Born: November 14, 1921 – Died: June 24, 1997
Brian Keith, a renowned actor with a distinctive presence in the entertainment industry, was born to character actor Robert Keith and stage actress Helena Shipman in Bayonne, New Jersey. He spent his childhood on the road, immersed in the world of theatre as his parents toured with plays. His acting debut came early, appearing at the age of three in the film "Pied Piper Malone" (1924) alongside his father.
Early Life and Career
Keith's early life was marked by a blend of education and early acting experiences. He began acting in radio programs and on stage before World War II, showcasing his diverse talents from a young age. His commitment to his country led him to join the Marines, where he served as a machine gunner. Post-war, Keith returned to the Broadway stage, honing his craft and laying the foundation for a successful career in television and film.
His initial roles in Hollywood were as an extra, but his talent quickly led to speaking roles and eventual stardom. One of Keith's most memorable roles was as Mitch Evers in "The Parent Trap" (1961), a performance that showcased his versatility and charm. He received widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt in "The Wind and the Lion" (1975) and earned several Emmy nominations throughout his career.
Off-screen, Keith led a life as intriguing as his on-screen characters. He was married to Victoria Young, with whom he had two children. His interests went beyond acting; he was known for his gruff voice and distinct persona, making him a memorable figure in Hollywood. Tragically, Keith's life was marked by personal challenges, including the loss of his daughter, which contributed to his own untimely death in 1997.
Brian Keith's contribution to the entertainment industry was significant, leaving a legacy of memorable performances. His ability to bring depth and authenticity to his roles made him an icon, revered by audiences and peers alike. His work continues to inspire actors and entertain audiences, cementing his status as a true legend of the silver screen.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Follow Your Heart | Roddy Thompson |
| 1995–1998 | Spider-Man: The Animated Series (TV Series) | Uncle Ben Parker (voice) |
| 1997 | Rough Riders (TV Mini Series) | President William McKinley |
| 1997 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (TV Series) | Duckman's Father (voice) |
| 1997 | The Second Civil War (TV Movie) | Maj. Gen. Charles Buford |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel (TV Series) | Leonard Pound |
| 1996 | Walker, Texas Ranger (TV Series) | Del Forman |
| 1996 | Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story | Cardinal |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue (TV Series) | Mac McNamara |
| 1996 | Cybill (TV Series) | Arthur Minnow |
| 1995 | Astérix: Caesar's Challenge (Video Game) | (voice) |
| 1995 | Favorite Deadly Sins (TV Movie) | 'Noble Hart' | Self |
| 1995 | The Monroes (TV Series) | Henry |
| 1995 | Picture Windows (TV Series) | Tappan |
| 1995 | The Marshal (TV Series) | Chief Skoblow |
| 1995 | The Return of Hunter: Everyone Walks in L.A. (TV Movie) | Pete Morgan |
| 1995 | Walking Thunder | Narrator (voice) |
| 1994 | Under a Killing Moon (Video Game) | The Colonel |
| 1994 | The Commish (TV Series) | Phil 'Iceman' Greene | Lou Parslow |
| 1994 | Burke's Law (TV Series) | Norman Hope |
| 1993 | Wind Dancer | Truman Richards |
| 1993 | The Secrets of Lake Success (TV Mini Series) | P. Stuart Atkins III |
| 1993 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (TV Series) | Mullibok |
| 1993 | The Wild West (TV Mini Series) | Buffalo Bill Cody (voice) |
| 1992 | T.V. (TV Movie) | Detective |
| 1992 | The Streets of Beverly Hills (TV Movie) | Charlie Street |
| 1992 | Major Dad (TV Series) | Jake MacGillis |
| 1991–1992 | Walter & Emily (TV Series) | Walter Collins |
| 1991 | The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (TV Movie) | The Westerner |
| 1991 | Evening Shade (TV Series) | Brick Stiles |
