Biography
After a turbulent youth, McGavin inadvertently turned to acting and after notable work on stage and television, began making appearances alongside some of film's biggest names like Frank Sinatra "The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955) and Jerry Lewis in "The Delicate Delinquent" (1957). With his rugged good looks and streetwise charisma, McGavin was the perfect choice to play pulp novelist Mickey Spillane's skirt-chasing, hard-living private eye …
Latest Tv Credits
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Career Milestones
| Starred as "Kolchak, the Night Stalker" (ABC) | ||
| Starred as "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" (syndicated) | ||
| Starred in TV series "Riverboat" (NBC) | ||
| Starred in TV series spin-off of "The Outsider" (NBC) | ||
1945 | Film debut in "A Song to Remember" | |
1945 | Professional acting debut in "Liliom" for the Actors Lab in Hollywood | |
1948 | New York stage debut in "The Old Lady Says No!" | |
1949 | Played Happy in Broadway production of "Death of a Salesman" | |
1951 | Made TV series debut as "Crime Photographer" (CBS) | |
1955 | Had breakthrough feature film roles in "Summertime" and "The Man With the Golden Arm" | |
1957 | First directed for the New York stage, "Respect for Joey" | |
1959 | First directed for TV with episodes of "Bucksin" | |
1967 | TV-movie debut, "The Outsider" (NBC) | |
1972 | First played Kolchak in the ABC TV-moive pilot "The Night Stalker" | |
1973 | Directed and produced feature film "Happy Mother's Day, Love George" | |
1983 | Played the father in "A Christmas Story" | |
1983 | Tried sitcoms with "Small & Frye" (CBS) | |
1985 | Returned to the New York stage after 20 year absence in "California Dog Fight" | |
1989 | Hosted first of several "Unclaimed Fortunes" specials (ABC) | |
1989 | Made first of several appearances as father of "Murphy Brown" (CBS) | |
1994 | Did voice work for animated "Gargoyles" syndicated series | |
1994 | Hosted first of several "Mysteries of the Ancient World" specials (CBS) | |
1995 | Played father to Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison" | |
1998 | Made guest appearance on "The X-Files" (Fox) | |
Awards
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Comedy Series in Murphy Brown |