Mike Kellin
Encyclopedia
Early life
Kellin was born Myron Kellin in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jewish immigrants. He was educated at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
. He served with the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and after the war studied acting and playwriting at the Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
.
Career
Kellin's coarse-featured face, tired eyes and flat, monotone voice suggested that he had lived hard and fast. He was most often cast as tough guys, both good and evil. His portrayals were fascinating and memorable. He worked in some 50 plays and won an Obie AwardObie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
for his work in American Buffalo
American Buffalo (play)
American Buffalo is a 1975 play by American playwright David Mamet which had its premiere in a showcase production at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago. After two more showcase productions, it opened on Broadway on February 16, 1977...
. He made his Broadway debut in 1949 in At War with the Army
At War With The Army
At War with the Army is a 1950 musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was filmed from July through August 1949, and released on December 30, 1950 by Paramount...
and eventually earned a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination in 1956 for his acting in the Musical Pipe Dream
Pipe Dream (musical)
Pipe Dream is the seventh stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; it premiered on Broadway on November 30, 1955. The work is based on John Steinbeck's short novel Sweet Thursday—Steinbeck wrote the novel, a sequel to Cannery Row, in the hope of having it adapted into...
.
Kellin also played in an episode on Lost in Space "The Deadly Games Of Gamma 6" as Myko.
Personal life and death
Kellin was married to actress Sally Moffat, daughter of actress Sylvia Field Truex by an earlier marriage. He was also active in the Fortune Society, a prisoner's rights group. He died on August 26, 1983 from lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Nyack, New York
Nyack, New York
Nyack is a village in the towns of Orangetown and Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of South Nyack; east of Central Nyack; south of Upper Nyack and west of the Hudson River, approximately 19 miles north of the Manhattan boundary, it is an inner suburb of New...
, aged 61.
Play credits (partial)
- Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (1979) as Lionel Stander
- The RitzThe Ritz (play)The Ritz is a play by Terrence McNally. Actress Rita Moreno won a Tony Award for her performance as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Broadway production, which she and many others of the original cast reprised in a 1976 film version directed by Richard Lester....
(1975) as Carmine Vespucci - The Odd CoupleThe Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
(1966) as Oscar Madison - Mother Courage and Her ChildrenMother Courage and Her ChildrenMother Courage and Her Children is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin...
(1963) as Cook - RhinocerosRhinoceros (play)Rhinoceros is a play by Eugène Ionesco, written in 1959. The play belongs to the school of drama known as the Theatre of the Absurd...
(1961) as Dribble - God and Kate Murphy (1959) as Sean Murphy
- Pipe DreamPipe Dream (musical)Pipe Dream is the seventh stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; it premiered on Broadway on November 30, 1955. The work is based on John Steinbeck's short novel Sweet Thursday—Steinbeck wrote the novel, a sequel to Cannery Row, in the hope of having it adapted into...
(1955) as Hazel - Ankles Aweigh (1955) as Joe Mancinni
- The Emperor's Clothes (1953) as Second Rottenbiller Brother
- Stalag 17 (1951) as Stosh
- The Bird Cage (1950) as Frank
- At War With the Army (1949) as Staff Sergeant McVay
Film credits
- At War With The ArmyAt War With The ArmyAt War with the Army is a 1950 musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was filmed from July through August 1949, and released on December 30, 1950 by Paramount...
(1950) as Sgt. McVey - Hurricane Smith (1952) as Dicer
- Lonelyhearts (1959) as Frank Goldsmith
- The Wackiest Ship in the ArmyThe Wackiest Ship in the Army (film)The Wackiest Ship in the Army is a 1960 CinemaScope comedy-drama war film starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson and Chips Rafferty. It was filmed at Pearl Harbor and Kauai.-Plot summary:...
(1960) as Chief Mate MacCarthy - The Great Impostor (1960) with Tony CurtisTony CurtisTony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
, as Thompson - Hell Is for HeroesHell Is for Heroes (film)Hell Is for Heroes is a 1962 war film directed by Don Siegel and starring Steve McQueen. It tells the story of a squad of American soldiers, who in the fall of 1944 must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line until reinforcements reach them.-Plot:Squad...