| 1990 | The Young Riders (TV Series) | Cyrus 'Hap' Happy |
| 1989 | Lady in the Corner (TV Movie) | David Henderson |
| 1989 | Welcome Home | Harry Robins |
| 1989 | Heartland (TV Series) | B.L. McCutcheon |
| 1989 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson (TV Movie) | Frank Wellman Sr. |
| 1988 | Young Guns | Buckshot Roberts |
| 1988 | After the Rain | Byron Monroe |
| 1987–1988 | Pursuit of Happiness (TV Series) | Prof. Roland G. Duncan |
| 1987 | Death Before Dishonor | Col. Halloran |
| 1987 | The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (TV Movie) | Col. Davy Crockett |
| 1959–1986 | The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) | Gen. Newmeyer | Mose Carson | Lue Swank ... |
| 1983–1986 | Hardcastle and McCormick (TV Series) | Judge Milton C. Hardcastle |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) | Caleb McCallum |
| 1982 | Cry for the Strangers (TV Movie) | Chief Whalen |
| 1982 | World War III (TV Mini Series) | Secretary General Gorny |
| 1981 | Sharky's Machine | Papa |
| 1981 | Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen | Police Chief |
| 1980 | The Mountain Men | Henry Frapp |
| 1980 | The Silent Lovers (TV Movie) | Mauritz Stiller |
| 1980 | Power (TV Movie) | Charles Kandell |
| 1979 | The Seekers (TV Mini Series) | Elijah Weatherby |
| 1979 | *Meteor* | Dr. Dubov |
| 1979 | The Chisholms (TV Series) | Andrew Blake |
| 1978–1979 | Centennial (TV Mini Series) | Sheriff Axel Dumire |
| 1978 | Hooper | Jocko Doyle |
| 1978 | How the West Was Won (TV Series) | General Stonecipher |
| 1977 | The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer (TV Movie) | Allan Jacobson - Defense Attorney |
| 1977 | In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan (TV Movie) | Joe Quinlan |
| 1976 | Nickelodeon | H.H. Cobb |
| 1976 | The Loneliest Runner (TV Movie) | Arnold Curtis |
| 1976 | Joe Panther | Capt. Harper |
| 1976 | The Quest (TV Movie) | Tank Logan |
| 1975 | The Wind and the Lion | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 1975 | Archer (TV Series) | Lew Archer |
| 1974 | The Yakuza | George Tanner |
| 1974 | The Zoo Gang (TV Series) | Steven 'The Fox' Halliday | Stephen 'The Fox' Halliday |
| 1972–1974 | The Little People (TV Series) | Dr. Sean Jamison |
| 1972 | Second Chance (TV Movie) | Geoff Smith |
| 1971 | Something Big | Col. Morgan |
| 1971 | Scandalous John | John McCanless |
| 1966–1971 | Family Affair (TV Series) | Uncle Bill Davis |
| 1970 | The McKenzie Break | Capt. Jack Connor |
| 1970 | Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came | Officer Michael M. Nace |
| 1969 | Gaily, Gaily | Francis Sullivan |
| 1968 | Krakatoa: East of Java | Connerly |
| 1968 | With Six You Get Eggroll | Jake Iverson |
| 1960–1968 | Insight (TV Series) | Lew | Ken Stratton | Larry ... |
| 1967 | Reflections in a Golden Eye | Lt. Col. Morris Langdon |
| 1966 | Way... Way Out | Gen. 'Howling Bull' Hallenby |
| 1966 | The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming | Link Mattocks |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Jonas Cord |
| 1966 | The Rare Breed | Bowen |
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Frank Wallingham |
| 1965 | Those Calloways | Cam Calloway |
| 1964 | The Pleasure Seekers | Paul Barton |
| 1964 | Profiles in Courage (TV Series) | Thomas Hart Benton |
| 1964 | The Great Adventure (TV Series) | Henry Bergh |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre (TV Series) | Andy Bastian |
| 1964 | A Tiger Walks | Sheriff Pete Williams |
| 1963 | Johnny Shiloh (TV Movie) | Sergeant Gabe Trotter |
| 1963 | The Fugitive (TV Movie) | Edward Welles |
| 1963 | The Raiders | John G. McElroy | Narrator |
| 1963 | 77 Sunset Strip (TV Series) | Sgt. Patrick Cohan |
| 1963 | Wagon Train (TV Series) | First Sgt. Gault | Tom Tuesday |
| 1963 | The Fugitive (TV Series) | Edward Welles |
| 1963 | Savage Sam | Uncle Beck Coates |
| 1963 | Dr. Kildare (TV Series) | Alfred Freely |
| 1963 | Sam Benedict (TV Series) | Mitchison Dawlt |
