Mike Kellin

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

Mike Kellin
Born	April 26, 1922 Hartford, Connecticut
Died	August 26, 1983 (aged 61) Nyack, New York
Education	Boston University Trinity College, Connecticut (BA) Yale University (MFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1949–1983
Spouse(s)	Nina Caiserman Kellin ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 1963)​ Sally Moffat ​ ​ (m. 1966; his death 1983)​
Children	1

Early life

Kellin was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Sophia and Samuel Kellin, Russian-Jewish immigrants. His younger sister, Shirley Ann Kellin (born August 14, 1927), died in the 1944 Hartford circus fire. 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. He made his Broadway debut in 1949 in At War with the Army[1] and repeated his role in the 1950 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 (1960) and the television series based on the film in the same role.

Kellin appeared in an episode on Lost in Space, titled "The Deadly Games of Gamma 6," as Myko. He also appeared in an episode on The Twilight Zone, titled "The Thirty Fathom Grave", and as a Southerner in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "Night Of The Owl".

Personal life and death

Kellin married Nina Caiserman in 1952. The couple adopted a daughter before Nina's death, in 1963. In 1966, Kellin married actress Sally Moffat, daughter of actress Sylvia Field. Kellin was active in the Fortune Society, a prisoners' rights group. He died on August 26, 1983 from lung cancer in Nyack, New York at the age of 61. His interment was at Emanuel Synagogue Cemetery in Wethersfield, Connecticut.[2]

Stage 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 (1950) as Staff Sergeant McVay

Film credits

• So Young So Bad (1950) as Carousel Operator (uncredited)
• At War with the Army (1950) as Sgt. McVey
• Hurricane Smith (1952) as Dicer
• Lonelyhearts (1958) as Frank Goldsmith
• The Wonderful Country (1959) as Pancho Gil
• The Mountain Road (1960) as Prince
• The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) as Chief Mate MacCarthy
• The Great Imposter (1961) as Clifford Thompson
• Hell Is for Heroes (1962) as Pvt. Kolinsky
• Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964) as Blind Union Vet
• Banning (1967) as Harry Kalielle
• The Incident (1967) as Harry Purvis
• The Boston Strangler (1968) as Julian Soshnick
• Riot (1969) as Bugsy
• The Maltese Bippy (1969) (uncredited)
• The Phynx (1970) as Bogey
• The People Next Door (1970) as Dr. Margolin
• Cover Me Babe (1970) as The Derelict
• Fools' Parade (1971) as Steve Mystic
• The Last Porno Flick (1974) as Boris
• Freebie and the Bean (1974) as Lt. Rosen
• Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) as Ben Lapinsky
• God Told Me To (1976) as Deputy Commissioner
• Midnight Express (1978) as Mr. Hayes
• Girlfriends (1978) as Abe
• On the Yard (1978) as Red
• The Jazz Singer (1980) as Leo
• So Fine (1981) as Sam Schlotzman
• Just Before Dawn (1981) as Ty
• Paternity (1981) as Tour Guide
• Echoes (1982) as Sid Berman
• Sleepaway Camp (1983) as Mel (final film role)

Television credits

He was very active in television and was a regular on:

• Mister 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) in "Surveyors"
• The Untouchables
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• The Twilight Zone (1963) in "The Thirty-Fathom Grave"
• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (1960) "The Trap"
• Have Gun, Will Travel (1961) in "Drop of Blood"
• Have Gun, Will Travel (1958) in "The Solid Gold Patrol"
• Route 66 (1961) in "Birdcage on My Foot"
• Route 66 (1962) in "Hey Moth, Come Eat the Flame"
• Lost in Space in "The Deadly Games of Gamma 6"
• Combat! (1965) in "Losers Cry Deal"
• Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea
• Starsky and Hutch
• Gunsmoke (1966) in "The Moonstone"
• Barney Miller (1976) in "Non-Involvement"
• Galactica 1980 (1980) in "The Super Scouts"

Discography

• Tevya and His Daughters, Columbia Masterworks OL 5225 (1957)
• And the Testimony's Still Coming, Verve-Forecast FTS 3028 (1967)

References

1. "("Mike Kellin" search results)". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
2. Kennedy, Shawn G. (1983-08-28). "Mike Kellin, Actor, Dies at 61; Won OBIE for Role in 'Buffalo'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

External links

• Mike Kellin at IMDb
• Mike Kellin at the Internet Broadway Database
• Mike Kellin at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• 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