film Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. The movie was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant and directed by Allan Dwan...
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. It established him an actor with the look of an innocent juvenile, which would serve well for ten years. It was the first of several war films in which he would have both minor and major roles in the 1950s. It was on the set of Halls of Montezuma
Halls of Montezuma (film)
Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 World War II war film starring Richard Widmark, Jack Palance and Karl Malden. The film, which is about U.S. marines fighting on a Japanese-held island, was directed by academy-award winner Lewis Milestone. It also starred Robert Wagner in his first credited screen role...
in 1950 that he met and befriended actor Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
. Soon thereafter, he began intermittent work on Webb's radio series Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
.
Milner juggled school and career, taking classes at San Fernando Valley State College
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
, and then attending the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
for a year (where he joined the Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa
-Phi Sigma Kappa's Creed and Cardinal Principles:The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles.-World War II:The...
fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
), before dropping out to concentrate on acting in the fall of 1950. He made his first television appearance in 1950 as a guest star on The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
. That same year, he began a recurring role as "Drexel Potter" on the television sit-com The Stu Erwin Show (aka Trouble With Father).
Career
In 1952, Milner was drafted into the U.S. Army. In Special ServicesSpecial Services (entertainment)
Special Services are the entertainment branch of the American military. The unit was created on 22 July 1940 by the War Department as part of the Army Service Forces. Special Services would not only use their own specially trained and talented troops but would often engage local performers.Special...
at Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
on California's Monterey Bay peninsula, he directed training film
Training film
A training film is a form of educational film – a short subject documentary movie, that provides an introduction to a topic. Both narrative documentary and dramatisation styles may be used, sometimes both in the same production...
s and, with fellow actor/soldier David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
, emceed and performed in skits to entertain the soldiers. Milner and Janssen encouraged fellow soldier Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
to pursue an acting career when his time in the Army ended. While in the Army, Milner continued working for Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
, playing "Officer Bill Lockwood" (briefly the partner of "Sgt. Friday") and other characters on the Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
radio series on weekends. He also appeared on six episodes of Webb's Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
television series between 1952 and 1955.
After his military service ended, Milner became a regular on two television sit-coms, as "Jimmy Clark" on The Stu Erwin Show
The Stu Erwin Show
The Stu Erwin Show is an American sitcom which aired on ABC for five seasons from 1950 to 1955.-Synopsis:...
and as "Don Marshall" on The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley
The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, is a popular American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a long-run 1950s television series , and a 1958 Dell comic book...
. He made guest appearances on numerous television shows and acted in films, the most notable of which were: The Long Gray Line
The Long Gray Line
The Long Gray Line is a 1955 American drama film directed by John Ford based on the life of Marty Maher. Tyrone Power stars as the scrappy Irish immigrant whose 50-year career at West Point took him from dishwasher to non-commissioned officer and athletic instructor.Maureen O'Hara, one of Ford's...
(1955), Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a roughly 30-second gunfight that took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, of the United States. Outlaw Cowboys Ike Clanton and Billy Claiborne ran from the fight, unharmed, but Ike's brother...
(1957), Sweet Smell of Success
Sweet Smell of Success
Sweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. The screenplay was written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman...
(1957), Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar (film)
Marjorie Morningstar is a 1958 melodrama film based on the 1955 novel of the same name. The film, released by Warner Bros. and directed by Irving Rapper tells a fictional coming of age story about a young Jewish girl in New York City in the 1950s...
(1958), Too Much, Too Soon
Too Much, Too Soon
Too Much, Too Soon is a 1958 biographical film made by Warner Bros.. It was directed by Art Napoleon and produced by Henry Blanke from a screenplay by Art Napoleon and Jo Napoleon, based on the autobiography by Diana Barrymore and Gerold Frank. The music score was by Ernest Gold and the...
(1958), and Compulsion
Compulsion (film)
Compulsion, directed by Richard Fleischer, was a film made in 1959, based on the 1956 novel Compulsion by Meyer Levin, which in turn was based on the Leopold and Loeb trial. It was the first film Richard D. Zanuck produced.- Plot :...
(1959).
Route 66
Although his later series, Adam-12, is probably better remembered in the US today, Milner is best known around the world for his starring role as Tod StilesTod Stiles
Tod Stiles was a fictional character portrayed by actor Martin Milner on the 1960’s American prime-time dramatic television series Route 66. Tod was one of three main regular characters on the program, and the only one to appear in all 116 episodes of the show's four seasons.-Character history:Tod...
in the iconic CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series, Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
(1960 to 1964), created by Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Silliphant
Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Glendale, California as a child, graduated from Hoover High School, and was educated at the University of Southern California...
. Like Adam-12, Route 66 was essentially about two regular guys in a car.
After the sudden death of his father left him unexpectedly penniless, Tod wandered the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his friend Buz Murdock
Buz Murdock
Buz Murdock was a fictional character portrayed by actor George Maharis on the 1960’s American prime-time dramatic television series Route 66. Buz was one of three main regular characters on the program, and his tenure lasted for two and a half of the program’s four seasons. It ended with Maharis’...
(George Maharis
George Maharis
George Maharis is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66...
