Strother Martin

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Strother Martin (born March 26, 1919 in Kokomo , Indiana , USA ; † August 1, 1980 in Thousand Oaks , California ) was an American actor .

Life

Martin grew up in Indiana and Texas. As a water diver , he won the US Junior Championships. During World War II he was a swimming and diving instructor in the United States Navy . In 1948 he narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Games.

In the early 1950s he went to Hollywood , initially as a swimming coach. Through minor roles he came into contact with acting, which he initially performed in small speaking roles; later he was cast - often by Sam Peckinpah - also in major villain roles, for which his looks and his deep voice predestined him. He was one of the busiest actors in Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s. Among other things, he was seen in 1967 in the film Der Unbeugsame (English: Cool Hand Luke ), in which he wrote the sentence "What we've got here is failure to communicate ", which was later included in the list of the best American film quotes by the American Film Institute made.

Martin died of a heart attack in 1980. He was married to Helen Meisels from 1966 until his death.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Martin, Strother
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Kokomo (Indiana) , Indiana , USA
DATE OF DEATH August 1, 1980
Place of death Thousand Oaks , California