biography

Martin Milner Born on December 28, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan, actor Martin Milner's father, Sam, worked as a film distributor. Milner spent his early years growing up in Seattle, and in the 1940s the family moved to Hollywood. He began acting in school plays in Seattle, and with the move to Hollywood, the teenager took a keen interest in acting. At the age of 15, he was cast in first film, the Warner Bros. comedy Life with Father (1947; with William Powell, Irene Dunne, and Elizabeth Taylor). Shortly after completing work on Columbia's drama The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948; with Willard Parker), Milner was stricken with polio and was confined to bed for months. Following his recovery, he was cast in a small role in Republic's war epic Sands of Iwo Jima (1949; with John Wayne and John Agar). While pursuing an acting career, he attended USC to major in theater, but his induction into the Army in 1952 interrupted his education. He managed to keep his career going despite his two-year stint, and upon his release acted in several high-profile films and was cast in a small role in Mister Roberts (1955; with Henry Fonda) and a larger role in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955; with Jack Webb). With his career in films and television going very well, Milner married actress Judy Jones in 1957.

Martin MilnerMartin Milner and Judy JonesGlenn Corbett and Martin Milner

LEFT: Late 1960s head shot. CENTER: With wife Judy at the time of their 1957 marriage. RIGHT: With costar Glenn Corbett in 1963

In the late 1950s, Milner had a great deal of success securing supporting roles in such big-budget films as Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957; with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Rhonda Fleming), Sweet Smell of Success (1957; with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis), and Marjorie Morningstar (1958; with Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood) but never was given a breakthrough starring role. He fared much better in B movies, such as William Castle's 13 Ghosts (1960; with Rosemary DeCamp), Sex Kittens Go to College (1960; with Mamie Van Doren and Tuesday Weld), and The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960; with Mamie Van Doren and Fay Spain). On the small screen, however, Milner became a star in the series Route 66 (1960-1964; with George Maharis and Glenn Corbett) and Adam-12 (1968-1975; with Kent McCord and William Boyett).


the films of martin milner

Francis in the Navy (1955)

Clint Eastwood, Martin Milner, Donald O'Connor, and Paul Burke

With Clint Eastwood, Donald O'Connor, and Paul Burke in the Universal-International comedy Francis in the Navy, the sixth entry in the Francis the Talking Mule series of films

Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

Jack Webb and Martin Milner

With Jack Webb in the Warner Bros. crime drama Pete Kelly's Blues, in which Webb starred and directed. Milner was associated with Webb for many years and was the producer of Milner's series Adam-12

On the Threshold of Space (1956)

Warren Stevens, Barry Coe, Guy Madison, Ken Clark, and Martin Milner

From the 20th Century Fox release On the Threshold of Space with Warren Stevens, Barry Coe, Guy Madison, and Ken Clark

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Susan Harrison and Martin Milner

Milner wishes to marry Susan Harrison over the objections of her brother (Burt Lancaster) in the noir thriller Sweet Smell of Success

Too Much, Too Soon (1958)

Martin Milner and Dorothy Malone in Too Much, Too Soon

With Dorothy Malone in the Diana Barrymore biopic Too Much, Too Soon, released by Warner Bros.

Compulsion (1959)

Martin Milner, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, and Dean Stockwell

Based on the 1924 Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder case, the 20th Century Fox drama Compulsion features Milner along with Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, and Dean Stockwell

13 Ghosts (1960)

Rosemary DeCamp, Donald Woods, and Martin Milner

From William Castle's fun 3-D horror flick 13 Ghosts with Rosemary DeCamp and Donald Woods

Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)

Martin Milner and Mamie Van Doren in Sex Kittens Go To CollegeMamie Van Doren, Norman Grabowski, and Martin Milner

From Albert Zugsmith's comedy Sex Kittens Go to College, released by Allied Artists. LEFT: With Mamie Van Doren. RIGHT: With Mamie Van Doren and Norman Grabowski

The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960)

Fay Spain and Martin MilnerFay Spain and Martin MilnerFay Spain and Martin MilnerFay Spain and Martin Milner

From Universal-International's comedy The Private Lives of Adam and Eve with temptress Fay Spain

Route 66 (1960-1964 CBS TV Series)

George Maharis and Martin MilnerMartin Milner and Glenn CorbettMartin Milner, Joan Crawford, and Glenn Corbett

Milner starred with George Maharis in the first three seasons of the hit CBS series Route 66. CENTER: Glenn Corbett replaced George Maharis in 1963. RIGHT: With Glenn Corbett and guest star Joan Crawford in an October 1963 episode titled Same Picture, Different Frame

Zebra in the Kitchen (1965)

Martin Milner

From the MGM family comedy Zebra in the Kitchen

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963-1967 NBC TV Series)

Martin Milner and Jane Wyman

With Jane Wyman in a 1966 episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre titled When Hell Froze

Sullivan's Empire (1967)

Martin Milner

From the Universal adventure Sullivan's Empire. Shot as an unsold pilot for a TV series, Universal added deleted footage to the pilot and released the film theatrically

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

Martin Milner and Patty DukeMartin Milner and Sharon Tate

LEFT: With Patty Duke in the campy 20th Century Fox drama Valley of the Dolls. RIGHT: With Sharon Tate

Three Guns for Texas (1968)

William Smith, Martin Milner, Peter Brown, and Neville Brand

From Three Guns for Texas, a theatrical release that was the result of editing three Laredo first-season episodes together: Yahoo, The Jinx, and No Bugles, One Drum. Pictured are William Smith, Martin Milner, Peter Brown, and Neville Brand

Adam-12 (1968-1975 NBC TV Series)

Kent McCord and Martin MilnerKent McCord and Martin Milner

With Kent McCord from the NBC series Adam-12

Hurricane (1974)

Martin Milner

Milner stars as Major Hymie Stoddard in the ABC made-for-TV disaster flick Hurricane

later years

Following his television success, Martin Milner made just a few theatrically released films, including Ski Fever (1966), Valley of the Dolls (1967; with Susan Hayward and Patty Duke), and The Swiss Family Robinson (1975; with Helen Hunt and Cameron Mitchell), which proved to be his last. By the early 1980s, his career had slowed considerably. He performed in dinner theaters frequently in the 1970s and 1980s, often in the Tampa, Florida, area, sometimes working with his wife, Judy, and with his Adam-12 costar Kent McCord. In order to enjoy family life, he took on a disc jockey job at KOGO, an AM radio station in San Diego, in 1983. A 1997 appearance on Diagnosis Murder was his last television appearance. Beginning in 1993, he hosted a radio fishing show titled Let's Talk Hook-up, which he continued for about ten years until his daughter, Amy, became seriously ill; she passed away in December 2004 at age 46 from leukemia. Martin Milner passed away on September 6, 2015, at age 83. He was survived by his wife, Judy, and a daughter and two sons.

