Kenneth McMillan

Character actor 'Kenneth McMillan' (qv) was born on July 2, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to becoming an actor, McMillan was a manager at Gimbels Department Store. At age 30, McMillan decided to pursue an acting career. He attended the LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts and took acting lessons from 'Uta Hagen' (qv) and 'Irene Dailey' (qv). He made his film debut at age 41 with a small role in 'Sidney Lumet' (qv)'s superbly gritty police drama _Serpico (1973)_ (qv). Portly and ruddy-faced, with an often aggressive and cantankerous demeanor, McMillan was usually cast as gruff, hostile and unfriendly characters. McMillan's most notable parts include the borough commander in _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)_ (qv), a cowardly small-town sheriff in 'Tobe Hooper' (qv)'s excellent miniseries _Salem's Lot (1979)_ (qv), 'William Hurt' (qv)'s bitter paraplegic father in _Eyewitness (1981)_ (qv), a racist fire chief in _Ragtime (1981)_ (qv), a wily old safecracker in _The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)_ (qv), the vile and grotesquely obese Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in _Dune (1984)_ (qv), 'Aidan Quinn' (qv)'s pathetic drunken father in _Reckless (1984)_ (qv) and a sleazy high-roller gambler in "The Ledge" episode of the hugely enjoyable horror anthology _Cat's Eye (1985)_ (qv).Moreover, McMillan was equally adept at comedy, giving especially funny and engaging performances as a baseball club manager in _Blue Skies Again (1983)_ (qv), 'Meg Ryan' (qv)'s corrupt police chief father in _Armed and Dangerous (1986)_ (qv), and a dotty senile veterinarian in _Three Fugitives (1989)_ (qv). McMillan had a steady recurring role as 'Valerie Harper' (qv)'s irate boss on the situation comedy _Rhoda (1974)_ (qv). Among the television series McMillan guest-starred on are _Dark Shadows (1966)_ (qv), _Ryan's Hope (1975)_ (qv), _Kojak (1973)_ (qv), _Starsky and Hutch (1975)_ (qv), _The Rockford Files (1974)_ (qv), _Moonlighting (1985)_ (qv), _Magnum, P.I. (1980)_ (qv) and _Murder, She Wrote (1984)_ (qv). Outside of his substantial film and television credits, McMillan also frequently performed on stage at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He acted in the original Broadway productions of "Streamers" and "American Buffalo". He won an Obie for his performance in the off-Broadway play, "Weekends Like Other People". 'Kenneth McMillan' (qv) died of liver disease at age 56 on January 8, 1989 in Santa Monica, California.::woodyanders