Barney Martin
| Barney Martin | |
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| Born | March 3, 1923 Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 2005 (aged 82) Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–2000 |
Barney Martin (March 3, 1923 – March 21, 2005) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Morty Seinfeld, father of Jerry, on the famous sitcom Seinfeld.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Queens, New York, Martin served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and then was an NYPD officer for twenty years. He got his start as a comedian while still a police officer, giving humorous presentations to the deputy commissioners.
[edit] Career
Entering show business in the 1950s as a writer for Steve Allen, he was discovered by Mel Brooks in 1968, who cast him in The Producers. That year, he also played the role of Hank in "Charly". He went on to act in dozens of films, including the role of Liza Minnelli's unemployed father in Arthur (1981). On television, he appeared in several episodes of The Odd Couple, as well as an episode of Full House as Ranger Roy. In 1979 he was cast as the title character in Norman Lear's final TV series concept, McGurk: A Dog's Life. Martin was cast to play a character similar to Lear's earlier creation, Archie Bunker, but played as a dog. Only the pilot was completed. In 1990, he co-starred with Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry in the CBS sitcom Sydney.
In 1975, Martin originated the role of Amos Hart in Chicago. He appeared in many more musicals during his career, most notably South Pacific, The Fantasticks and How Now, Dow Jones. Much of Martin's work has been in television, where he has had a long career as a character actor. He played the "Cheese Man" in a "Golden Girls" episode. He is best known for playing Morty Seinfeld, father of Jerry, on Seinfeld.
Martin once commented that many Jewish Seinfeld fans told him how much his character reminded them of their father. Martin in fact was of Irish Catholic extraction.[1]
[edit] Death
On March 21, 2005, he died of lung cancer in Studio City, Los Angeles, California. He was 82 years old.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Obituary for Barney Martin in The New York Times
- Barney Martin at the Internet Movie Database
- Barney Martin at Find a Grave
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This article about an American television actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1923 births
- 2005 deaths
- Actors from New York City
- American film actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American military personnel of World War II
- American Roman Catholics
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Cancer deaths in California
- Deaths from lung cancer
- National Rifle Association members
- New York City Police Department officers
- People from Queens
- United States Army Air Forces soldiers
- American television actor, 1920s birth stubs
