Keenan Wynn

Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and, though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles.

Early life and career
Wynn was born in New York City, the son of vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn and his wife, the former Hilda Keenan. He took his stage name from his maternal grandfather, Frank Keenan, one of the first Broadway actors to star in Hollywood. His father was Jewish and his mother was of Irish Catholic background. Ed Wynn encouraged his son to become an actor.

Radio
Wynn starred in The Amazing Mr. Smith on Mutual April 7-June 30, 1941. He played the title role, "a carefree young man who runs into trouble galore and becomes an involuntary detective".

Film and television
Wynn appeared in hundreds of films and television series between 1934 and 1986. He was a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player during the 1940s and 1950s. He had a brief but memorable role as a belligerent, unsympathetic drunk in the classic wartime romance The Clock (1945).

His early postwar credits include Annie Get Your Gun (1950), Royal Wedding (1951), Kiss Me, Kate (1953), Battle Circus (1953), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), A Hole in the Head (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Son of Flubber (1963), and Dr. Strangelove (1964). He had an uncredited role in Touch of Evil (1958).

The Wynns, father and son, both appeared in the original 1956 Playhouse 90 television production of Rod Serling's Requiem for a Heavyweight. The son was returning the favor: according to radio historian Elizabeth McLeod, Keenan had helped his father overcome professional collapse, a harrowing divorce, and a nervous breakdown to return to work a decade earlier, and now helped convince Serling and producer Martin Manulis that the elder Wynn should play the wistful trainer. He also appeared in a subsequent TV drama called The Man in the Funny Suit, which detailed the problems they had experienced while working on that series. In it, the Wynns, Serling, and many of the cast and crew played themselves. Keenan also featured in another Rod Serling production, a Twilight Zone episode entitled, "A World of His Own" (1960) as playwright Gregory West, who uniquely caused series creator Rod Serling to disappear.

In the 1959-1960 television season, Wynn co-starred with Bob Mathias in NBC's The Troubleshooters, an adventure program about unusual events surrounding an international construction company. Wynn played the role of Kodiak, the "troubleshooter", for Mathias's Frank Dugan.

He appeared in numerous television series, such as the ABC/Warner Bros. drama, The Roaring 20s, The Islanders, and the ABC Western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters.

Wynn took a dramatic turn as Yost in the crime drama Point Blank (1967) with Lee Marvin. He had a leading role in the third Beach Party movie, Bikini Beach (1964) as a scheming newspaper publisher who wants to banish the local young people. Later he played Hezakiah in the comedy film The Great Race (1965). He was the voice of the Winter Warlock in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) and appeared in several Disney films, including Snowball Express (1972), Herbie Rides Again (1974) and The Shaggy D.A. (1976) (as a villain who learns Wilbur Daniels's secret, and uses it against him).

He appeared in Francis Coppola's musical Finian's Rainbow (1968), Sergio Leone's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West (also 1968), and Robert Altman's Nashville (1975). During this time, his guest television roles included Alias Smith and Jones (1971-1972), Emergency! (1975), Movin' On (1975) and The Bionic Woman (1978).

Wynn appeared in ten episodes of TV's Dallas during the 1979-80 season, playing the role of former Ewing family partner-turned-enemy Digger Barnes. David Wayne, a friend of Wynn's, had played Digger Barnes in 1978, but was unable to continue with the role because of Wayne's co-starring role on the CBS series, House Calls, starring Wayne Rogers.

Wynn was initially cast in Superman (1978) to play Perry White (the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at the Daily Planet) in April 1977. However, by June (production had moved to Pinewood Studios in England), Wynn collapsed from exhaustion and was rushed to a hospital. He was replaced by Jackie Cooper. In 1983, he guest-starred in one of the last episodes of Taxi and Quincy, M.E. In 1984, he starred in the television film Call to Glory, which later became a weekly television series.

Personal life and last years
Wynn was married to former stage actress Eve Lynn Abbott (1914–2004) until their divorce in 1947, whereupon Abbott married actor Van Johnson, one of the couple's closest friends. Abbott contended her marriage to Wynn was a happy one, but that her divorce and remarriage was engineered by MGM studio-boss Louis B. Mayer, who refused to renew Wynn's contract unless Abbott divorced him and married Johnson, who was the subject of many rumors concerning his homosexuality.

One son, actor and writer Ned Wynn (born Edmond Keenan Wynn), wrote the autobiographical memoir We Will Always Live In Beverly Hills. His other son, Tracy Keenan Wynn, is a screenwriter whose credits include The Longest Yard and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (both 1974). His daughter Hilda was married to Paul Williams. He was an uncle by marriage to the Hudson Brothers.

In his later years, Wynn undertook a number of philanthropic endeavors and supported several charity groups. He was a long-standing active member of the Westwood Sertoma service club, in West Los Angeles.

During his last few years, Wynn suffered from pancreatic cancer, which caused his death on October 14, 1986. His ashes are interred in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park in The Great Mausoleum, Daffodil Corridor, Columbarium of the Dawn, in a niche alongside his father, Ed Wynn, his daughter, Emily (February 13, 1960 – November 27, 1980) who died from lupus and his aunt, Blanche Leopold (May 18, 1880 – December 26, 1973).

His granddaughter is actress Jessica Keenan Wynn.

Complete filmography

 * Somewhere I'll Find You (1942) as Sergeant Tom Purdy (uncredited)
 * The War Against Mrs. Hadley (1942) as Voice of Radio Announcer (uncredited)
 * For Me and My Gal (1942) as Eddie Milton (uncredited)
 * Northwest Rangers (1942) as 'Slip' O'Mara
 * Lost Angel (1943) as Packy Roost
 * See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) as Pvt. Mulvehill
 * Since You Went Away (1944) as Lt. Solomon
 * Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944) as Major Bob Wilton
 * Without Love (1945) as Quentin Ladd
 * The Clock (1945) as The Drunk
 * Between Two Women (1945) as Tobey
 * Ziegfeld Follies (1945) as Caller ('Number Please')
 * Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) as Oliver Webson
 * What Next, Corporal Hargrove? (1945) as Pvt. Thomas Mulvehill
 * Easy to Wed (1946) as Warren Haggerty
 * The Thrill of Brazil (1946) as Steve Farraugh
 * No Leave, No Love (1946) as Slinky
 * The Cockeyed Miracle (1946) as Ben Griggs
 * The Hucksters (1947) as Buddy Hare
 * Song of the Thin Man (1947) as Clarence 'Clinker' Krause
 * B.F.'s Daughter (1948) as Martin Delwyn Ainsley
 * The Three Musketeers (1948) as Planchet
 * My Dear Secretary (1948) as Ronnie Hastings
 * Neptune's Daughter (1949) as Joe Backett
 * That Midnight Kiss (1949) as Artie Geoffrey Glenson
 * Annie Get Your Gun (1950) as Charlie Davenport
 * Love That Brute (1950) as Bugsy Welch
 * Three Little Words (1950) as Charlie Kope
 * Royal Wedding (1951) as Irving Klinger / Edgar Klinger
 * Kind Lady (1951) as Edwards' Butler
 * Angels in the Outfield (1951) as Fred Bayles
 * Texas Carnival (1951) as Dan Sabinas
 * It's a Big Country (1951) as Michael Fisher
 * Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) as Eddie Hoke
 * The Belle of New York (1952) as Max Ferris
 * Skirts Ahoy! (1952) as Keenan Wynn (uncredited)
 * Holiday for Sinners (1952) as Joe Piavi
 * Fearless Fagan (1952) as Sgt. Kellwin - Company J
 * Desperate Search (1952) as Brandy
 * Sky Full of Moon (1952) as Al
 * Battle Circus (1953) as Sergeant Orvil Statt
 * Code Two (1953) as Police Sgt. Jumbo Culdane
 * Kiss Me Kate (1953) as Lippy
 * All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) as Silva
 * The Long, Long Trailer (1953) as Policeman
 * Tennessee Champ (1954) as Willy Wurble
 * Men of the Fighting Lady (1954) as Lt. Commander Ted Dodson
 * The Glass Slipper (1955) as Kovin
 * The Marauders (1955) as Hook
 * Running Wild (1955) as Ken Osanger
 * Shack Out on 101 (1955) as George
 * The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) as Sgt. Caesar Gardella
 * The Naked Hills (1956) as Sam Wilkins
 * Johnny Concho (1956) as Barney Clark
 * The Great Man (1956) as Sid Moore
 * The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown (1957) as Dandy
 * Joe Butterfly (1957) as Harold Hathaway
 * Don't Go Near the Water (1957) as Gordon Ripwell
 * The Deep Six (1958) as Lt. Commander Mike Edge
 * Touch of Evil (1958) as Bartender (uncredited)
 * A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) as Reuter
 * The Perfect Furlough (1958) as Harvey Franklin
 * That Kind of Woman (1959) as Harry Corwin
 * A Hole in the Head (1959) as Jerry Marks
 * The Crowded Sky (1960) as Nick Hyland
 * The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) as Alonzo P. Hawk
 * The Joke and the Valley (1961 TV movie) as Lambert Giles
 * The Big Bankroll (1961) as Tom Fowler
 * Il re di Poggioreale (Black City) (1961) as Di Gennaro
 * The Power and the Glory (1961 TV movie) as Wine Merchant
 * Son of Flubber (1963) as Alonzo P. Hawk
 * The Bay of St. Michel (1963) as Nick Rawlings
 * Man in the Middle (1964) as Lt. Charles Winston
 * Dr. Strangelove (1964) as Colonel Bat Guano
 * Honeymoon Hotel (1964) as Mr. Sampson
 * Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) as Ross Sawyer
