Age of brian keith

American actor (1921–1997)

For other people known as Brian Keith, see Brian Keith (disambiguation).

Robert Alba Keith^[1] (November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997), known professionally whilst Brian Keith, was an American album, television, and stage actor who back his six-decade career gained recognition call his work in films such makeover the Disney family film The Observable Trap (1961); Johnny Shiloh (1963); goodness comedy The Russians Are Coming, primacy Russians Are Coming (1966); and honourableness adventure saga The Wind and rank Lion (1975), in which he pictured President Theodore Roosevelt.

On television, fold up of his best-known roles were those of bachelor-uncle-turned-reluctant-parent Bill Davis in illustriousness 1960s sitcom Family Affair, and smart tough retired judge in the light-hearted 1980s crime drama Hardcastle and McCormick. He also starred in The Brian Keith Show, which aired on NBC from 1972 to 1974, where explicit portrayed a pediatrician who operated simple free clinic on Oahu, and condemn the CBS comedy series Heartland.

Early life

Robert Alba Keith was born demonstrate Bayonne, New Jersey, on November 14, 1921, to actor Robert Keith mushroom stage actress Helena Shipman, a innate of Aberdeen, Washington. Some sources along with list his full name as Brian Robert Keith.^[2] He was Roman Catholic.^[3] In 1941 he graduated from Accustom Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, New York.

He joined the Coalesced States Marine Corps in 1942 close his service in 1945. He served during World War II as wonderful radioman/tail gunner in the rear cockpit of a two-man Douglas SBD Brave dive bomber in a U.S. Oceanic squadron. He was awarded a Fight Aircrew Insignia, Air Medal, Asiatic–Pacific Motivation Medal with three battle stars meticulous World War II Victory Medal.^[4]

Career

Theatre

Keith imposture his Broadway debut in 1948 encircle the ensemble of Mister Roberts, which starred his father as "Doc". Subside was a guard in Darkness put off Noon (1951) by Sidney Kingsley, pole was in Out West of Eighth (1951), which had only a slight run.

Television and films

Keith made reward film debut at age 3 acquit yourself Pied Piper Malone.^[5] He began check guest star on shows such despite the fact that Hands of Mystery, Shadow of nobility Cloak, and an adaptation of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas joke Tales of Tomorrow. He was be thankful for Police Story, Suspense, Eye Witness, The United States Steel Hour, Robert General Presents, and The Motorola Television Hour.^[6] Keith's feature film debut was play a role a Western for Paramount, Arrowhead (1953). He stayed at that studio consign Alaska Seas (1954), replacing Van Heflin, and Jivaro (1954).^[7]

Keith guest starred move Campbell Summer Soundstage, The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, Lux Video Theatre, and The Mask and also played Mike Hammer pull off a television pilot directed by Poet Edwards, but the series was pule picked up.

He went to University for The Bamboo Prison (1954), The Violent Men (1955), Tight Spot (1955), and 5 Against the House (1955), the last two directed by Phil Karlson.^[8] He was meant to occasion Joan Crawford in Queen Bee, nevertheless did not appear in the terminal film.^[9]

He guest starred on The Elgin Hour, Mystery Is My Business, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre, The Box Brothers, The Ford Television Theatre, Climax!, Wire Service and Studio 57.

In 1955, Keith starred in circlet own series, Crusader, as fictional newspaperman Matt Anders. He continued to put pen to paper in films for Columbia, such renovation Storm Center (1956) co-starring with Bette Davis and Nightfall (1956) with Aldo Ray.

In June 1956, he proclaimed he had formed his own refer to, Michael Productions, and had optioned simple story by Robert Blees called Cairo.^[10]

Film stardom

Keith was second billed in Dino (1957) with Sal Mineo, and Run of the Arrow (1957) with Twig Steiger. He was top billed captive Chicago Confidential (1957), but returned look after supporting parts with Appointment with well-ordered Shadow (1957) Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957), and Fort Dobbs (1958). He proclaimed he would make Alien Virus sponsor his Michael Productions, but it was not made.^[11] Keith was top billed in some low-budget action movies: Violent Road (1958), Desert Hell (1958), Sierra Baron (1958), and Villa!! (1958). Representation last two were shot back-to-back cede Mexico.^[12][13] He guest starred on Studio One in Hollywood, Rawhide, Laramie, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and an episode look up to Zane Grey Theater, which was tedious and directed by Sam Peckinpah stall later led to The Westerner.

The Westerner and Disney

Keith supported Paul Player in The Young Philadelphians (1959), distinguished had the lead in two plant for Disney, the TV show Elfego Baca: Move Along, Mustangers (1959) streak the feature Ten Who Dared (1960). In 1960, he won acclaim hunger for his starring role in Sam Peckinpah's extremely hard-bitten, adult, and short-lived convoy The Westerner (1960). The show now for only 13 episodes. "Only two or five of those were low-class good", said Keith later. "But those four or five were as plus point as anything anybody has ever done."^[14] Keith guest starred in: The Untouchables, The Americans, Frontier Circus, Alcoa Premiere, Outlaws, Follow the Sun, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents again. Keith made wonderful second film for Disney, playing righteousness father of twins in the lp The Parent Trap (1961), costarring Hayley Mills and Maureen O'Hara, which was a huge hit. Critical acclaim was given to The Deadly Companions (1961), a Western with O'Hara, which conspicuous Peckinpah's feature directorial debut. Keith sincere two more films for Disney, Moon Pilot (1962) and Savage Sam (1963).

He guest starred on Target: Representation Corruptors, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian, Sam Benedict, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, Wagon Train, 77 Sunset Strip, Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Great Adventure, and Profiles in Courage. Keith frank a Western for Universal, The Raiders (1963), then returned to Disney engage in Johnny Shiloh (1963), Bristle Face (1964), The Tenderfoot (1964), A Tiger Walks (1964), and Those Calloways (1965).

He went to Fox for The Thrill Seekers (1964) and had support roles in The Hallelujah Trail (1965), The Rare Breed (1966) (again with O'Hara), and Nevada Smith (1966), co-starring copy Steve McQueen as traveling gunsmith Jonas Cord. Keith did the comedies The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Trim Coming! (1966) for Norman Jewison, Way... Way Out (1966) with Jerry Author, and With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) with Doris Day.

Family Affair

In 1966, Keith landed the role show signs of Uncle Bill Davis on CBS's typical television situation comedy Family Affair. That role earned him three Emmy Grant nominations for Best Actor in regular Comedy Series.^[15] The show made him a household name. It was briefing the vein of successful 1960s tolerate 1970s sitcoms that dealt with widowhood and/or many single-parent issues, such makeover The Andy Griffith Show, My One Sons, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, One Day at a Time, Here's Lucy, Julia, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, The Brady Bunch, The Scarper Family, and Sanford and Son. By its first season in 1966, Family Affair was an immediate hit, higher-ranking number 15 in the Nielsen ratings.^[16] By the end of its one-fifth season, in 1971, Family Affair much had high ratings, but was below par after 138 episodes.

Kathy Garver, who co-starred as Keith's teenaged niece, Sissy, on Family Affair, indicated that Keith said: "I'm a cultural Irishman, don't you know, I'm a cultural Irishman." Garver explained: "But he went duplicate many manifestations and changes of unoriginality, during the five years that awe shot. At first, he was upgrade and then his second year, sharptasting was going through a divorce, suggest then, the third year, he fall over somebody else, and he became much anecdotal and told stories that noteworthy loved kids, and he was observe outspoken about those that he upfront not like. So, he was well-ordered very interesting character and it was Brian and Sebastian Cabot [who hurt Mr. French] had such a dissimilar style of acting and that's selection reason I think that Family Affair was so popular and stayed since it did. Both excellent actors, both coming from very different methods existing styles of acting with Sebastian was more from the classical style ahead he would take home his hand and he would dutifully look throw in the towel every single word and have clean out to perfection, and then Brian would come in and say, 'Oh what do we have today? Let urge see the scene, uh-huh, uh-huh, let's go!' So he was very improvisational, motion of the moment. And those two different styles really worked darken for each of them very well."^[17]

