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Barney Martin
Martin inThe Tony Randall Show (1977)
Born	(1923-03-03)March 3, 1923 New York City, U.S.
Died	March 21, 2005(2005-03-21) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–2000

Barney Martin (March 3, 1923 – March 21, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playingMorty Seinfeld, father ofJerry, on the sitcomSeinfeld (1991–1998). He also played supporting roles inMel Brooks'sThe Producers (1967), and theDudley Moore comedyArthur (1981). He originated the role of Amos Hart (Mr. Cellophane) in the 1976Broadway production ofChicago.

Barney Martin was born inNew York City on March 3, 1923.^[1] He served in theU.S. Army Air Force as anavigator during theSecond World War and worked as aNYPD officer for twenty years, working his way up todetective. He got his start as a comedian while still apolice officer, providingdeputy commissioners with humorous presentations.^[2]

Martin once commented that manyJewishSeinfeld fans told him how much his character reminded them of their fathers. Martin himself was from anIrish Catholic family.^[3]

Entering show business as a stand-in forJackie Gleason inThe Honeymooners in 1955–56 and as a part-time writer forSteve Allen in the 1950s, he was discovered byMel Brooks, who cast him inThe Producers. The next year, he played the role of Hank inCharly. He went on to act in dozens of films, including the role ofLiza Minnelli's unemployed father in the hit 1981 filmArthur and its 1988 sequel,Arthur 2: On the Rocks.

On television, he appeared in two episodes ofThe Odd Couple, once in a very early episode as an irate fellow juror infuriated with Felix Unger's pesty personality and four years later as a fellow subway train passenger. Shortly after, Martin co-starred with Tony Randall for two seasons inThe Tony Randall Show as court reporter Jack Terwilliger.^[1] Throughout the run of this show, he had second billing only to Randall himself. 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 withValerie Bertinelli andMatthew Perry in theCBS sitcomSydney. In 1987, he appeared in the pilot episode of21 Jump Street asJohnny Depp's partner. In 1993, Martin played the recurring role of "Pete Peters" on theDon Rickles sitcomDaddy Dearest.

In 1975, Martin originated the role of Amos Hart in the Broadway musicalChicago, in which he introduced the song "Mr. Cellophane". He appeared in many more musicals during his career, most notablySouth Pacific,The Fantasticks, andHow Now, Dow Jones.^[1] Much of Martin's work has been in television, where he had a long career as acharacter actor. He played a gangster called the "Cheese Man" in aGolden Girls episode. He played a love interest for Thelma Harper in the Hawaii episode ofMama's Family, and he played the father of Frank Fontana onMurphy Brown. He appeared in an episode ofFull House as Ranger Roy, the host of a popular kids' TV show. In 1981, he portrayed Ralph Marolla, father of Liza Minnelli's character in the filmArthur and the following year appeared onBarney Miller in the episode "Obituary".^[4]

In 1991, Martin was cast as the fictional father of Jerry Seinfeld,Morty Seinfeld in the sitcomSeinfeld. His first appearance was in Season 2's "The Pony Remark". Martin replacedPhil Bruns, who first portrayed the character in Season 1's "The Stake Out". Although he was the second actor to portray Jerry's dad in the show, he is the one most associated with the role, as Bruns only appeared in one episode. Martin took on the role upon showrunners Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld deciding they wanted the character of Morty Seinfeld to be harsher, as they thought Bruns was too laid-back for the character.^[5] He retained this role until the series ended in 1998.

Martin died ofbladder cancer on March 21, 2005, inStudio City, Los Angeles, California, at age 82.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0536385/

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBarney Martin.

• Barney Martin atIMDb
• Barney Martin at theInternet Broadway Database
• Barney Martin at theInternet Off-Broadway Database

• 1923 births
• 2005 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century American male singers
• 20th-century American singers
• American male film actors
• American male musical theatre actors
• American male television actors
• American people of Irish descent
• American police detectives
• Catholics from New York (state)
• Deaths from bladder cancer in California
• Military personnel from New York City
• Military personnel from New York (state)
• New York City Police Department officers
• Male actors from Queens, New York
• United States Army Air Forces officers
• United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II

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• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata