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IMDbPro

Strother Martin(1919-1980)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Strother Martin in Mit Dynamit und frommen Sprüchen (1975)
Two stoners unknowingly smuggle a van - made entirely of marijuana - from Mexico to L.A., with incompetent Sgt. Stedenko on their trail.
Play trailer3:12
Cheech & Chong - Viel Rauch um nichts (1978)
14 Videos
41 Photos
American character actor who achieved considerable fame in the last decade of his life. A native of Kokomo, Indiana, Strother Martin Jr. was the youngest of three children of Strother Douglas Martin, a machinist, and Ethel Dunlap Martin. His family moved soon after his birth to San Antonio, Texas, but quickly returned to Indiana. Strother Jr. grew up in Indianapolis and in Cloverdale, Indiana. He excelled at swimming and diving, and at 17 won the National Junior Springboard Diving Championship. He attended the University of Michigan as diving team member. He served in the U.S. Navy as a swimming instructor in World War II. Nicknamed "T-Bone" Martin for his diving style, his 3rd place finish in the adult National Springboard Diving Championships cost him a place on the 1948 Olympic team. He moved to California to become an actor, but worked in odd jobs and as a swimming instructor to Marion Davies and the children of Charles Chaplin. He found work as a swimming extra in several films and as a leprechaun on a local children's TV show, "Mabel's Fables." Bit parts came his way, leading to television work with Sam Peckinpah, which led to a lifelong relationship. He also found memorable roles for John Ford and by the 1960s was a familiar face in American movies. With Der Unbeugsame (1967) in 1967 came new acclaim and a place among the busiest character actors in Hollywood. He worked steadily and in substantial roles throughout the 1970s and seemed at the peak of his career when he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1980.
BornMarch 26, 1919
DiedAugust 1, 1980(61)
BornMarch 26, 1919
DiedAugust 1, 1980(61)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 nomination

Photos41

Strother Martin in Schlappschuß (1977)
Strother Martin and Gordon Jones in MacLintock (1963)
Katharine Hepburn, John Wayne, Strother Martin, and Richard Romancito in Mit Dynamit und frommen Sprüchen (1975)
James Stewart, Kurt Russell, Anne Baxter, and Strother Martin in Die Gnadenlosen (1971)
James Arness, Strother Martin, and Dennis Weaver in Rauchende Colts (1955)
Strother Martin in Have Gun - Will Travel (1957)
Strother Martin, Pamelyn Ferdin, and Amzie Strickland in Im wilden Westen (1952)
Strother Martin in Im wilden Westen (1952)
Strother Martin in Sssssnake Kobra (1973)
Strother Martin in Sssssnake Kobra (1973)
Strother Martin, Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, and Edmond O'Brien in Der Mann der Liberty Valance erschoss (1962)
James Stewart, John Wayne, Strother Martin, Lee Marvin, and Lee Van Cleef in Der Mann der Liberty Valance erschoss (1962)

Known for

Paul Newman in Schlappschuß (1977)
Schlappschuß
7.3
  • McGrath
  • 1977
Paul Newman in Der Unbeugsame (1967)
Der Unbeugsame
8.1
  • Captain
  • 1967
The Wild Bunch - Sie kannten kein Gesetz (1969)
The Wild Bunch - Sie kannten kein Gesetz
7.9
  • Coffer
  • 1969
John Wayne, Glen Campbell, and Kim Darby in Der Marshal (1969)
Der Marshal
7.4
  • Col. G. Stonehill
  • 1969

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Hotwire (1980)
    Hotwire
    4.5
    • The Weasel
    • 1980
  • Petar Bozovic in Das Geheimnis des Nikola Tesla (1980)
    Das Geheimnis des Nikola Tesla
    7.2
    • George Westinghouse
    • 1980
  • Es ist nie zu spät (1979)
    Es ist nie zu spät
    6.2
    TV Movie
    • J.D. Ashcroft
    • 1979
  • Kaktus Jack (1979)
    Kaktus Jack
    5.3
    • Parody Jones
    • 1979
  • Schwingen der Angst (1979)
    Schwingen der Angst
    5.2
    • Selwyn
    • 1979
  • Der Champ (1979)
    Der Champ
    6.8
    • Riley
    • 1979
  • Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland in Ein Mann räumt auf (1979)
    Ein Mann räumt auf
    5.6
    • Louis Monk
    • 1979
  • Stubby Pringle's Christmas (1978)
    Stubby Pringle's Christmas
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • Old Hollander
    • 1978
  • Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy (1978)
    Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy
    7.5
    TV Special
    • Turtle Ranch Boss
    • 1978
  • Tony Curtis, Robert Urich, Phyllis Davis, and Judy Landers in Vegas (1978)
    Vegas
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Hank Jenner
    • 1978
  • Cheech & Chong - Viel Rauch um nichts (1978)
    Cheech & Chong - Viel Rauch um nichts
    6.9
    • Mr. Stoner
    • 1978
  • Cowboy mit 300 PS (1978)
    Cowboy mit 300 PS
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Pinky Pincus
    • 1978
  • Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in Nobody Is Perfect (1978)
    Nobody Is Perfect
    6.1
    • Dr. Waldo Kling
    • 1978
  • Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)
    Baretta
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Harris Stump
    • Lyman P. Dokker
    • Doc Stockwell ...
    • 1975–1977
  • ABC Weekend Specials (1977)
    ABC Weekend Specials
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Bill Driscoll
    • 1977

Soundtrack

  • Saturday Night Live (1975)
    Saturday Night Live
    8.0
    TV Series
    • performer: "High Hopes", "For Me and My Nurse" (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy und Sundance Kid (1969)
    Butch Cassidy und Sundance Kid
    8.0
    • performer: "Sweet Betsy from Pike" (uncredited)
    • 1969

Videos14

Trailer
Trailer 2:35
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:38
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:12
Official Trailer
Up in Smoke
Trailer 1:14
Up in Smoke
Up in Smoke
Trailer 1:14
Up in Smoke
Pocket Money
Trailer 3:08
Pocket Money
Sssssss
Trailer 1:38
Sssssss
Cool Hand Luke
Trailer 2:48
Cool Hand Luke
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Trailer 2:56
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Cool Hand Luke
Trailer 2:48
Cool Hand Luke
Slap Shot
Trailer 1:47
Slap Shot
Hard Times
Trailer 2:21
Hard Times

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Strather Martin
  • Height
    • 1.65 m
  • Born
    • March 26, 1919
    • Kokomo, Indiana, USA
  • Died
    • August 1, 1980
    • Thousand Oaks, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouse
    • Helen Beatrice MeiselsDecember 18, 1966 - August 1, 1980 (his death)
  • Parents
      Strother Douglas Martin
  • Other works
    Won National Junior Springboard Championship.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 5 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Frequently co-starred with L.Q. Jones, who in real life was one of his closest friends.
  • Quotes
    Age is as much an asset for character players as it is for good wine. Human experiences, both good and bad, leave their marks on one's face and bearing. A few lines on the face and a few gray hairs coupled with the idiosyncrasies an actor adopts throughout life help out round out the actor's personality. So far as I'm concerned, the older a character actor gets, the firmer his position is.
  • Trademark
    Often played grimy, unlikeable villains

FAQ12

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  • When did Strother Martin die?
  • How did Strother Martin die?
  • How old was Strother Martin when he died?

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