Ross Martin (born Martin Rosenblatt, March 22, 1920 – July 3, 1981) was an American radio, voice, stage, film, and television actor. Martin was best known for portraying Artemus Gordon on the CBS Western series The Wild Wild West, which aired from 1965 to 1969. He was the voice of Doctor Paul Williams in 1972's Sealab 2020, additional characters in 1973's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, and additional character voices in 1978's Jana of the Jungle.
Early life Martin was born to a Polish Jewish family in Gródek, Poland, (now Horodok, Ukraine). He and his parents immigrated to New York City when he was an infant. Recorded as Izak and Sara Rosenblat and infant son Marcus, they boarded the steamship New Rochelle at Danzig, which was then a Free City under the League of Nations; the ship sailed on August 29, 1920, and arrived at the Port of New York on September 18. As they were steerage passengers, they were obliged to go to Ellis Island to undergo immigrant inspection. They settled in The Bronx. Martin spoke Polish, Yiddish, and some Russian before learning English and later added French, Spanish, and Italian.
Martin attended City College of New York, where he graduated magna cum laude, then earned a law degree from the National University School of Law (later part of the George Washington University).
Career Despite academic training in business, instruction, and law, Martin chose a career in acting. He was partners in a comedy team with Bernie West for several years, then appeared on many radio and live TV broadcasts, including playing Wyatt Earp in the January 20, 1952 episode of The Gabby Hayes Show. He made his Broadway debut in Hazel Flagg in 1953.
Martin's first film was the George Pal 1955 production Conquest of Space, followed by a brief appearance in The Colossus of New York (1958), as the scientist father of Charles Herbert. In 1959, Martin appeared in the episode "Echo" on Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond. He appeared in two 1959 episodes of David Janssen's crime drama series, Richard Diamond, Private Detective as well as Season 1, Episode 13 of The Twilight Zone, "The Four of Us Are Dying". Soon after, he caught the eye of Blake Edwards, who cast him in a number of widely varied roles: as Sal in the 1959 Peter Gunn episode "The Fuse"; his breakout role as comic sidekick Andamo in the 1959 CBS drama series Mr. Lucky, asthmatic kidnapper Red Lynch in the 1962 thriller Experiment in Terror (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture), culminating with a role in The Great Race, as the smoothly villainous Baron Rolfe Von Stuppe. He was also a regular on Stump the Stars from 1962 to 1963.
The Wild Wild West
After his performance in The Great Race, CBS cast Martin in what was to become his most famous role, Secret Service agent Artemus Gordon in The Wild Wild West, co-starring with Robert Conrad. The Artemus Gordon character was a master gadgeteer and disguise artist, and these attributes fitted Martin perfectly. Martin himself created most of his disguises for the show, and most of the cast had no idea what he would look like until seeing him during the shooting of the episode. The recent DVD release of the first season of the series includes a recently discovered pre-production sketch Martin had made of his very first make-up design for the pilot episode. Another episode, "The Night of the Casual Killer," revealed another of Martin's talents: he was a classically trained violinist.
In 1968, Martin broke his leg and then suffered a near-fatal heart attack, forcing The Wild Wild West to replace him with other actors, including Charles Aidman, William Schallert and Alan Hale Jr for nine episodes. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, for the fourth and final season of The Wild Wild West. The series was cancelled in 1969 in the midst of a national controversy over violence on television.
Later career After The Wild, Wild West ended, Martin continued his career in various guest roles on television and in roles in television films. In 1970, Martin portrayed Alexander Hamilton in the NBC television special Swing Out, Sweet Land, hosted by John Wayne. He also appeared in a 1970 episode of The Immortal ("White Elephants Don't Grow on Trees"). The following year, Martin tried his hand at directing. He guest starred in the 1971 episode of Columbo entitled "Suitable for Framing", as Dale Kingston, a murderous art critic, and also a 1971 episode of Love, American Style, which he also directed. Martin directed another episode of the series in 1973. Later that same year, he appeared as the famed Asian detective Charlie Chan in The Return of Charlie Chan. He made a guest appearance on Barnaby Jones in 1974, and also lent his voice to an episode of Wait Till Your Father Gets Home later that year.
In 1976, Martin returned to the stage as John Adams in a touring production of the musical 1776."Ross Martin Booked For Melody Top 1776," Milwaukee Sentinel, March 19, 1976. In 1978, he did more voice work for the animated series Jana of the Jungle. He reprised the role of Artemus Gordon in two Wild, Wild West television movies: The Wild Wild West Revisited in 1979 and More Wild Wild West in 1980. He had a four-episode recurring role as kumu mobster Tony Alika on Hawaii Five-O from 1978 to 1979. In 1980, Martin appeared in the third episode of The Love Boat as Tom Thorton. Martin's final role was in the 1983 television movie I Married Wyatt Earp in which he played the role of Jacob Speigler. The film aired two years after his death.
Personal life and death Martin married his first wife, Muriel Weiss, in 1941. They had one child together, a daughter, Phyllis Rosenblatt (a New York artist). Weiss died from cancer in 1965. (Martin and Weiss were separated at the time of her death.)
In 1967, Martin married Olavee Lucile Parsons (a successful model and documentary director) and adopted her two children, Rebecca (Martin) Schacht and George Martin. Martin and Parsons remained married until Martin's death in 1981. She died in 2002.
On July 3, 1981, Martin suffered a fatal heart attack after a game of tennis at San Vicente Tennis Ranch, San Diego County Club of Ramona, California. He was rushed to the Pomerado Hospital in Poway, California, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
He is interred in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
TV and filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1949Lights OutEpisode: "I Dreamt I Died"1950 AlexEpisode: "A Toast to Sergeant Farnsworth"Episode: "The Gloves of Gino"1951Episode: "The Man with the Astrakhan Hat"1950–1955Treasury Men in ActionAgent189 episodes1951Somerset Maugham TV Theatre Philippe Episode: "Appearances and Reality"1952The Gabby Hayes ShowEpisode: "Marshal of Tombstone", played Wyatt Earp 1953 Goodyear Television Playhouse NarratorEpisode: "The Cipher"1953SuspenseEpisode: "Needle in a Haystack"Episode: "The Riddle of Mayerling"1953The Web Sam Fletchet Episode: "Kind Stranger"1954The Web Harvey Frane Episode: "The Hunted"1954Justice Bert Calvin Episode: "Murder at Red Oaks"1954–1956The Big StoryWilliam Fernandez3 episodes1955–1957Modern Romances6 episodes1955Conquest of SpaceAndre Fodor1956The Sheriff of Cochise Episode: "The Check Artist"1957The Alcoa HourTonyEpisode: "A Double Life"1958Underwater WarriorSgt. Joe O'BrienMovie, early frogmanThe Colossus of New YorkDr. Jeremy 'Jerry' SpensserMovie, brilliant scientistThe Court of Last ResortPhillip HustonEpisode: "The Phillip Huston Case"GunsmokeDan ClellEpisode: "Bottleman"Danny KeppertEpisode: Land DealThe Walter Winchell FileBucknerEpisode: "Portrait of a Cop: File #27"1959Peter GunnSal MatziEpisode: "The Fuse" Naked CityCarloEpisode: "Ten Cent Dreams" Sea HuntFinchEpisode: "The Dam"USCG Captain StevensEpisode: "The Briefcase"Steve CanyonAly BrahmaSeason 1/Episode 31: "Room 313"One Step BeyondPaul MarlinEpisode: "Echo"1959–1960Mr. LuckyAndamo34 episodes1960LaramieAngelEpisode: "A Sound of Bells"The Twilight ZoneJohnny Episode: "The Four of Us Are Dying"1961The Law and Mr. JonesFrank BrodyEpisode: "The Enemy"87th PrecinctJoe CzepreghiEpisode: "Occupation: Citizen"ZorroMarcos EstradaEpisode: "Auld Acquaintance"1962Experiment in TerrorGarland Humphrey 'Red' Lynch GeronimoMangus1963Wagon TrainSam Pulaski Episode: "The Sam Pulaski Story"The Twilight ZoneLt. Ted MasonEpisode: "Death Ship"BonanzaNick Biancci Episode: "Little Man... Ten Feet Tall"The CeremonyLe Caq The Danny Thomas ShowCopa Club MusicianSeason 11, episode 11 "The Two Musketeers"1964Vacation PlayhouseClaudie HughesEpisode: "I and Claudie"1965The Man from Button WillowAndy Svenson VoiceThe Great RaceBaron Rolfe von Stuppe1965–1969The Wild Wild WestArtemus Gordon95 episodes1969The Carol Burnett ShowHimselfSeason 2 Episode on 3/10/19691970The ImmortalEddie YomanEpisode: " White Elephants Don't Grow on Trees"Swing Out, Sweet LandAlexander HamiltonTelevision special1971The SheriffLarry Walters Television movieColumboDale KingstonEpisode: "Suitable for Framing"Night GalleryMr. GingoldEpisode: "Camera Obscura"1972The F.B.I.George Barrows Episode: "The Wizard"Sealab 2020Dr. Paul WilliamsVoiceABC Afterschool SpecialStanEpisode: "The Last of the Curlews"The Crooked HeartsSgt. Daniel ShaneTelevision movieThe Bold Ones: The New DoctorsHarry BurkeEpisode: "A Purge of Madness"1973Dying Room OnlyJim CutlerTelevision movieTenaflyGrady HallEpisode: "Joyride to Nowhere"IronsideArthur DamienEpisode: "Mind for Murder"Night GalleryBradley MeredithEpisode: "The Other Way Out"The Return of Charlie ChanCharlie ChanTelevision movie1974Skyway to DeathMartin Leonard Barnaby JonesMaxwell ImryEpisode: "Friends Till Death"1975The Invisible ManAmb Diego Devega Episode: "The Fine Art of Diplomacy"Ellery QueenDr. Otis TremaineEpisode: " The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse"1976Gemini ManCarl VictorEpisode: "Minotaur"Sanford and SonAramEpisode: "California Crude"1977Blansky's BeautiesSheik Ben-AliEpisode: "Nancy Goes Sheik"Charlie's AngelsDr. PerineEpisode: "Unidentified Flying Angels"1978QuarkZorgon the Malevolent2 episodes "All the Emperor's Quasi-Norms, Parts 1 & 2" Vega$Werner WorthmeyerEpisode: "Mother Mishkin"1978–1979Hawaii Five-OTony Alika4 episodes1978The New Adventures of Wonder WomanBernard HavitolEpisode: "IRAC is Missing"Wild and WoolyOtis BergenTV movie1979The Return of Mod SquadBuck Prescott Television movieThe SeekersSupply PleasantPassword PlusHimselfThe Wild Wild West RevisitedArtemus GordonTelevision movie1980The Love BoatTom Thornton Episode: "April's Love/Happy Ending/We Three"Fantasy IslandAce ScanlonEpisode: "The Devil and Mandy Breem/The Millionaire"More Wild Wild WestArtemus GordonTelevision movie1981Mork & MindyGodfreyEpisode: "Mork and the Bum Rap"1983I married Wyatt EarpJacob Spiegler Television movieReleased posthumously (final film role)
References
External links
Fan site for The Wild Wild West Biography of Ross Martin at wildwildwest.org Ross Martin Remembered -- a tribute site