) in Tod's Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
, taking a variety of jobs and getting involved in other people's problems. Maharis was eventually replaced by Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett was an American actor best known for his role on CBS's adventure drama Route 66.-Acting career:...
as Linc Case, but Milner starred throughout the show's run. Since the show was filmed almost entirely on location, Milner spent nearly four years traveling the country in reality, sometimes bringing his wife and children along.
Adam-12
Years before Adam-12, Milner appeared in numerous episodes of both the radio and television versions of the seminal Jack WebbJack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
series Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
. (Milner had also worked with Webb in the 1950 film Halls of Montezuma and the 1955 film Pete Kelly's Blues.) This ongoing working relationship eventually led to the role for which Milner is best known.
In 1968, Milner returned to television as seven year LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
veteran uniform patrol Officer Peter Joseph "Pete" Malloy in the Jack Webb-produced police drama, Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
. His co-star Kent McCord
Kent McCord
Kent McCord is an American actor best known for his role as Officer Jim Reed on the television series Adam-12.- Biography :...
played his partner, rookie Officer James A. "Jim" Reed. The popular NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
series ran from 1968 to 1975. Like Webb's Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
, it was based on real Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
police procedures and cases, and was hailed for its realistic, positive portrayal of ordinary police officers.
Milner was Webb's hands-down choice for "cop behind the wheel" Pete Malloy, in part because his relative youth and prior acting credits, and also (in Milner's words) because of his on-camera driving experience from his days on Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
.
Other career highlights
Milner appeared in the first season of The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
in the episode "Mirror Image". In 1965, he made a guest appearance as Kahuna, a surfer, in the short-lived ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series, Gidget
Gidget (TV series)
Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966...
starring Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
. Milner also co-starred as Dr. Del Hartwood in Zebra in the Kitchen
Zebra in the Kitchen
Zebra in the Kitchen is a 1965 American family comedy film, produced and directed by Ivan Tors. The film stars Jay North in his first leading feature film role, Martin Milner, Andy Devine, and Joyce Meadows, and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy's love and compassion for the animals he finds...
, a 1965 animal movie which starred a 12-year-old Jay North
Jay North
Jay North is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor at the age of six, North became a household name during the early 1960s for his role as the well-meaning, but mischievous, Dennis Mitchell on the CBS situation comedy Dennis the Menace, based on the comic strip created...
.
Just before Adam-12, Milner starred on Broadway in The Ninety Day Mistress. This might have interfered with the start of Milner's involvement in the television production, but the play lasted considerably less than 90 days, opening and closing in November 1967.
After Adam-12 Martin Milner starred as Karl Robinson in a television series version of The Swiss Family Robinson (1975–1976), produced by Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...
. Most of his other work since then has been as a television guest star, most notably in MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
(as James MacGyver, MacGyver's father), Life Goes On
Life Goes On (TV series)
Life Goes On is a television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989 to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thacher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Paige, Rebecca, and Charles, who is known as Corky...
and RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series
RoboCop: The Series is a 1994 television series based on the film of the same name. It stars Richard Eden as the title character. Made to appeal primarily to children and young teenagers, it lacks the graphic violence that was the hallmark of RoboCop and RoboCop 2...
.
Milner also has the distinction of having portrayed the victim in the very first murder that Columbo had to solve when the series premiered on the NBC Mystery Movie
NBC Mystery Movie
The NBC Mystery Movie is the general name of an American television series, produced by Universal Studios, that was broadcast by NBC from 1971-77...
series. Martin Milner re-teamed with Kent McCord, his co-star from Adam-12, in the cable TV-movie Nashville Beat (1990), originally shown on the now-defunct The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
. The story, partly written by Kent McCord, had Kent McCord as an LAPD detective who teams up with his old partner, Martin Milner, in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Martin Milner also played Harris Cassidy in five episodes of the 1992 television series Life Goes On
Life Goes On (TV series)
Life Goes On is a television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989 to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thacher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Paige, Rebecca, and Charles, who is known as Corky...
.
Personal life
In May 1956, he met singer and actress Judith Bess "Judy" Jones at a Hollywood dinner party, and asked for her phone number. They were married in February 1957. They had four children together, Amy (1958–2004), Molly (b. 1961), Stuart (b. 1962), and Andrew (b. 1964).During the filming of Route 66, Milner became concerned about his lack of time spent at home with his young family. He outfitted a Chevrolet Corvair Greenbriar wagon for himself, his wife Judy, his young children (Andrew was not yet born), the family housekeeper and the family dog, so that he could have his home life on the road, and so that his children would have the presence of their father. He was relatively unconcerned about the effect of this nomadic life on Molly and Stuart, who were too young to notice much difference. As for his eldest, Amy, Milner felt that the travel would enhance her ability to make friends wherever she went.
By contrast, Adam-12 years later involved no travel at all. Milner once joked that the show "is shot on various locations around North Hollywood." Two of his children, Andrew and Amy, each appeared in an episode of the series.
Milner has a passion for fishing, and has traveled all over the world pursuing his hobby. From 1993 to 2004 he was co-host of "Let's Talk Hook-up", a radio talk show about fishing based in the San Diego area. His health eventually led him to retire from the radio show, but not from the fishing. He still resides in Southern California with his family.