Kevin McCarthy (actor) - Life and Career

Life and Career

McCarthy was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Martha Therese (née Preston) and Roy Winfield McCarthy. McCarthy's father was from a wealthy Irish American family based in Minnesota, and his mother was born in Washington state to a Protestant father and a Jewish mother. He was the brother of the author Mary McCarthy, and a distant cousin of former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy. His parents both died in the 1918 flu pandemic and the four children were sent to live with relatives in Minneapolis. After five years of near-Dickensian mistreatment, described in Mary McCarthy’s memoirs, the children were split up: Mary moved in with their maternal grandparents, and Kevin and his younger brothers were cared for by other relatives in Minneapolis. McCarthy graduated from Campion High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin in 1932, and attended the University of Minnesota, where he participated in his first play Henry IV, Part 1, and discovered a love of acting.

During World War II, in addition to his regular acting career, McCarthy appeared in a number of training films for the United States Army Air Corps. At least one of these films (covering the Boeing B-17), has been distributed on DVD.

A founding member of the Actors Studio, McCarthy went on to have a long and distinguished career as a character actor. He has had some starring roles sprinkled in his career, in particular the science fiction film classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). On television, he had roles in two short-lived series: The Survivors (1969) with Lana Turner; and NBC's Flamingo Road (1980–82) as Claude Weldon, father of the Morgan Fairchild character. He appeared with Alexis Smith in the NBC anthology series, The Joseph Cotten Show in the episode "We Who Love Her" (1956). McCarthy appeared too in the 1959 episode "The Wall Between" of CBS's anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He guest starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Long Live Walter Jameson" (1960), as the title character.

In 1963, McCarthy appeared in the ABC medical drama Breaking Point in the episode entitled "Fire and Ice". In 1966 he appeared in the episode "Wife Killer" of the ABC series The Fugitive. In 1967, he appeared in the episode "Never Chase a Rainbow" of NBC's western series The Road West starring Barry Sullivan. In 1971, he guest starred in the "Conqueror's Gold" episode of Bearcats! which starred Rod Taylor with whom he appeared in the films "A Gathering of Eagles," "Hotel (1967 film)" and "The Hell With Heroes". In 1977, he and Clu Gulager appeared in the episode "The Army Deserter" of another NBC western series, The Oregon Trail, which also starred Rod Taylor. In 1985, McCarthy guest-starred in a fourth Season episode of The A-Team called "Members Only". Earlier, he had starred in the 1976 Broadway play Poor Murderer.

McCarthy appeared as Judge Crandall in The Midnight Hour, a 1985 comedy/horror television movie.

McCarthy was one of three actors (along with Dick Miller and Robert Picardo) frequently cast by director Joe Dante. McCarthy's most notable role in Dante's films was in 1987 as the main antagonist, Victor Scrimshaw, in Innerspace.

In 1996 he played the role of Gordon Fitzpatrick in The Pandora Directive, an FMV adventure game starring Tex Murphy.

In 2007 McCarthy appeared as himself in the Anthony Hopkins film Slipstream. The film made several references to his Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

On October 24, 2009, McCarthy was honored at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.

His last appearance in a feature-length movie was as Bishop Ryder in the period drama Wesley.