filmography

FILM
The Ordeal of Bill Carney (1981) with Richard Crenna, Ray Sharkey, Betty Buckley, David Faustino, and Tony Dow
The Seekers (1979) with Hugh O'Brian, Robert Reed, Barbara Rush, Stuart Whitman, and John Carradine
Crisis in Mid-Air (1979) with George Peppard, Karen Grassle, Desi Arnaz Jr., Greg Morris, Fabian, and Dana Elcar
Little Mo (1978) with Michael Learned, Anne Baxter, Glynnis O'Connor, Claude Akins, Anne Francis, Mark Harmon, and Leslie Nielsen
SST: Death Flight (1977) with Peter Graves, Lorne Greene, Season Hubley, Tina Louise, George Maharis, Burgess Meredith, Doug McClure, and Robert Reed
Flood! (1976) with Robert Culp, Barbara Hershey, Richard Basehart, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Cameron Mitchell, and Francine York
The Swiss Family Robinson (1975) with Helen Hunt, Cameron Mitchell,, John Vernon, and Pat Delaney
Hurricane (1974) with Larry Hagman, Jessica Walter, Barry Sullivan, Michael Learned, Frank Sutton, and Will Geer
Runaway! (1973) with Ben Johnson, Ben Murphy, Ed Nelson, Vera Miles, and Ray Danton
Three Guns for Texas (1968) with Neville Brand, Peter Brown, William Smith, and Philip Carey
Land's End (1968) with Rory Calhoun, Gilbert Roland, and Sonny Tufts
Valley of the Dolls (1967) with Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Paul Burke, Sharon Tate, Charles Drake, Alexander Davion, and Lee Grant
Sullivan's Empire (1967) with Linden Chiles, Don Quine, Clu Gulager, and Arch Johnson
Ski Fever (1966) with Claudia Martin
Zebra in the Kitchen (1965) with Jay North, Andy Devine, Joyce Meadows, Jim Davis, and Robert Clarke
Memorandum for a Spy (1965) with Victor Buono, Michael Constantine, Felicia Farr, Vincent Gardenia, John Hoyt, Berry Kroeger, and George Macready
The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960) with Mickey Rooney, Mamie Van Doren, Fay Spain, Mel Tormé, Tuesday Weld, Cecil Kellaway, Paul Anka, and Ziva Rodann
Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) with Mamie Van Doren, Tuesday Weld, Mijanou Bardot, Louis Nye, Pamela Mason, Jackie Coogan, John Carradine, Vampira, and Norman Grabowski
13 Ghosts (1960) with Rosemary DeCamp, Donald Woods, Margaret Hamilton, John Van Dreelen, and Jo Morrow; directed by William Castle
Compulsion (1959) with Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Orson Welles, and Diane Varsi
Marjorie Morningstar (1958) with Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Claire Trevor, Carolyn Jones, George Tobias, Martin Balsam, Jesse White, and Edd Byrnes
Too Much, Too Soon (1958) with Dorothy Malone, Errol Flynn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ray Danton, and Murray Hamilton
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Jeff Donnell, and Barbara Nichols
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Earl Holliman, and Dennis Hopper
Man Afraid (1957) with George Nader, Phyllis Thaxter, and Tim Hovey
Pillars of the Sky (1956) with Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone, Ward Bond, Keith Andes, and Lee Marvin
Screaming Eagles (1956) with Tom Tryon, Jan Merlin, Alvy Moore, Joe Di Reda, Mark Damon, Paul Burke, Robert Blake, and Robert Dix
Navy Wife (1956) with Joan Bennett and Gary Merrill
On the Threshold of Space (1956) with Guy Madison, Virginia Leith, John Hodiak, Barry Coe, Warren Stevens, and Ken Clark
Francis in the Navy (1955) with Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, Jim Backus, Clint Eastwood, David Janssen, Leigh Snowden, and Paul Burke
Pete Kelly's Blues (1955) with Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Lee, Andy Devine, Lee Marvin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jayne Mansfield
Mister Roberts (1955) with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond, Philip Carey, and Nick Adams
Destination Gobi (1953) with Richard Widmark, Max Showalter, and Darryl Hickman
Last of the Comanches (1953) with Broderick Crawford, Barbara Hale, and Lloyd Bridges
Springfield Rifle (1952) with Gary Cooper, Phyllis Thaxter, David Brian, Paul Kelly, Lon Chaney Jr., Philip Carey, and Alan Hale Jr.
Battle Zone (1952) with John Hodiak, Linda Christian, and Stephen McNally
My Wife's Best Friend (1952) with Anne Baxter, Macdonald Carey, Cecil Kellaway, Max Showalter, Leif Erickson, and Frances Bavier
Belles on Their Toes (1952) with Jeanne Crain, Myrna Loy, Debra Paget, Jeffrey Hunter, Edward Arnold, Hoagy Carmichael, and Barbara Bates
The Captive City (1952) with John Forsythe
I Want You (1951) with Dana Andrews, Dorothy McGuire, Farley Granger, Peggy Dow, Ray Collins, and Jim Backus
Fighting Coast Guard (1951) with Brian Donlevy, Forrest Tucker, Ella Raines, John Russell, Richard Jaeckel, Steve Brodie, and Hugh O'Brian
Operation Pacific (1951) with John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Philip Carey, and William Campbell
Halls of Montezuma (1950) with Richard Widmark, Jack Palance, Robert Wagner, Karl Malden, Richard Boone, Jack Webb, and Neville Brand
Our Very Own (1950) with Ann Blyth, Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Jane Wyatt, Natalie Wood, and Phyllis Kirk
Louisa (1950) with Ronald Reagan, Charles Coburn, Ruth Hussey, Edmund Gwenn, Spring Byington, Piper Laurie, and Scotty Beckett
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) with John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara, Forrest Tucker, Arthur Franz, and Richard Jaeckel
The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948) with Willard Parker, Edgar Buchanan, and Patricia Barry
Life with Father (1947) with William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, and Zasu Pitts

