Brian Keith | |
|---|---|
 Keith inDino, 1957 | |
| Born | Robert Alba Keith (1921-11-14)November 14, 1921 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1997(1997-06-24) (aged 75) Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924-1997 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7 |
| Father | Robert Keith |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Sergeant E-5 |
| Battles / wars | |
| Website | briankeith |
Robert Alba Keith[1] (November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997), known professionally asBrian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as theDisney family filmThe Parent Trap (1961);Johnny Shiloh (1963); the comedyThe Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); and the adventure sagaThe Wind and the Lion (1975), in which he portrayed PresidentTheodore Roosevelt.
On television, two of his best-known roles were those of bachelor-uncle-turned-reluctant-parent Bill Davis in the 1960s sitcomFamily Affair, and a tough retired judge in the lighthearted 1980s crime dramaHardcastle and McCormick. He also starred inThe Brian Keith Show, which aired onNBC from 1972 to 1974, where he portrayed a pediatrician who operated a free clinic onOahu, and in theCBS comedy seriesHeartland.
Robert Alba Keith was born inBayonne, New Jersey, on November 14, 1921, to actorRobert Keith and stage actress Helena Shipman, a native ofAberdeen, Washington. Some sources also list his full name as Brian Robert Keith.[2] He wasRoman Catholic.[3] In 1941 he graduated fromEast Rockaway High School inEast Rockaway, New York.
He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1942 completing his service in 1945. He served during World War II as a radioman/tail gunner in the rear cockpit of a two-manDouglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber in a U.S. Marine squadron. He was awarded aCombat Aircrew Insignia,Air Medal,Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with three battle stars andWorld War II Victory Medal.[4]
Keith made his Broadway debut in 1948 in the ensemble ofMister Roberts, which starred his father as "Doc". He was a guard inDarkness at Noon (1951) by Sidney Kingsley, and was inOut West of Eighth (1951), which had only a short run.
Keith made his film debut at age 3 inPied Piper Malone.[5] He began to guest star on shows such asHands of Mystery,Shadow of the Cloak, and an adaptation ofTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas inTales of Tomorrow. He was inPolice Story,Suspense,Eye Witness,The United States Steel Hour,Robert Montgomery Presents, andThe Motorola Television Hour.[6] Keith's feature film debut was in a Western for Paramount,Arrowhead (1953). He stayed at that studio forAlaska Seas (1954), replacingVan Heflin, andJivaro (1954).[7]
Keith guest starred onCampbell Summer Soundstage,The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse,Lux Video Theatre, andThe Mask and also playedMike Hammer in atelevision pilot directed byBlake Edwards, but the series was not picked up.
He went to Columbia forThe Bamboo Prison (1954),The Violent Men (1955),Tight Spot (1955), and5 Against the House (1955), the last two directed byPhil Karlson.[8] He was meant to support Joan Crawford inQueen Bee, but did not appear in the final film.[9]
He guest starred onThe Elgin Hour,Mystery Is My Business,Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre,The Box Brothers,The Ford Television Theatre,Climax!,Wire Service andStudio 57.
In 1955, Keith starred in his own series,Crusader, as fictional journalist Matt Anders. He continued to appear in films for Columbia, such asStorm Center (1956) co-starring withBette Davis andNightfall (1956) withAldo Ray.
In June 1956, he announced he had formed his own company, Michael Productions, and had optioned a story by Robert Blees calledCairo.[10]
Keith was second billed inDino (1957) withSal Mineo, andRun of the Arrow (1957) withRod Steiger. He was top billed inChicago Confidential (1957), but returned to supporting parts withAppointment with a Shadow (1957)Hell Canyon Outlaws (1957), andFort Dobbs (1958). He announced he would makeAlien Virus for his Michael Productions, but it was not made.[11] Keith was top billed in some low-budget action movies:Violent Road (1958),Desert Hell (1958),Sierra Baron (1958), andVilla!! (1958). The last two were shot back-to-back in Mexico.[12][13] He guest starred onStudio One in Hollywood,Rawhide,Laramie,Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and an episode ofZane Grey Theater, which was written and directed bySam Peckinpah and later led toThe Westerner.
Keith supported Paul Newman inThe Young Philadelphians (1959), and had the lead in two productions for Disney, the TV showElfego Baca: Move Along, Mustangers (1959) and the featureTen Who Dared (1960). In 1960, he won acclaim for his starring role inSam Peckinpah's extremely hard-bitten, adult, and short-lived seriesThe Westerner (1960). The show aired for only 13 episodes. "Only four or five of those were any good", said Keith later. "But those four or five were as good as anything anybody has ever done."[14] Keith guest starred in:The Untouchables,The Americans,Frontier Circus,Alcoa Premiere,Outlaws,Follow the Sun, andAlfred Hitchcock Presents again. Keith made a second film for Disney, playing the father of twins in the filmThe Parent Trap (1961), costarringHayley Mills andMaureen O'Hara, which was a huge hit. Critical acclaim was given toThe Deadly Companions (1961), a Western with O'Hara, which marked Peckinpah's feature directorial debut. Keith did two more films for Disney,Moon Pilot (1962) andSavage Sam (1963).
