Gardner McKay
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| Gardner McKay | |
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 Gardner McKay on the cover of TV Week, 1959 |
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| Born | George Cadogan Gardner McKay June 10, 1932 New York |
| Died | November 21, 2001 Hawaii Kai, Hawaii |
| Spouse(s) | Madeleine Madigan |
George Cadogan Gardner McKay (June 10, 1932 – November 21, 2001) was an American actor, artist, and author.
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[edit] Biography
Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. His good looks, his 6'5" (1.96 m) 200 pound (91 kg) frame, and his love of sailing all helped him land him the leading role in the ABC television series Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on the writings of James Michener. His character, Adam Troy, was a Korean War veteran who purchased the twin-masted 82-foot (25 m) schooner Tiki, and sailed the South Pacific.
McKay was under contract to MGM when he was spotted by Dominick Dunne, a television producer for Twentieth Century Fox who was searching for an actor to star in his planned Adventures in Paradise. Dunne put his business card on the table and said, "If you're interested in discussing a television series, call me." McKay competed in screen tests with nine other candidates, and won it because of his good looks and ability to sail. An accomplished sailor, he had made eight Atlantic crossings by the age of seventeen. Although previously unknown to the public, McKay appeared on the July 6, 1959, cover of Life Magazine just two months before the series premiered.
In the 1957-1958 season, McKay played Lieutenant Dan Kelly in the 38-episode syndicated western series, Boots and Saddles, with Jack Pickard and Patrick McVey.[1]
After acting in more than 100 films for television, McKay left Hollywood to pursue his loves of photography, sculpture, and writing. He turned down the opportunity to star opposite Marilyn Monroe in Something's Got to Give, a film which was never produced. He exhibited his sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, besides holding individual exhibitions. His lifeboat rescue photographs of the Andrea Doria were published internationally. McKay wrote many plays and novels, and was a literary critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner between 1977 and 1982. He taught writing classes at the University of California at Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Alaska, University of Hawaii.
McKay's awards included : three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships for playwriting, the Drama Critics Circle Award Best Play, and Sidney Carrington Prize. He was a winner in Canadian Regional Drama Festival, and runner up in the Hemingway Short Story Contest.
During his time in Hollywood, McKay had been noted playboy who dated actresses and models, including Julie Newmar, Joan Collins, Loretta Swit and Greta Chi.
[edit] Last years
McKay settled in Hawaii, where he died from prostate cancer in 2001 at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife Madeleine Madigan, a painter, and two children.
McKay is mentioned in the song,"Son of a Son of a Sailor" by Jimmy Buffett.
[edit] References
- ^ "Boots and Saddles". Classic TV Archivers. http://ctva.biz/US/Western/BootsAndSaddles.htm. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
