John McMartin obit

Broadway Actor John McMartin Dies at 86

McMartin was nominated for five Tonys, including for 1966's 'Sweet Charity' and the 2002 revival of Stephen Sondheim's 'Into the Woods.'

He was not on the list.

John McMartin, the versatile, gentlemanly Tony Award-nominated actor who starred on Broadway in such shows as Follies and Sweet Charity, has died, his manager said Thursday. He was 86.

McMartin’s manager, Tony Cloer, said the actor died of cancer Wednesday in New York surrounded by his family and his longtime companion, Charlotte Moore.

The silver-haired actor, who was equally at home in plays as well as musicals, was nominated for five Tonys, the first of which was for 1966’s Sweet Charity and included mentions for Don Juan, Show Boat and High Society.

McMartin also earned a Tony nom for his role in the 2002 Tony-winning revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical Into the Woods, playing the narrator opposite Vanessa Williams as the Witch. Other recent Broadway credits include the 2011 revival of Anything Goes, A Free Man of Color in 2010 and Grey Gardens in 2006.

In 1994, McMartin starred as Cap’n Andy in a revival of Show Boat, the classic Broadway musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, reinterpreted by director Harold Prince. The cast also included Elaine Stritch as Parthy, Mark Jacoby as Gaylord Ravenal and Rebecca Luker as Magnolia. McMartin also appeared in the Cole Porter musical Happy New Year in 1980.

The Warsaw, Indiana, native was most famous for originating the role of Ben Stone in Sondheim’s Follies. He remained active into his 80s, last starring on Broadway as Sen. Richard Russell in All the Way, the play about Lyndon Johnson featuring Bryan Cranston in 2013.

McMartin also had many film and TV roles. He played a newspaper editor in the classic 1976 film All the President’s Men and had guest parts on such shows as Murder, She Wrote; Oz; Touched by an Angel; and, most recently, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

 

Filmography

 

Film

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1965    A Thousand Clowns The Man in the Office  

1968    What's So Bad About Feeling Good?            The Mayor 

1969    Sweet Charity Oscar  

1976    All the President's Men     Foreign Editor  

1977    Thieves            Gordon           

1980            Brubaker         Senator Charles Hite    

1981    Blow Out            Lawrence Henry         

1981    Pennies From Heaven            Mr. Warner

1986    Dream Lover   Martin 

1986    Legal Eagles  Robert Forrester         

1986    Native Son      Mr. Dalton 

1987    Who's That Girl            Simon Worthington    

1989    Little Sweetheart            Uncle David  

1990    A Shock to the System George Brewster         

1998    Three Businessmen            Liverpool Businessman

2000    The Dish     U.S. Ambassador Howard           

2004    Kinsey            Huntington Hartford    

2007    No Reservations            Mr. Peterson          

 

Television

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1956    As the World Turns            Ed Rice           

1958            Armstrong Circle Theatre            Performer            Episode: The Invisible Mark

1961            Frontiers of Faith            Man            Episode: Let Us Build a Tower

1963    The DuPont Show of the Week            Performer            Episode: Ride with Terror

1963    Ride with Terror            Performer            Television Movie

1964    East Side West Side            Mike Miller   3 episodes

1964    The Doctors and the Nurses            William Devon            Episode: A Postcard from Yucatan

1964    Mr. Broadway            Robertson            Episode: Try to Find a Spy

1965    Profiles in Courage            Tumulty            Episode: Woodrow Wilson

1965    A Flame in the Wind    Ted            2 episodes

1968            Premiere          John Higher/Prof. Josh Enders            2 episodes

1969    Judd, for the Defense            Don Townsend            Episode: Visitation

1969            Medical Center            Dan Caldwell            Episode: A Life Is Waiting

1970    Marcus Welby, M.D.            John Ambrose            Episode: Fun and Games and John Ambrose

1970    Ritual of Evil   Edward Bolander            Television Movie

1970    The Partridge Family  Larry Metcalfe            Episode: When Mother Gets Married

1970    Insight            Chipper            Episode: Chipper

1971    Hawaii Five-O Ron Nicholson            2 episodes

1971    Love, American Style            Peter Ferguson            Season 2 Episode 23

1971    God Bless Mr. Ferguson            Performer            Television Movie

1973    The Bob Newhart Show   Rev. Daniel Bradford            Episode: Somebody Down Here Likes Me

1974    Harry O         Jordan Briggs            Episode: The Admiral's Lady

1975    Cannon            Sen. Arlen Andrews            Episode: Nightmare

1975    Fear on Trial     Tom Murray            Television Movie

1975–76            Phyllis            Jerome Patterson            2 episodes

1976    Fay            Performer            Episode: Fay and the Doctor

1976    The Rockford Files            Timson Farrell            Episode: The Fourth Man

1976    The Fatal Weakness            Paul Espenshade            Television Movie

1976    The Mary Tyler Moore Show            Barry Munroe            Episode: Mary Gets a Lawyer

1978    The Defection of Simas Kudirka            Phillip Chadway            Television Movie

1979    Dear Detective            Performer            Episode #1.4

1980    The Greatest Man in the World            Ames Herbert            Television Movie

1981    Hart to Hart     Cole Morefeld            Episode: Murder Wrap

1975–81            Great Performances            Performer      2 episodes

1983    The Last Ninja            Mr. Cosmo            Television Movie

1982–84            American Playhouse            Performer      2 episodes

1984–86            Magnum, P.I.  Jason Bryan/Bill Campbell            2 episodes

1985–86            Falcon Crest    Julian J. Roberts            8 episodes

1986            Murrow         Frank Stanton            Television Movie

1986    Kay O'Brien            Jack O'Brien            Episode: Don't Bother Kayo It's Chinatown

1987    The Golden Girls            Father Frank Leahy            Episode: Forgive Me, Father

1987–89            Beauty and the Beast            Charles Chandler            4 episodes

