Martin Milner
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| Martin Milner | |
 Martin Milner in a Route 66 publicity still, circa 1960 |
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| Birth name | Martin Sam Milner |
| Born | December 28, 1931 (age 75) Detroit, Michigan,USA |
| Other name(s) | Marty |
| Official site | None |
| Notable roles | Officer Pete Malloy in Adam-12 Tod Stiles in Route 66 |
Martin Sam Milner (born December 28, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66.
He has also appeared in other television series, numerous films, radio dramas, a Broadway play, and even a radio fishing show.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early beginnings
Martin Milner got an early start on his film career, first appearing on screen when he was 15 years old.
His debut was in the 1947 film Life With Father, playing John Day, the second eldest son, opposite William Powell as the father. In addition to films, Milner began appearing on television in 1950, most notably as a guest star on The Lone Ranger and as one of the sons in the early television series The Stu Erwin Show.
After a stint in the U.S. Army that began in 1952, Milner continued his film career, most notably in Marjorie Morningstar (1958), Compulsion (1959), Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), as James Earp, and 13 Ghosts (1960).
[edit] Route 66
Although his later series, Adam-12, is probably better remembered today, Milner is well-known for his starring role as Tod Stiles in the CBS television series, Route 66 (1960 to 1964), created by Stirling Silliphant. Like Adam-12, Route 66 was about two guys in a car.
After the sudden death of his father left him unexpectedly penniless, Tod wandered the United States with his friend Buz Murdock (George Maharis) in Tod's Chevrolet Corvette, taking a variety of jobs and getting involved in other people's problems. Maharis was eventually replaced by Glenn Corbett as Linc Case, but Milner starred throughout the show's run. Since the show was filmed almost entirely on location, Milner spent nearly four years traveling the country in reality, sometimes bringing his wife and children along.
[edit] Adam-12
For many years before Adam-12, Milner appeared in numerous episodes of both the radio and television versions of the seminal Jack Webb series Dragnet. (Milner also worked with Webb in the 1950 film Halls of Montezuma and the 1955 film Pete Kelly's Blues.) This ongoing working relationship eventually led to the role for which Milner is best known.
In 1968, Milner returned to television as seasoned LAPD uniform patrol Officer Peter Joseph "Pete" Malloy in the Jack Webb-produced police drama, Adam-12. His co-star Kent McCord played his partner, rookie Officer Jim Reed. The popular NBC series ran from 1968 to 1975. Like Webb's Dragnet, it was based on real Los Angeles police procedures and cases, and was hailed for its realistic, positive portrayal of ordinary police officers.
[edit] Other career highlights
Just before Adam-12, Milner starred on Broadway in The Ninety Day Mistress. This might have interfered with the start of Milner's involvement in the television production; but fortunately for those plans, the play lasted considerably less than 90 days, opening and closing in November 1967.
After Adam-12 Martin Milner starred as Karl Robinson in a television series version of The Swiss Family Robinson (1975-1976), produced by Irwin Allen. Most of his other work since then has been as a television guest star, most notably in MacGyver (as James MacGyver, MacGyver's father), Life Goes On and Robocop.
Milner also has the distinction of having portrayed the victim in the very first murder that Columbo had to solve when the series premiered on the NBC Mystery Movie series.
[edit] Personal life
The son of a film distributor, Sam Gordon Milner, and a dancer with the Paramount Theater circuit, Jerry Martin, Milner was nearly as rootless as a child as his character Tod Stiles was as an adult. The family moved from Detroit to Seattle when Martin was a baby, and then to Los Angeles. Milner had an agent at the age of fourteen, and a film career shortly thereafter.
This was temporarily derailed by a year-long bout with polio. After recovering from this, Milner juggled school and career. He graduated from North Hollywood High School, took classes at San Fernando Valley State College, and then attended the University of Southern California for a year, before dropping out to concentrate on acting. During this period, he frequently played young military characters. Life mirrored art, and Milner was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1952. He spent most of his service at Fort Ord, directing training films and serving as master of ceremonies for a touring show of military personnel - and often acted for Jack Webb on his days off.
After his military service, Milner met singer and actress Judith Bess "Judy" Jones at a Hollywood dinner party, and asked for her phone number. The couple were married in 1957. They have four children together, Amy, Molly, Stuart, and Andrew.
During the filming of Route 66, Milner became concerned about his lack of time spent at home with his young family. He outfitted a Green Briar sports wagon for himself, his wife Judy, his young children (Andrew was not yet born), the family housekeeper and the family dog, so that he could have his home life on the road, and so that his children would have the presence of their father. He was relatively unconcerned about the effect of this nomadic life on Molly and Stuart, who were too young to notice much difference. As for his eldest, Amy, Milner felt that the travel would enhance her ability to make friends wherever she went ([1]).
By contrast, Adam-12 years later involved no travel at all. Milner once joked that the show "is shot on various locations around North Hollywood." Two of his children, Andrew and Amy, each appeared in an episode of the series.
"Marty" Milner has a passion for fishing, and has traveled all over the world pursuing his hobby. From 1993 to 2004 he was co-host of "Let's Talk Hook-up", a radio talk show about fishing based in the San Diego area. His health eventually led him to retire from the radio show, but not from the fishing. He still resides in Southern California with his family.
| “ | I have no complaints on any level. I'm pretty happy about the way everything has turned out. | ” |
[edit] Current activity
Milner has in recent years attended Twilight Zone conventions.
[edit] External links
- The Martin Milner Archives - fan site, with a biography, photos and text of old articles
- IMDB Page
- Internet Broadway Database listing