TELEVISION SERIES
Swiss Family Robinson, 1975–1976 ABC television series. Milner portrayed Karl Robinson
Adam-12, 1968–1975 NBC televsion series. Milner portrayed Pete Malloy
Route 66, 1960-1964 CBS television series. Milner portrayed Tod Stiles

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Diagnosis Murder, episode Murder Blues, originally aired September 18, 1997
Murder, She Wrote, episode Race to Death, originally aired April 28, 1996
RoboCop, episode Corporate Raiders, originally aired November 7, 1994
RoboCop, episode The Human Factor, originally aired May 27, 1994
Murder, She Wrote, episode The Dying Game, originally aired March 13, 1994
Life Goes On, episode Babes in the Woods, originally aired November 29, 1992
Life Goes On, episode The Whole Truth, originally aired October 18, 1992
Life Goes On, episode Premarital Syndrome, originally aired October 4, 1992
Life Goes On, episode Exposed, originally aired September 27, 1992
Life Goes On, episode Bec to the Future, originally aired September 20, 1992
Murder, She Wrote, episode Thursday's Child, originally aired April 7, 1991
MacGyver, episode Passages, originally aired April 30, 1990
MacGyver, episode Thin Ice, originally aired February 1, 1988
Murder, She Wrote, episode The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel, originally aired December 18, 1988
Murder, She Wrote, episode Reflections of the Mind, originally aired November 3, 1985
Airwolf, episode Severance Pay, originally aired March 23, 1985
Masquerade, episode Winnings, originally aired April 6, 1984
Fantasy Island, episode Show Me a Hero/Slam Dunk, originally aired October 10, 1981
Fantasy Island, episode The Man from Yesterday/World's Most Desirable Woman, originally aired January 31, 1981
The Littlest Hobo, episode Sailing Away, originally aired November 13, 1980
Police Story, episode Stigma, originally aired November 9, 1977
Emergency!, episode The Wedsworth-Townsend Act, originally aired January 15, 1972
The D.A., episode The People vs. Saydo, originally aired October 1, 1971
Columbo, episode Murder by the Book, originally aired September 15, 1971
Dragnet 1967, episode Internal Affairs: DR-20, originally aired December 12, 1968
Insight, episode Fat Hands and a Diamond Ring, originally aired November 12, 1967
Felony Squad, episode Hit and Run, Run, Run, originally aired November 6, 1967
Run for Your Life, episode Better World Next Time, originally aired April 18, 1967
The Rat Patrol, episode The Wild Goose Raid, originally aired February 27, 1967
Run for Your Life, episode Rendezvous in Tokyo, originally aired February 13, 1967
12 O'Clock High, episode Six Feet Under, originally aired December 16, 1966
The Virginian, episode Trail to Ashley Mountain, originally aired November 2, 1966
A Man Called Shenandoah, episode Requiem for the Second, originally aired May 2, 1966
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode When Hell Froze, originally aired February 2, 1966
Laredo, episode Yahoo, originally aired September 30, 1965
Gidget, episode The Great Kahuna, originally aired September 29, 1965
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode Simon Says Get Married, originally aired June 4, 1965
The Virginian, episode Timberland, originally aired March 10, 1965
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode The War and Eric Kurtz, originally aired March 5, 1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Streetcar, Do You Read Me?, originally aired February 25, 1965
Slattery's People, episode Question: What's a Requiem for a Loser?, originally aired January 8, 1965
The DuPont Show of the Week, episode More, More, More, More, originally aired May 31, 1964
Twilight Zone, episode Mirror Image, originally aired February 26, 1960
U.S. Marshal, episode Trigger Happy, originally aired October 31, 1959
