John Francis McMartin (August 21, 1929^[1] – July 6, 2016) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He made his off-Broadway debut inLittle Mary Sunshine in 1959, and acted on Broadway for more than 50 years. He won aTheatre World Award in 1960 and was nominated for a Tony for his role inSweet Charity in 1966. On television, McMartin appeared on the soap operaAs the World Turns, and the TV showsEast Side West Side,Beauty and the Beast,The Golden Girls,The Bob Newhart Show, andMurder, She Wrote. He also had film roles inAll the President's Men (1976),Blow Out, andLegal Eagles.

John McMartin
McMartin in July 2011
Born	John Francis McMartin (1929-08-21)August 21, 1929 Warsaw, Indiana, U.S.
Died	July 6, 2016(2016-07-06) (aged 86) New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, singer
Years active	1956–2015
Spouse	Cynthia Baer ​ ​ (m. 1960;div. 1971)​
Partner	Charlotte Moore
Children	2

McMartin was born inWarsaw, Indiana, on August 21, 1929,^[2] and raised inSt. Cloud,Minnesota. After graduating from high school, he joined theUnited States Army and became aparatrooper in the101st Airborne Division. He attendedColumbia College Chicago, but did not graduate and later attended college in New York.^[3] He made his off-Broadway debut inLittle Mary Sunshine in 1959, oppositeEileen Brennan andElmarie Wendel. He won aTheatre World Award for his role as Corporal Billy Jester, and married one of the show's producers, Cynthia Baer, in 1960; they divorced in 1971.

McMartin's first Broadway appearance was as Forrest Noble inThe Conquering Hero in 1961, which was followed byBlood, Sweat and Stanley Poole. He created the role of Oscar inSweet Charity in 1966, oppositeGwen Verdon,^[4] garnering a Tony nomination, and played the role again in the 1969 film oppositeShirley MacLaine.^[5] He was reportedly cast inStephen Sondheim'sA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1962, but his role was cut before the show opened.

McMartin later starred in the original Broadway production of Sondheim'sFollies oppositeAlexis Smith in 1971 as Benjamin Stone, introducing the ballad "The Road You Didn't Take".^[6] His association with Sondheim continued, as he appeared inA Little Night Music as Frederick at theAhmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, in 1991.^[7][8] The reviewer for theOrange County Register wrote that McMartin was "aggressively deadpan as her rediscovered old flame".^[9]

He appeared in the firstBroadway revival ofInto the Woods in 2002, in the dual role of the Narrator and the Mysterious Man.^[10][11][12]

Other Broadway roles include the Narrator inHappy New Year, Ben inA Little Family Business (adapted byJay Presson Allen, 1982),^[13] Donner inTom Stoppard'sArtist Descending a Staircase, Cap'n Andy inKern andHammerstein'sShow Boat (1994),^[14] and Uncle Willie inCole Porter'sHigh Society (1998).^[15] He also had a role as the American Revolutionary naval hero John Paul Jones in the unsuccessfulLoesser/Spewack musicalPleasures and Palaces, which closed inDetroit.^[16] In regional theater, he originated the role of Benteen in the Folger Theater Group's 1979 production ofCuster at theKennedy Center.^[17]

McMartin was a leading member of the New Phoenix Repertory Company during its three Broadway seasons in the early 1970s, appearing onstage inEugene O'Neill'sThe Great God Brown (oppositeKatherine Helmond),Molière'sDom Juan, andLuigi Pirandello'sThe Rules of the Game.

McMartin played Anton Schell oppositeChita Rivera inKander and Ebb's musicalThe Visit at theGoodman Theatre. He created the roles of J.V. "Major" Bouvier andNorman Vincent Peale inGrey Gardens, oppositeMary Louise Wilson andChristine Ebersole. He playedThomas Jefferson in the original cast ofJohn Guare'sA Free Man of Color atLincoln Center (2010–11), and Elisha Whitney in the 2011 Broadway revival ofAnything Goes, oppositeJessica Walter.^[18]

On television, McMartin appeared on the soap operaAs the World Turns as Ed Rice. He was later in the CBS dramaEast Side West Side and the first two seasons ofBeauty and the Beast (1987) as Charles Chandler, father of Catherine (Linda Hamilton). He also appeared inThe Golden Girls (Season 2) as Frank Leahy who, unbeknownst to Dorothy (Bea Arthur) who is romantically attracted to him, is a priest. He appeared as the Rev. Dr. Dan Bradford onThe Bob Newhart Show in "Somebody Down Here Likes Me". He appeared onCheers in "The Visiting Lecher". He appeared as radio personality Fletcher Grey onFrasier. He appeared in four episodes ofMurder, She Wrote. He also appeared asShirley Jones's love interest inThe Partridge Family episode "When Mother Gets Married".^[19]

McMartin's film roles include the foreign editor inAll the President's Men (1976), a senator inBrubaker (1980), a political advisor inBlow Out (1981), and millionaire Mr. Forrester inLegal Eagles (1986).^[19]

McMartin died of cancer inManhattan on July 6, 2016, aged 86.^[1][20] He was survived by his two daughters from his marriage, and his longtime partner, actress Charlotte Moore, artistic director of theIrish Repertory Theatre.^[3]

Honor

• 2009 Inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.^[21]

• John McMartin atIMDb
• John McMartin at theInternet Broadway Database 
• John McMartin atPlaybill Vault 
• John McMartin at theInternet Off-Broadway Database