Dewey Martin | |
---|---|
Born |
Katemcy, Texas, U.S. | December 8, 1923
Died | April 9, 2018
San Pedro, California, U.S. | (aged 94)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1948–1978 |
Spouses | |
Relatives | Ross Bass (first cousin) |
Dewey Dallas Martin (December 8, 1923 – April 9, [1] 2018) was an American film and television actor.
Martin was born in Katemcy, Texas. [2] As a teenager, he lived in Florence, Alabama. [3]
Martin joined the United States Navy in 1940. In November 1942, he was one of a few enlisted sailors from Naval Air Technical Training Center Norman, Oklahoma, selected for pre-flight training with the opportunity to earn a commission as an officer and become a naval aviator. [4] In April 1943, he was transferred to pre-flight training at the CAA War Training Service School in Natchitoches, Louisiana. [5] At the time of his transfer, he was an Aviation Metalsmith 2nd Class and served as the Aviation Metalsmith School storekeeper. [5] In November 1943, he was transferred to Navy-Preflight School in Athens, Georgia. [6] In June 1944, he was assigned to at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, after completing primary flight training in Dallas, Texas. [7] He served as a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater of the war. [8] [9]
His film debut was an uncredited part in Knock on Any Door (1949), starring Humphrey Bogart. He also appeared in The Thing from Another World (1951), co-starred with Kirk Douglas in The Big Sky (1952), and reuniting again with Humphrey Bogart as his younger, escaped convict brother in The Desperate Hours. Martin also played a lead role in Land of the Pharaohs (1955), and was featured opposite Dean Martin in Dean’s first post- Martin and Lewis film – Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957) – but did not become a full-fledged star. [3]
Martin worked extensively in television as well, including The Twilight Zone episode " I Shot an Arrow Into the Air" (1960) and The Outer Limits episode " The Premonition" (1965), co-written by Ib Melchior.[ citation needed] Starting in 1960, he played Daniel Boone on four episodes of Walt Disney Presents.[ citation needed]
Martin married Mardie Havelhurst from Portland, Oregon, on February 15, 1952. They were divorced in 1955. He was later married to singer Peggy Lee for two years; the marriage ended in divorce. [10]
His first cousin was Ross Bass, a senator from Tennessee. [11] Martin supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 United States presidential election. [12]