 * The Patsy (1964) as Harry Silver
 * Bikini Beach (1964) as Harvey Huntington Honeywagon
 * The Americanization of Emily (1964) as Old Sailor
 * Nightmare in the Sun (1965) as Junk dealer
 * The Great Race (1965) as Hezekiah Sturdy
 * Promise Her Anything (1966) as Angelo Carelli
 * The Night of the Grizzly (1966) as Jed Curry
 * Stagecoach (1966) as Luke Plummer
 * Around the World Under the Sea (1966) as Hank Stahl
 * Warning Shot (1967) as Sgt. Ed Musso
 * Welcome to Hard Times (1967) as Zar
 * The War Wagon (1967) as Wes Fletcher
 * Point Blank (1967) as Yost
 * Run Like a Thief (1967) as Willy Gore
 * Frame Up (1968) as Inspector Donald
 * The Longest Hunt (1968) as Major Charlie Doneghan
 * Finian's Rainbow (1968) as Senator Billboard Rawkins
 * Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) as Sheriff - Auctioneer
 * The Magic Pear Tree (1968 short) as Marquis (voice)
 * Mackenna's Gold (1969) as Sanchez
 * Smith! (1969) as Vince Heber
 * The Monitors (1969) as The General
 * 80 Steps to Jonah (1969) as Barney Glover
 * Viva Max! (1969) as General Lacomber
 * House on Greenapple Road (1970 TV movie) as Sgt. Charles Wilentz
 * Loving (1970) as Edward
 * Five Savage Men (1970) as Pudge Elliott
 * Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 TV movie) as The Winter Warlock (voice)
 * Assault on the Wayne (1971 TV movie) as Orville Kelly
 * Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971) as Poldaski
 * Cannon (1971) as Eddie
 * The Man with Icy Eyes (1971) as Harry Davis
 * Terror in the Sky (1971 TV movie) as Milton
 * The Manipulator (1971) as Old Charlie
 * Panhandle 38 (1972) as Billy Bronson / Kile Richards
 * Wild in the Sky (1972) as General Harry Gobohare
 * Assignment: Munich (1972 TV movie) as George
 * Cancel My Reservation (1972) as Sheriff 'Houndtooth' Riley
 * The Mechanic (1972) as Harry McKenna ['Big Harry']
 * Snowball Express (1972) as Martin Ridgeway
 * VD Attack Plan (1973 short) as Contagion Corps Sergeant (narrator)
 * Hijack! (1973) as Donny McDonald
 * Herbie Rides Again (1974) as Alonzo A. Hawk
 * The Internecine Project (1974) as E.J. Farnsworth
 * The Legend of Earl Durand (1974) as Colonel Nightingale
 * Hit Lady (1974 TV movie) as Buddy McCormack
 * Popcorn (1974 short) (voice)
 * Target Risk (1975 TV movie) as Simon Cusack
 * He Is My Brother (1975) as Brother Dalton
 * Nashville (1975) as Mr. Green
 * The Man Who Would Not Die (1975) as Victor Slidell
 * The Devil's Rain (1975) as Sheriff Owens
 * A Woman for All Men (1975) as Walter McCoy
 * The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976 TV movie) as Fred Huisache
 * 20 Shades of Pink (1976 TV movie)
 * The Quest (1976 TV movie) as H. H. Small
 * Jeremiah of Jacob's Neck (1976 TV movie) as Jeremiah Starbuck
 * High Velocity (1976) as Mr. Andersen
 * The Killer Inside Me (1976) as Chester Conway
 * The Shaggy D.A. (1976) as John Slade
 * The Quest: The Longest Drive (1976 TV movie) as Cooler
 * Mission to Glory: A True Story (1977)
 * Orca (1977) as Novak
 * Sex and the Married Woman (1977 TV movie) as Uncle June
 * Laserblast (1978) as Colonel Farley
 * Coach (1978) as Fenton "F. R." Granger
 * The Bastard (1978) as Johnny Malcolm
 * Piranha (1978) as Jack
 * The Lucifer Complex (1978) as U.S. Secretary of Defense / Adolph Hitler?
 * The Billion Dollar Threat (1979 TV movie) as Ely
 * The Dark (1979) as Sherman "Sherm" Moss
 * Hollywood Knight (1979) as Jed
 * Sunburn (1979) as Mark Elmes
 * Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979) as Jake Noble
 * The Glove (1979) as Bill Schwartz
 * The Treasure Seekers (1979) as Meat Cleaver Stewart
 * A Touch of the Sun (1979) as General Spelvin
 * Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) as Seymour Berger
 * Mom, the Wolfman and Me (1980 TV movie) as Grandpa Bergman
 * The Monkey Mission (1981 TV movie) as Stump Harris
 * A Piano for Mrs. Cimino (1982 TV movie) as Barney Fellman
 * The Capture of Grizzly Adams (1982 TV movie) as Bert Woolman
 * The Last Unicorn (1982) as Captain Cully / Harpy (voice)
 * Best Friends (1982) as Tom Babson
 * Hysterical (1983) as Fisherman
 * Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1983 TV movie) as Piers Castillian
 * Wavelength (1983) as Dan
 * Prime Risk (1985) as Dr. Lasser
 * Code of Vengeance (1985 TV movie) as Willis
 * Mirrors (1985 TV movie) as Reverend Dahlstrom
 * Zoo Ship (1985) (voice)
 * Black Moon Rising (1986) as Iron John
 * Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star (1986) as Grandpa

Television

 * Wagon Train - Episode: "The Luke O'Malley Story" (1958) as Luke O'Malley
 * The Untouchables" (1959-1961) as Augie 'The Banker' Ciamino / Joe Fuselli
 * The Twilight Zone - Episode: "A World of His Own" (1960) as Gregory West
 * Rawhide - Episode: "Incident at Cactus Wells" (1962) as Simon Royce
 * Combat! (1962-1966) as Brannigan / Colonel Clyde
 * Ben Casey - Episode: "Behold a Pale Horse" (1962) as O.J. Stanley
 * Death Valley Days - Episode: "Grass Man" (1962) as Josh Tavers
 * Bonanza - Episode: "Alias Joe Cartwright" (1964) as Sergeant O'Rourke
 * The Wild Wild West - Episode: "The Night of the Freebooters" (1966) as Thorwald Wolfe
 * Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Episode: "Show Me the Way to Go Home" (1966) as Harry Purcell
 * Then Came Bronson (1969) as Motorcycle Enthusiast / Older Man (befriends Bronson)
 * Lancer - Episode: "Blue Skies for Willie Sharpe" (1970) as Kansas Bill Sharpe
 * Alias Smith and Jones (1971) as Artie Gorman / Horace Wingate / Charlie Utley
 * Mod Squad - Episode: "And a Little Child Shall Bleed Them" (1971) as Luther
 * Hawaii Five-O - Episode: "Journey Out of Limbo" (1972) as Hummel
 * Cannon - Episode: "The Island Caper" (1972) as Matt Dixon
 * Alias Smith and Jones - Episode: "What Happened at the XST?" (1972) as Artie Gorman
 * McMillan & Wife - Episode: "The Devil You Say" (1973) as Professor Zagmeyer
 * Hec Ramsey - Episode: "A Hard Road to Vengeance" (1973) as Bullard
 * The New Perry Mason - Episode: "The Case of the Telltale Trunk" (1973) as Victor Harding
 * The Girl With Something Extra - Episode: "Guess Who's Feeding the Pigeons" (1974) as Victor Lucas
 * Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975) as Captain Joe 'Mad Dog' Siska
 * Movin' On - Episode: "The Elephant Story" (1975) as Barnaby
 * Emergency! - Episode: "Back-Up" (1975) as Wild Bill
 * The Bob Newhart Show - Episode: "What's It All About, Albert?" (1975) as Dr. Albert
 * The Bionic Woman - Episode: "Rancho Outcast" (1978) as Gustave
 * Dallas - 10 episodes (1979-1980) as Digger Barnes
 * Fantasy Island - Episode: "Mr. Nobody/La Liberatora" (1981) as Willie the promoter
 * The Greatest American Hero - Episode: "Good Samaritan" (1982) as Ira Hagert
 * Hardcastle and McCormick - Episode: "Just Another Round of That Old Song" (1983) as Henry Willard
 * Quincy, M.E. - Episode: "Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter?" (1983) as Morris Perlmutter
 * Taxi - Episode: "Tony's Baby" (1983) as Leo
 * Tales from the Darkside - Episode: "I'll Give You a Million" (1984) as Duncan
 * Highway to Heaven - Episode: "Popcorn, Peanuts and CrackerJacks" (1985) as Doc Brisby
 * Call to Glory (1984–1985) as Carl Sarnac