1988    Lincoln            Salmon P. Chase            2 episodes

1988    Roots: The Gift            Edmund Parker Sr.            Television Movie

1989            Tattingers            Frederick Lund            Episode: Broken Windows

1989    Day One      Dr. Arthur Compton            Television Movie

1989    Cheers            Dr. Lawrence Crandell            Episode: The Visiting Lecher

1991            Separate But Equal            Gov. James F. Byrnes            Television Miniseries

1985–91            Murder, She Wrote            Various Roles    4 episodes

1992    Empty Nest     Rev. Chambers            Episode: The Son of a Preacherman

1992    Citizen Cohn    Older Doctor            Television Movie

1992    Sisters            J.D. Fitzway            Episode: Portrait of the Artists

1990–92            Coach            Judge Watkins            2 episodes

1993            Ghostwriter      Alan Charles            Episode: Who's Who – Part 3

1993    Bob            Dr. O'Reilly            Episode: Better to How Loved and Flossed

1994    Frasier            Fletcher Grey            Episode: And the Whimper Is...

1997–98            Touched by an Angel            Earl Gray/Ed Greeley            2 episodes

1999    Spin City      Sen. Joseph Grady            Episode: The Thanksgiving Show

2000    Oz            Lars Nathan 2 episodes

2001    Further Tales of the City      Royal Reichenbach            3 episodes

1992-09            Law & Order   Various Roles    5 episodes

2015            Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt            Grant            Episode: Kimmy Goes on a Date

 

Stage

Broadway

Year     Title            Role            Venue

1961    The Conquering Hero    Forrest Noble   ANTA Washington Square Theatre

1961    Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole            Performer            Ambassador Theatre

1963            Children From Their Games  Sidney Balzer            Morosco Theatre

1963    A Rainy Day in Newark            Edward L. Voorhees            Belasco Theater

1966    Sweet Charity Oscar            Palace Theatre

1971–72            Follies            Benjamin Stone            Winter Garden Theatre

1972–73            The Great God Brown  Dion Anthony            Lyceum Theatre

1972–73            Don Juan            Sganarelle

1973            Sondheim: A Musical Tribute            Performer      Benefit Concert, Shubert Theatre

1973–74            The Visit     Anton Schill    Ethel Barrymore Theatre

1973–74            Chemin de Fer  Fedot

1974    Love for Love            Foresight         Helen Hayes Theatre

1974    The Rules of the Game   Leone Gala

1980    Happy New Year            Narrator            Morosco Theater

1982            Solomon's Child            Allan            Little Theatre

1982    A Little Family Business            Ben            Martin Beck Theatre

1989    Artist Descending a Staircase            Donner            Helen Hayes Theatre

1994–97            Show Boat     Cap'n Andy            Gershwin Theatre

1998    High Society Uncle Willie    St. James Theatre

2002    Into the Woods The Mysterious Man / The Narrator            Broadhurst Theatre

2004    Passion            Doctor Tambourri            Special benefit concert

2006    Grey Gardens            J.V. "Major" Bouvier

Norman Vincent Peale            Walter Kerr Theatre

2007    Is He Dead?  Papa Leroux Lyceum Theatre

2009    Chance & Chemistry            Performer            Minskoff Theatre

2010            Sondheim: The Birthday Concert            Performer      New York Philharmonic

2010    A Free Man of Color            Thomas Jefferson            Vivian Beaumont Theatre

2011            Anything Goes Elisha Whitney            Stephen Sondheim Theatre

2014    All the Way     Richard Russell, Jr.            Neil Simon Theatre

Off-Broadway

Year     Title            Role            Venue

1959    Little Mary Sunshine            Cpl."Billy" Jester            Cherry Lane Theatre

1964    Too Much Johnson            Mr. Billings  Phoenix Theatre

1977    The Misanthrope            Alceste            The Public Theatre

1988    Julius Caesar Julius Caesar

2005    Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story            Parole Board (voiceover)            York

 

Theatre

2006    Grey Gardens            Major Bouvier

Norman Vincent Peale            Playwrights Horizons

2006    Indian Blood   Eddie's Grandfather            Primary Stages Theatre

2008    Saturn Returns            Performer      Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre

2013    The Explorer's Club            Performer            Manhattan Theatre Club

 

Other Theatre Credits

 

Year     Title            Role            Venue

1977    Follies            Benjamin Stone            National Tour

1991    A Little Night Music            Frederick Egerman            Berkshire Theatre Festival

Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles

1996–98            Show Boat     Cap'n Andy            National Tour

2002    The Visit     Anton            Goodman Theatre, Chicago,

2010            Paradise Found            Shah            West End