(1962) as Pvt. Kolinsky - The Incident (1967) as Harry Purvis
- The Boston Strangler (1968) as Julian SoshnickJulian SoshnickJulian Soshnick was born on August 17, 1932 in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised there, Soshnick graduated from high school in Manhattan at age 16. He then attended and graduated Brandeis University and the Boston University School of Law. Drafted in 1957 and shipped out to Germany, he served four...
- Riot (1969) as Bugsy
- The People Next Door (1970) as Dr. Margolin
- Fools Parade (1971) as Steve Mystic
- Freebie and the BeanFreebie and The BeanFreebie and The Bean is a 1974 action-comedy film about two San Francisco police detectives who have one goal in life, bringing down a local hijacking boss. The picture, a precursor to the buddy cop film genre popularized a decade later, stars James Caan, Alan Arkin, Loretta Swit and Valerie...
(1974) as Lt. Rosen - On The Yard (1978) as Red
- Midnight ExpressMidnight Express (film)Released on October 6, 1978, the soundtrack to Midnight Express was composed by Italian synth-pioneer Giorgio Moroder. The score won the Academy Award for Best Original Score of 1978.Side A:#Chase – Giorgio Moroder...
(1978) in the Oscar-nominated role of Mr. Hayes - The Jazz SingerThe Jazz Singer (1980 film)The Jazz Singer is a 1980 American musical remake of the 1927 classic The Jazz Singer. It starred Neil Diamond, Sir Laurence Olivier, and Lucie Arnaz and was co-directed by Richard Fleischer and Sidney J...
(1980) as Leo - Just Before DawnJust Before Dawn (1981 film)Just Before Dawn is a 1981 slasher film from director Jeff Lieberman. Though the film came and went quietly upon its theatrical release the film has now developed a devoted cult following among horror fans. It is praised for its eerie atmosphere, lush cinematography, and above-average cast...
(1981) as Ty - So FineSo Fine (film)So Fine is a 1981 comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone.-Plot summary:Bobby Fine is an intellectual English professor who leaves his job when his father Jack appeals to him for help...
(1981) as Sam Schlotzman - PaternityPaternity (film)Paternity is a 1981 film comedy that stars Burt Reynolds, Beverly D'Angelo, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley and Lauren Hutton, directed by David Steinberg. The film was released by Paramount Pictures on October 2, 1981.-Plot:...
(1981) as Tour Guide - Sleepaway CampSleepaway CampSleepaway Camp is a 1983 cult classic slasher film written and directed by Robert Hiltzik—who also served as executive producer. The film is about teen campers getting killed at a summer camp...
(1983) as Mel, his final film.
Television credits
He was very active in television and was a regular on:- Mr. Peepers (TV series) (1952) as Edward Barnes
- BoninoBonino (TV series)Bonino is an ethnic situation comedy television series starring Ezio Pinza as an Italian-American opera singer trying to rear his six children after the death of their mother. The program aired on NBC from September 12 to December 26, 1953....
(1953) as Rusty - Honestly, Celeste!Honestly, Celeste!Honestly, Celeste! is an eight-episode 1954 CBS situation comedy starring Celeste Holm as Celeste Anders, a 37-year-old college journalism professor from Minnesota who accepts a reporter’s position on the staff of the fictitious New York Express newspaper.-Synopsis:In the series premiere, Celeste...
(1954) as Marty Gordon - The Wackiest Ship in the ArmyThe Wackiest Ship in the Army (TV series)The Wackiest Ship in the Army is an American comedy series that aired for one season on NBC between September 19, 1965, and April 17, 1966. Produced by Harry Ackerman and Herbert Hirschman, the series is loosely based on the 1960 film starring Jack Lemmon and Ricky Nelson.-Synopsis:The series is...
(1965–66) as C.P.O. Willie Miller - Seventh Avenue a mini-series (1977) as Morris Blackman
- Fitz and Bones (1981) as Robert Whitmore
He also appeared in made-for-TV movies including:
- Assignment: Munich (1972)
- The Connection (1973)
- F.D.R.: the Last Year (1980) as Andre Gromyko
He guest starred on the following:
- Naked City
- The Rifleman (1959) "Surveyors"
- The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
- Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
- 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...
- Have Gun-Will Travel (1961) "Drop of Blood"
- Lost in SpaceLost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
- Barney MillerBarney MillerBarney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker...
- Combat! (1965) "Losers Cry Deal"
- ((Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea))