Kenneth McMillan (actor)
Kenneth McMillan (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 1989) was an American actor. McMillan was usually cast as gruff, hostile and unfriendly characters due to his rough image. However, he was sometimes cast in some lighter comic roles that highlighted his gentler side. He was perhaps best known as Jack Doyle in Rhoda (1977–1978), and as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in David Lynch's Dune.
Kenneth McMillan | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1932 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 1989 (aged 56) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–1989 |
| Spouse | Kathryn McDonald (m. 1969) |
| Children | 1 |
Biography edit
Personal life edit
McMillan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Margaret and Harry McMillan, a truck driver.[1] He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Prior to becoming an actor, McMillan was employed at Gimbels Department Store first as a salesman, then as a section manager, and then a floor superintendent managing three floors.[2] At age 30, McMillan decided to pursue an acting career, and took acting lessons from Uta Hagen and Irene Dailey. He was married to Kathryn McDonald (20 June 1969 – 8 January 1989) (his death) with whom he had one child, actress Alison McMillan.
Career edit
McMillan made his film debut at age 41 with a small role in Sidney Lumet's police drama Serpico. The actor played a borough commander in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, but often was cast as characters such as a cowardly small town sheriff in Tobe Hooper's 1979 TV mini-series Salem's Lot, a similar law enforcement officer in the 1987 Burt Reynolds film Malone, William Hurt's bitter paraplegic father in Eyewitness, a wily safe cracker in The Pope of Greenwich Village, and a racist fire chief in Ragtime who is memorably told off by the New York City police commissioner, played by James Cagney. In 1985, he portrayed New York City's newly appointed police commissioner in the short-lived television crime drama Our Family Honor.
He portrayed the grotesquely obese and gleefully psychotic Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune, the pathetic drunken pop of Aidan Quinn in Reckless and as Cressner, a sleazy high roller gambler in "The Ledge," a segment of the horror anthology film Cat's Eye. Yet he did sometimes get cast opposite the villain, playing Robert Duvall's detective partner in True Confessions, a judge who must rule whether Richard Dreyfuss has the right to die in Whose Life Is It Anyway?, as well as a lead detective investigating a serial killer in the 1982 film The Clairvoyant.
McMillan was also adept at comedy, giving performances as a baseball club manager in Blue Skies Again, Meg Ryan's corrupt security guard captain dad in Armed and Dangerous and a dotty senile veterinarian in Three Fugitives.
McMillan had a recurring role in 1977–78 as Valerie Harper's irate boss Jack Doyle on the TV sitcom Rhoda. Among the TV shows McMillan did guest spots on are Dark Shadows, Ryan's Hope, as a 53rd precinct lieutenant on Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, The Rockford Files, Moonlighting, Lou Grant, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote.
Outside of his film and TV credits, McMillan also frequently performed on stage at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He acted in the original Broadway productions of Streamers and American Buffalo. He won an Obie for his performance in the Off-Broadway play Weekends Like Other People.
McMillan died of liver disease at age 56.[2]
Filmography edit
- Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Serpico | Charlie | Uncredited |
| 1974 | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three | Harry (Borough Commander) | |
| 1975 | The Stepford Wives | Market Manager | |
| Dog Day Afternoon | Commissioner | Uncredited | |
| 1978 | Girlfriends | Cabbie | Credited as Ken McMillan |
| Bloodbrothers | Mikey Banion | ||
| Oliver's Story | Jamie Francis | ||
| 1979 | Chilly Scenes of Winter | Pete | |
| 1980 | Hide in Plain Sight | Sam Marzetta | |
| Little Miss Marker | Branigan | ||
| Carny | Heavy St. John | ||
| Borderline | Malcolm Wallace | ||
| 1981 | Eyewitness | Mr. Deever | |
| True Confessions | Frank Crotty | ||
| Ragtime | Willie Conklin | ||
| Whose Life Is It Anyway? | Judge Wyler | ||
| Heartbeeps | Max | ||
| 1982 | Partners | Chief Wilkins | |
| The Clairvoyant | Detective Cullum | ||
| 1983 | Blue Skies Again | Dirk | |
| 1984 | Reckless | John Rourke Sr. | |
| The Pope of Greenwich Village | Barney | ||
| Amadeus | Michael Schlumberg | Director's Cut (2002) | |
| Dune | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | ||
| Protocol | Senator Norris | ||
| 1985 | Cat's Eye | Cressner | |
| Runaway Train | Eddie MacDonald | ||
| 1986 | Armed and Dangerous | Captain Clarence O'Connell | |
| 1987 | Malone | Hawkins | |
| 1989 | Three Fugitives | Horvath |
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Dark Shadows | Jack Long / Bartender at the Eagle | 2 episodes |
| 1975–76 | Ryan's Hope | Charlie Ferris | 17 episodes |
| 1976–78 | Kojak | Lt. Becker / Lt. George O'Mara | 3 episodes |
| 1977 | Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye | Softy McNamara | TV movie |
| The Rubber Gun Squad | Captain Egan | TV pilot | |
| 1977–78 | Rhoda | Jack Doyle | Recurring; 24 episodes; also performer on "Blue Moon" and "As Time Goes By" in 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Breaking Up | Vancrier | TV movie |
| King | Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor | Miniseries | |
| A Death in Canaan | Sgt. Tim Scully | TV movie | |
| Starsky & Hutch | Lt. Daniel E. Slate | 1 episode | |
| The Rockford Files | Morry Hawthorne | 1 episode | |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | Jack Riley | 1 episode |
| Salem's Lot | Constable Parkins Gillespie | Miniseries | |
| 1980 | The Hustler of Muscle Beach | Joseph Demec | TV movie |
| 1982 | In the Custody of Strangers | Albert C. Caruso | |
| 1983 | Packin' It In | Howard Estep | |
| Dixie: Changing Habits | Tony Marchesso | ||
| Murder 1, Dancer 0 | Lt. Herbie Quinlan | ||
| 1984 | When She Says No | Mr. Michaels | |
| Maggie Briggs | Walter Holden | Main; 5 episodes | |
| Concrete Beat | Marion Kaiser | TV movie | |
| Destination Dune | Self / Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | TV documentary short promoting Dune | |
| 1985–86 | Our Family Honor | Commissioner Patrick McKay | Main; 13 episodes |
| 1986 | Acceptable Risks | Wes Boggs | TV movie |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Judge Paul Magrew | "Four O'Clock" | |
| Moonlighting | Baptista | 1 episode | |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Harry Gunz | "Sons of Gunz" |
| Murder, She Wrote | 1 episode | ||
| Magnum, P.I. | Joe Hatten | 1 episode | |
| Tales from the Hollywood Hills: A Table at Ciro's | Lew Carteret | TV movie | |
| 1988 | Frank's Place | Mitch Torrance | 1 episode; credited as Ken McMillan |
| Favorite Son | Henry O'Brien | 1 episode | |
| 1989 | Top of the Hill | Steele Cooley | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Welcome to Twin Peaks | Baron Vladimir Harkonnen | Archive footage; uncredited |
| 2013 | The Calm Before the Chaos: Kyle T. Heffner Reflects on Runaway Train | Eddie MacDonald | Archive footage; uncredited |
References edit
- ^ Kenneth McMillan Biography (1932-)
- ^ a b Collins, Glenn (January 10, 1989). "Kenneth McMillan, 56, Actor In Numerous Stage and Film Roles". The New York Times.
External links edit
- Kenneth McMillan at IMDb
- Kenneth McMillan at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Kenneth McMillan Biography at Hollywood.com at archive.today (archived 2013-01-25)