Hotel de Paree, episode Vein of Ore, originally aired October 16, 1959
The Millionaire, episode Millionaire Mark Fleming, originally aired September 15, 1959
Steve Canyon, episode Operation Firebee, originally aired June 2, 1959
Playhouse 90, episode Judgment at Nuremberg, originally aired April 16, 1959
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, episode Chain of Command, originally aired March 23, 1959
Rawhide, episode Incident with an Executioner, originally aired January 23, 1959
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, episode Debut, originally aired November 3, 1958
Wagon Train, episode The Sally Potter Story, originally aired April 9, 1958
The Millionaire, episode The Neal Bowers Story, originally aired March 19, 1958
West Point, episode No Reason, originally aired April 26, 1957
The Life of Riley, episode Babs's Dream House, originally aired March 15, 1957
Navy Log, episode Incident at Formosa, originally aired December 5, 1956
Crossroads, episode Timberland Preacher, originally aired November 16, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Three Minute Mile, originally aired November 9, 1956
Telephone Time, episode The Churchill Club, originally aired October 14, 1956
West Point, episode The Mystery of Cadet Layton, originally aired October 5, 1956
The Charles Farrell Show, episode Love and Marriage, originally aired August 27, 1956
The Life of Riley, episode House for Sale, originally aired May 18, 1956
TV Reader's Digest, episode The Old, Old Story, originally aired May 7, 1956
Crossroads, episode Anatole of the Bayous, originally aired April 20, 1956
Matinee Theatre, episode I Want to March, originally aired February 24, 1956
The Great Gildersleeve, episode Water Commissioner's Water Color, originally aired February 9, 1956
Matinee Theatre, episode Sincerely Yours, Charlie Fisher, originally aired January 24, 1956
The Life of Riley, episode Babs's Wedding, originally aired January 20, 1956
Dragnet, episode The Big Note, originally aired May 5, 1955
Dragnet, episode The Big Key, originally aired February 24, 1955
Schlitz Playhouse, episode The Schoolmarm, originally aired February 11, 1955
Dragnet, episode The Big Producer, originally aired August 26, 1954
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Rim of Violence, originally aired January 8, 1954
The Life of Riley, episode Riley the Worrier, originally aired December 18, 1953
Dragnet, episode The Big Market, originally aired June 4, 1953
Dragnet, episode The Big Trial, originally aired April 24, 1952
Dragnet, episode The Big Speech, originally aired February 28, 1952
The Stu Erwin Show, episode Jackie Knows All, originally aired December 7, 1951
The Bigelow Theatre, episode T.K.O., originally aired October 29, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode It's Just Money, originally aired October 13, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode Nothing But the Truth, originally aired August 25, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode Wedding Bells, originally aired March 17, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode High Finance, originally aired March 3, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode The Ugly Duckling, originally aired January 20, 1951
The Stu Erwin Show, episode Problem Party, originally aired December 23, 1950
The Lone Ranger, episode Pay Dirt, originally aired March 23, 1950

martin milner trailers now showing

Watch the trailer for Martin Milner's 1960 horror film 13 Ghosts

martin milner television appearances

Watch Martin Milner in a 1956 episode of The Life of Riley titled Bab's Wedding
filmstrip image
Back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered February 13, 2013.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information