| 1963 | The Virginian (TV Series) | Johnny Wade |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (TV Series) | Jim Mallory |
| 1962 | Target: The Corruptors! (TV Series) | George Vaclavic |
| 1959–1962 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV Series) | Vernon Wedge | Herbert Morrison | Dave Rainey ... |
| 1962 | Moon Pilot | Maj. Gen. John M. Vanneman |
| 1962 | Follow the Sun (TV Series) | Earl Patton |
| 1961–1962 | Outlaws (TV Series) | Sven Johannsen | Jim Whipple |
| 1961 | Alcoa Premiere (TV Series) | Sergeant Dave Temple |
| 1961 | Frontier Circus (TV Series) | Dan Osborne |
| 1961 | The Parent Trap | Mitch Evers |
| 1961 | The Deadly Companions | Yellowleg |
| 1961 | The Americans (TV Series) | Owen |
| 1961 | The Untouchables (TV Series) | Jim Martinson |
| 1960 | The Westerner (TV Series) | Dave Blassingame | 'Dave Blassingame' |
| 1960 | Ten Who Dared | William 'Bill' Dunn |
| 1959 | Laramie (TV Series) | Whit Malone |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) | Tod Macauley |
| 1959 | The Young Philadelphians | Mike Flanagan |
| 1959 | Zane Grey Theatre (TV Series) | Dave Blassingame |
| 1958 | Villa!! | Bill Harmon |
| 1958 | Studio One (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1958 | Sierra Baron | Jack McCracken |
| 1958 | Desert Hell | Capt. Robert Edwards |
| 1958 | Violent Road | Mitch Barton |
| 1958 | Fort Dobbs | Clett |
| 1957 | Climax! (TV Series) | Sam Pryce |
| 1957 | Hell Canyon Outlaws | Happy Waters |
| 1957 | Appointment with a Shadow | Lt. Spencer |
| 1957 | Wire Service (TV Series) | Mike Barnes |
| 1957 | Chicago Confidential | Jim Fremont |
| 1957 | Run of the Arrow | Capt. Clark |
| 1957 | Dino | Larry Sheridan |
| 1955–1957 | The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series) | Dan Crawford | Mano |
| 1957 | The Box Brothers (TV Series) | Fred |
| 1953–1957 | Lux Video Theatre (TV Series) | David Sutton | Choya | Intermission Guest ... |
| 1955–1956 | Crusader (TV Series) | Matt Anders |
| 1956 | Nightfall | John |
| 1956 | Storm Center | Paul Duncan |
| 1955 | Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (TV Series) | Jim |
| 1954–1955 | Studio 57 (TV Series) | Dan | Denis Burke | Dr. Glenn Haver |
| 1955 | Mystery Is My Business (TV Series) | Rails |
| 1955 | The Elgin Hour (TV Series) | Corporal Snow |
| 1955 | 5 Against the House | Brick |
| 1955 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse (TV Series) | Clark Dodson | Joe Kelly |
| 1955 | Tight Spot | Vince Striker |
| 1955 | The Violent Men | Cole Wilkison |
| 1954 | Mickey Spillane's 'Mike Hammer!' (TV Movie) | Mike Hammer |
| 1954 | The Bamboo Prison | Cpl. Brady |
| 1954 | The Mask (TV Series) | Blake |
| 1954 | Campbell Summer Soundstage (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1954 | Alaska Seas | Jim Kimmerly |
| 1954 | Jivaro | Tony |
| 1953 | The Motorola Television Hour (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1953 | Robert Montgomery Presents (TV Series) | Harry |
| 1953 | The United States Steel Hour (TV Series) | Bonnell |
| 1953 | Arrowhead | Capt. Bill North |
| 1953 | Eye Witness (TV Series) | (as Robert Keith Jr.) |
| 1953 | Dark of Night (TV Series) | Unknown |
| 1952 | Suspense (TV Series) | Kip Caley | Idaho | Lt. Jim Connor (as Robert Keith Jr.) ... |
| 1952 | Police Story (TV Series) | (as Robert Keith Jr.) |
| 1952 | Tales of Tomorrow (TV Series) | Jack | Peters |
| 1951 | Shadow of the Cloak (TV Series) | (as Robert Keith Jr.) |
| 1951 | Hands of Mystery (TV Series) | (as Robert Keith Jr.) |
| 1951 | Fourteen Hours | Extra (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Portrait of Jennie | Ice-Skating Extra (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Boomerang! | Man in Mob Behind Courthouse (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Knute Rockne All American | Student at Train Station (uncredited) |
| 1924 | The Other Kind of Love | Child (uncredited) |
| 1924 | Pied Piper Malone | Little Boy |
General:
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