He guest starred onTarget: The Corruptors,The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,The Virginian,Sam Benedict,Dr. Kildare,The Fugitive,Wagon Train,77 Sunset Strip,Kraft Suspense Theatre,The Great Adventure, andProfiles in Courage. Keith did a Western for Universal,The Raiders (1963), then returned to Disney forJohnny Shiloh (1963),Bristle Face (1964),The Tenderfoot (1964),A Tiger Walks (1964), andThose Calloways (1965).
He went to Fox forThe Pleasure Seekers (1964) and had support roles inThe Hallelujah Trail (1965),The Rare Breed (1966) (again with O'Hara), andNevada Smith (1966), co-starring withSteve McQueen as traveling gunsmith Jonas Cord. Keith did the comediesThe Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) forNorman Jewison,Way... Way Out (1966) withJerry Lewis, andWith Six You Get Eggroll (1968) withDoris Day.
In 1966, Keith landed the role of Uncle Bill Davis onCBS's popular television situation comedyFamily Affair. This role earned him threeEmmy Award nominations forBest Actor in a Comedy Series.[15] The show made him a household name. It was in the vein of successful 1960s and 1970s sitcoms that dealt with widowhood and/or manysingle-parent issues, such asThe Andy Griffith Show,My Three Sons,The Beverly Hillbillies,Petticoat Junction,One Day at a Time,Here's Lucy,Julia,The Courtship of Eddie's Father,The Brady Bunch,The Partridge Family, andSanford and Son. During its first season in 1966,Family Affair was an immediate hit, ranking number 15 in theNielsen ratings.[16] By the end of its fifth season, in 1971,Family Affair still had high ratings, but was cancelled after 138 episodes.
Kathy Garver, who co-starred as Keith's teenaged niece, Cissy, onFamily Affair, indicated that Keith said: "I'm a cultural Irishman, don't you know, I'm a cultural Irishman." Garver explained: "But he went through many manifestations and changes of character, during the five years that we shot. At first, he was up and then his second year, he was going through a divorce, and then, the third year, he met somebody else, and he became more anecdotal and told stories that he loved kids, and he was very outspoken about those that he did not like. So, he was a very interesting character and it was Brian and Sebastian Cabot [who played Mr. French] had such a different style of acting and that's another reason I think thatFamily Affair was so popular and stayed as it did. Both excellent actors, both coming from very different methods and styles of acting with Sebastian was more from the classical style and he would take home his script and he would dutifully look at every single word and have it to perfection, and then Brian would come in and say, 'Oh what do we have today? Let me see the scene, uh-huh, uh-huh, let's go!' So he was very improvisational, motion of the moment. And those two different styles really worked out for each of them very well."[17]
During the series' run Keith appeared inReflections in a Golden Eye (1967) withMarlon Brando,With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) withDoris Day,Krakatoa: East of Java (1968) for Cinerama, andGaily, Gaily (1969) for Norman Jewison. He had leading roles inSuppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970) for Cinerama andThe McKenzie Break (1970).[18] In 1970, Keith moved to Hawaii.[14] Keith madeScandalous John (1971) for Disney,Something Big (1972) with Dean Martin and directorAndrew McLaglen, and the TV movieSecond Chance (1972).[19]
Keith went on to star aspediatrician Dr. Sean Jamison in the NBC sitcomThe Brian Keith Show (also known asThe Little People). The series was cancelled in 1974 after two seasons. "The show ended because it was bad, not because of Hawaii," said Keith.[14]
Keith also starred in the role of Steven "The Fox" Halliday in the six-part televisionminiseries,The Zoo Gang (1974), about a group of former undergroundFrench Resistance fighters from World War II. The show also starredSir John Mills,Lilli Palmer, andBarry Morse, and featured a theme byPaul McCartney.[14] Keith was third billed inThe Yakuza (1974) starringRobert Mitchum, and inThe Wind and the Lion (1975) starringSean Connery, Keith playedPresident Theodore Roosevelt for writer-directorJohn Milius. He starred in the TV seriesArcher (1975) asLew Archer, replacingPeter Graves who'd starred in the pilot, but it was cancelled after six episodes and has never been rerun in the United States (Jerry Goldsmith's score for the first episode of the series was released in 2018 by Lalaland Records).[14] Keith did some Westerns,The Quest (1976) pilot, andJoe Panther (1976), and the TV movieThe Loneliest Runner (1976). He had a supporting role inNickelodeon (1976) and did the TV moviesIn the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan (1977) andThe Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer (1977). He was inHow the West Was Won (1978),Hooper (1978) withBurt Reynolds,Centennial (1979), andThe Chisholms (1979). In 1992, he starred in the unsold, ABC half-hour pilotThe Streets of Beverly Hills.
