Ian Martin (actor)

Ian Martin (April 29, 1912 – July 25, 1981) was an American actor on Broadway, radio, and television and a writer. He appeared on television more than 700 times and on radio more than 15,000 times.[1]

Ian Martin
Born(1912-04-29)April 29, 1912
Glasgow, Scotland
DiedJuly 25, 1981(1981-07-25) (aged 69)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materHarvard College
Occupation(s)Actor, writer
Spouses
  • Inge Adams
  • Joan Arliss
Children4

Early years

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 29, 1912,[2] Martin was the son of composer George Martin and English actress Violet Robertson. He acted in Scotland as a child before moving to the United States in 1928.[3] Fieldston,[4] the private school that he attended, had some classes taught in French and German, which helped him to pick up accents and dialects that he later used as an actor.[1] After graduating from Harvard College, he became a radio actor, announcer, and writer.[3]

Career

Martin's early experience on stage came in acting with stock theater companies. He first appeared on Broadway in All Men Are Alike (1941). After serving in the Army and working on radio, he returned to Broadway to become the fourth actor to portray Finian McLonergan in Finian's Rainbow.[5] On July 21, 1947,[4] at age 34, he began playing Finian in his late 50s, a role that required 2+1⁄2 hours in makeup.[1] He also prepared for the role by observing older people in everyday situations, taking note of such things as their infirmities, the way they walked, and their posture. His observations were so intense that at times "he was upbraided for impudently staring".[6] He spent 18 months in that role.[1] Other Broadway productions in which Martin appeared included The Devil's Disciple (1950), Captain Brassbound's Conversion (1950), The King of Friday's Men (1951), Spofford (1967), Lost in the Stars (1972), and The Changing Room (1973).[2]

Later in his career, Martin acted in regional theater, including performances at the Main Street Theatre in White Plains, New York,[7] and with the Civic Light Opera in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

Martin wrote more than 100 scripts for the CBS Radio Mystery Theater,[8] and he wrote for Adventure Theater.[9]: 6  As an actor on radio, he portrayed Reed Bannister on Big Sister[9]: 86  and Arnold Kirk on The Right to Happiness.[9]: 578  Other radio programs on which he was heard included The Chase[9]: 150  and Now Hear This.[9]

Personal life and death

Martin married actress Inge Adams in January 1942.[10] He later married actress Joan Arliss,[7] to whom he was still wed at the time of his death. He had two sons and two daughters. He died of a heart ailment on July 25, 1981, in Doctors' Hospital in New York City, aged 69.[3]

References
  1. Apone, Carl (August 11, 1977). "Finian's Rainbow Star Is A Real Con Man". The Pittsburgh Press. p. C-5. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Ian Martin". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  3. "Ian Martin". The New York Times. July 31, 1981. p. B 6. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  4. "Ian Martin in Lead In 'Finian's Rainbow'". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 21, 1947. p. 5. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Radio actor is set for role of Finian". The New York Times. July 5, 1947. p. 16. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  6. O'Brian, Jack (December 6, 1947). "Broadway Stardom". St. Cloud Times. p. 5. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Beals, Kathy (March 3, 1981). "Ian Martin superb, in any language". The Daily Times. New York, Mamaroneck. p. 6. Retrieved August 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Payton, Gordon; Grams, Martin Jr. (September 17, 2015). The CBS Radio Mystery Theater: An Episode Guide and Handbook to Nine Years of Broadcasting, 1974-1982. McFarland. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7864-9228-2. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  9. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 509–510. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  10. "Five A Week Is Serious Business". The Fresno Bee. May 1, 1943. p. 36. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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