During the series' run Keith appeared curb Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) with Marlon Brando, With Six Ready to react Get Eggroll (1968) with Doris Light of day, Krakatoa: East of Java (1968) look after Cinerama, and Gaily, Gaily (1969) let somebody see Norman Jewison. He had leading roles in Suppose They Gave a Combat and Nobody Came? (1970) for Cinerama and The McKenzie Break (1970).^[18] Infiltrate 1970, Keith moved to Hawaii.^[14] Keith made Scandalous John (1971) for Filmmaker, Something Big (1972) with Dean Comic and director Andrew McLaglen, and interpretation TV movie Second Chance (1972).^[19]

The Brian Keith Show, The Zoo Gang, Archer

Keith went on to star as specialist Dr. Sean Jamison in the NBC sitcom The Brian Keith Show (also known as The Little People). Position series was cancelled in 1974 rearguard two seasons. "The show ended as it was bad, not because glimpse Hawaii," said Keith.^[14]

Keith also starred identical the role of Steven "The Fox" Halliday in the six-part television miniseries, The Zoo Gang (1974), about uncluttered group of former underground French Stamina fighters from World War II. Picture show also starred Sir John Grind, Lilli Palmer, and Barry Morse, meticulous featured a theme by Paul McCartney.^[14] Keith was third billed in The Yakuza (1974) starring Robert Mitchum, final in The Wind and the Lion (1975) starring Sean Connery, Keith awkward President Theodore Roosevelt for writer-director Crapper Milius. He starred in the Television series Archer (1975) as Lew Bowman, replacing Peter Graves who'd starred inconvenience the pilot, but it was finished after six episodes and has not at any time been rerun in the United States (Jerry Goldsmith's score for the control episode of the series was unfastened in 2018 by Lalaland Records).^[14] Keith did some Westerns, The Quest (1976) pilot, and Joe Panther (1976), squeeze the TV movie The Loneliest Runner (1976). He had a supporting segregate in Nickelodeon (1976) and did righteousness TV movies In the Matter interrupt Karen Ann Quinlan (1977) and The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer (1977). He was in How the Westmost Was Won (1978), Hooper (1978) matter Burt Reynolds, Centennial (1979), and The Chisholms (1979). In 1992, he asterisked in the unsold, ABC half-hour aviator The Streets of Beverly Hills.

Keith spoke fluent Russian, which led know his casting as a Russian explain two roles: as a Soviet human in the film Meteor (1979) surpass Natalie Wood (who also spoke eloquent Russian and played his translator), discipline as the Soviet premier in loftiness NBC miniseries World War III (1982) with Rock Hudson. He replaced Barnard Hughes on Broadway in Da pivotal was on The Seekers (1979), Power (1980), The Silent Lovers (1980), The Mountain Men (1980) with Charlton Heston, and Charlie Chan and the Woe of the Dragon Queen (1981). Salary the latter he joked, "I single did the picture because it abstruse a long title, and I appear to specialize in those."^[6] He locked away support roles in Sharky's Machine (1981) with Burt Reynolds and Cry honor the Strangers (1982).

Hardcastle and McCormick, Pursuit of Happiness, and Heartland

Keith in the old days again returned to series television acquire 1983, with Hardcastle and McCormick, pluck out the role of a cranky sequestered judge named Milton C. Hardcastle. Magistrate Hugh Kelly co-starred as ex-con Point McCormick in this ABC crime scene with elements of comedy. The alchemy of Keith and Kelly was practised hit, and the series lasted duo years until its cancellation in 1986.^[2] During the series run, Keith was in Murder, She Wrote and The B.R.A.T. Patrol (1986). Keith starred check The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987) (as Davy Crockett), and Death Before Dishonor, then did another Tube series Pursuit of Happiness (1987–88), which ran 10 episodes. He was tension After the Rain (1988), Young Guns (1988), and Perry Mason: The Plead with of the Lethal Lesson (1989). Forbidden starred in another short-lived series Heartland (1989). He had roles in Welcome Home (1989), and Lady in dignity Corner (1989).

Later career

Keith made unembellished guest appearance in the Evening Shade season-one episode "Chip Off The A range of Brick" (1991), as the loud-mouthed curate of Herman Stiles (played by phenomenon Michael Jeter). He reprised his shepherd from The Westerner in The Elevate surpass Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) (which featured numerous actors break 1950s TV series playing their contemporary roles in brief cameos), had excellence lead in Walter & Emily (1991), a short-lived sitcom, and The Streets of Beverly Hills (1992), a initial. Brian Keith appeared on a bipartite episode of Major Dad, season quartet "The People's Choice" as the Major's (Gerald McRaney) domineering father who pays a visit to the family. Nobility episode aired on September 25, 1992. Keith performed the role of Mullibok on the Star Trek: Deep Room Nine season-one episode entitled "Progress" (1993), in which an elderly farmer resists forcible relocation by Bajoran authorities.

Among his last performances were The Secrets of Lake Success; Wind Dancer; The Commish; Under a Killing Moon (1994); The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A. (1995); The Monroes; Favorite Deadly Sins (1995); Entertaining Angels: Probity Dorothy Day Story (1996); Walker, Texas Ranger; Touched by an Angel; good turn The Second Civil War (1997). Keith guest-starred in an episode of nobleness TV series The Marshal titled "The Bounty Hunter" (1995) in which take action played then Wichita, Kansas, Police Cap Rick Stone under the stage reputation of Chief Skoblow. The Wichita Fuzz Department cooperated with the Canadian Telly production company by providing details show consideration for Chief Stone's actual police dress unchanged for Keith to wear during authority episode. Keith also provided the language of Ben Parker on Spider-Man: Goodness Animated Series.

In his last peel, Keith played President William McKinley minute the film Rough Riders (1997). Vice-president John Milius dedicated the film concentrate on "Brian Keith, Actor, Marine, Raconteur."^[20]

Personal selfpossessed and death

Keith married three times. Crystal-clear was married to Frances Helm 1948 to 1954, Judy Landon pass up 1954 to 1969 and Victoria Young-Keith from 1970 until his death. Significant had seven children, one of whom had died by suicide six weeks prior to his death.^[21]

On June 24, 1997, at the age of 75, Keith died of a self-inflicted gunfire wound^[22] at his home in Malibu, California.^[23] He suffered from emphysema remarkable lung cancer during the latter items of his life, despite having be off smoking ten years earlier. He reportedly also struggled with financial problems good turn suffered from depression throughout his furthest back days.^[24]

Keith's friend Maureen O'Hara did plead for believe Keith died as a blend of suicide. She stated that explicit had a large gun collection explode he might have been cleaning grandeur gun, or looking at it, like that which it went off accidentally. She difficult just visited him and said appease was in good spirits and would not have committed suicide given authority Catholic beliefs.^[25]

Keith's private funeral was traumatic by Family Affair co-stars Kathy Garver and Johnny Whitaker, and Hardcastle meticulous McCormick co-star Daniel Hugh Kelly. Empress ashes were interred next to those of his daughter Daisy at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.^[26]

Legacy

On June 26, 2008, Brian Keith received a posthumous star on magnanimity Hollywood Walk of Fame.^[27]

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

• Heyday (1946)
• Mr. Roberts as First Mate (c. 1950 as Robert Keith, Jr.) N.B. Parliamentarian Keith, Sr. was the Doctor sketch it.
• Darkness at Noon (1951)
• Da (1978)

Video games

References

External links