Keith spoke fluent Russian, which led to his casting as a Russian in two roles: as a Soviet scientist in the filmMeteor (1979) withNatalie Wood (who also spoke fluent Russian and played his translator), and as the Soviet premier in the NBC miniseriesWorld War III (1982) withRock Hudson. He replacedBarnard Hughes on Broadway inDa and was onThe Seekers (1979),Power (1980),The Silent Lovers (1980),The Mountain Men (1980) withCharlton Heston, andCharlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Of the latter he joked, "I only did the picture because it had a long title, and I seem to specialize in those."[6] He had support roles inSharky's Machine (1981) with Burt Reynolds andCry for the Strangers (1982).
Keith once again returned to series television in 1983, withHardcastle and McCormick, in the role of a cranky retired judge named Milton C. Hardcastle.Daniel Hugh Kelly co-starred as ex-con Mark McCormick in this ABC crime drama with elements of comedy. The chemistry of Keith and Kelly was a hit, and the series lasted three years until its cancellation in 1986.[2] During the series run, Keith was inMurder, She Wrote andThe B.R.A.T. Patrol (1986). Keith starred inThe Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987) (asDavy Crockett), andDeath Before Dishonor, then did another TV seriesPursuit of Happiness (1987–88), which ran 10 episodes. He was inAfter the Rain (1988),Young Guns (1988), andPerry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson (1989). He starred in another short-lived seriesHeartland (1989). He had roles inWelcome Home (1989), andLady in the Corner (1989).
Keith made a guest appearance in theEvening Shade season-one episode "Chip Off The Old Brick" (1991), as the loud-mouthed father of Herman Stiles (played by actorMichael Jeter). He reprised his character fromThe Westerner inThe Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) (which featured numerous actors from 1950s TV series playing their original roles in brief cameos), had the lead inWalter & Emily (1991), a short-lived sitcom, andThe Streets of Beverly Hills (1992), a pilot. Brian Keith appeared on a two-part episode ofMajor Dad, season four "The People's Choice" as the Major's (Gerald McRaney) domineering father who pays a visit to the family. The episode aired on September 25, 1992. Keith performed the role of Mullibok on theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine season-one episode entitled "Progress" (1993), in which an elderly farmer resists forcible relocation by Bajoran authorities.
Among his last performances wereThe Secrets of Lake Success;Wind Dancer;The Commish;Under a Killing Moon (1994);The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A. (1995);The Monroes;Favorite Deadly Sins (1995);Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996);Walker, Texas Ranger;Touched by an Angel; andThe Second Civil War (1997). Keith guest-starred in an episode of the TV seriesThe Marshal titled "The Bounty Hunter" (1995) in which he played thenWichita, Kansas, Police Chief Rick Stone under the stage name of Chief Skoblow. TheWichita Police Department cooperated with the Canadian TV production company by providing details of Chief Stone's actual police dress uniform for Keith to wear during the episode. Keith also provided the voice ofBen Parker onSpider-Man: The Animated Series.
In his last film, Keith played PresidentWilliam McKinley inRough Riders (1997). DirectorJohn Milius dedicated the film to "Brian Keith, Actor, Marine, Raconteur."[20]
Keith married three times. He was married toFrances Helm from 1948 to 1954, Judy Landon from 1954 to 1969 and Victoria Young-Keith from 1970 until his death. He had seven children, one of whom died by suicide six weeks prior to his death.[21]
On June 24, 1997, at the age of 75, Keith died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound[22] at his home inMalibu, California.[23] He suffered fromemphysema and lung cancer during the latter part of his life, despite having quitsmoking ten years earlier. He reportedly also struggled with financial problems and suffered from depression throughout his final days.[24]
Keith's friendMaureen O'Hara did not believe Keith died as a result of suicide. She stated that he had a large gun collection and he might have been cleaning the gun, or looking at it, when it went off accidentally. She had just visited him and said he was in good spirits and would not have committed suicide given his Catholic beliefs.[25]
Keith's private funeral was attended byFamily Affair co-starsKathy Garver andJohnny Whitaker, andHardcastle and McCormick co-starDaniel Hugh Kelly. His ashes were interred next to those of his daughter Daisy atWestwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[26]
On June 26, 2008, Brian Keith received a posthumous star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[27]
I was surprised at Brian, who was Catholic, ...
