Mike Kellin

Mike Kellin
Born	Myron Kellin (1922-04-26)April 26, 1922 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.]
Died	August 26, 1983(1983-08-26) (aged 61) Nyack, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Boston University Trinity College Yale School of Drama
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1950–1983
Spouse(s)	Nina Caiserman Kellin (1951-1963; her death) Sally Moffet (?-1983; his death)
Children	One adopted daughter

Mike Kellin (April 26, 1922 – August 26, 1983) was an American actor.

Early life

Kellin was born Myron Kellin in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian Jewish immigrants. He was educated at Boston University and Trinity College in Hartford. He served with the Navy as a Lieutenant Commander during World War II and after the war studied acting and playwriting at the Yale School of Drama.

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 memorable. He made his Broadway debut in 1949 in At War with the Army and repeated his role in the film version with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He worked in some 50 plays and won an Obie Award for his work in American Buffalo and earned a Tony nomination in 1956 for his acting in the Musical Pipe Dream.

Kellin appeared in both the film version of The Wackiest Ship in the Army and the television series based on the film.

Kellin 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 cancer in Nyack, New York, at the age of sixty-one. His interment was as Emanuel Synagogue Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Play credits (partial)

• Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (1979) as Lionel Stander
• The Ritz (1975) as Carmine Vespucci
• The Odd Couple (1966) as Oscar Madison
• Mother Courage and Her Children (1963) as Cook
• Rhinoceros (1961) as Dribble
• God and Kate Murphy (1959) as Sean Murphy
• Pipe Dream (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 Army (1950) as Sgt. McVey
• Hurricane Smith (1952) as Dicer
• Lonelyhearts (1959) as Frank Goldsmith
• The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) as Chief Mate MacCarthy
• The Great Imposter (1960) with Tony Curtis, as Thompson
• Hell Is for Heroes (1962) as Pvt. Kolinsky
• The Incident (1967) as Harry Purvis
• The Boston Strangler (1968) as Julian Soshnick
• Riot (1969) as Bugsy
• The People Next Door (1970) as Dr. Margolin
• Fools' Parade (1971) as Steve Mystic
• Freebie and the Bean (1974) as Lt. Rosen
• Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) as Mr. Lapinsky
• On The Yard (1978) as Red
• Midnight Express (1978) as Mr. Hayes
• The Jazz Singer (1980) as Leo
• Just Before Dawn (1981) as Ty
• So Fine (1981) as Sam Schlotzman
• Paternity (1981) as Tour Guide
• Sleepaway 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
• Bonino (1953) as Rusty
• Honestly, Celeste! (1954) as Marty Gordon
• The Wackiest Ship in the Army (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 Untouchables
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• The Twilight Zone
• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (1960) "The Trap"

• Have Gun, Will Travel (1961) "Drop of Blood"
• Route 66 (1962) "Hey Moth, Come Eat The Flame"
• Lost in Space
• Barney Miller
• Combat! (1965) "Losers Cry Deal"
• Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea

Discography

• And The Testimony's Still Coming Verve-Forecast FTS 3028 (1967)

External links

• Mike Kellin at IMDb
• Mike Kellin papers, 1946-1983, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• Mike Kellin at Find a Grave