Strother Martin
Biography
Strother Martin was an American actor who worked in more than 170 film and TV productions from 1950 to 1980, largely in character roles. Born in Kokomo, Indiana, he moved to Los Angeles after the war and started as a swimming instructor and water extra before earning bit parts. He became a frequent character player in the 1950s and often supported John Wayne and Paul Newman. His Westerns included The Horse Soldiers (1959), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), McLintock! (1963), and True Grit (1969), and in 1969 he also appeared in The Wild Bunch and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He played the prison captain in Cool Hand Luke (1967), a role connected to a line ranked eleventh on the American Film Institute list. Later films included Slap Shot (1977) and Up in Smoke (1978). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Hawkins and hosted Saturday Night Live in April 1980.
61years old at death
- Born Kokomo
- Died Thousand Oaks
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Strother Douglas Martin, Jr. and Mr. Stoner
Movie Career
- Films
- 38
- Career span
- 27 years1952 to 1979
First and latest
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A change of course
Strother Martin was a champion diver before acting: at 17 he won the National Junior Springboard Diving Championship, and he later finished third at the adult national springboard competition while trying to make the U.S. Olympic team.
First role
Martin broke into film as a swimming extra in water scenes, including the 1950 crime drama The Damned Don't Cry, after moving to Los Angeles and working as a swimming instructor.
A change of course
Martin looked and sounded a lot like the playwright Tennessee Williams, and he sometimes parodied him, notably in the "Baby Fat" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Beyond film
Martin was part of a 1972 Los Angeles revival of The Time of Your Life at the Huntington Hartford Theater, appearing alongside Henry Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss and Jane Alexander under director Edwin Sherin.
Strother Martin movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969 Biography, Crime, Dramaas Percy Garris
IMDb rating 8.0240K votes
Most often with
Robert Aldrich directed four of these films, Stuart Rosenberg three and Sam Peckinpah three. John Wayne appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
John Wayne's page
Paul Newman's page
Lee Marvin's page
L.Q. Jones's page
Dennis Hopper's page
James Stewart's page
All films by Robert Aldrich
Stuart RosenbergDirector, 3 films, 1967 to 1979
All films by Stuart Rosenberg
All films by Sam Peckinpah
Also three films together4 more actors
- George KennedyFools' Parade (1971), Cool Hand Luke (1967) and The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
- Jack ElamThe Villain (1979), Hannie Caulder (1971) and Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
- James WesterfieldTrue Grit (1969), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965) and The Shaggy Dog (1959)
- Chuck HaywardRooster Cogburn (1975), The Deadly Companions (1961) and The Horse Soldiers (1959)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Strother Martin's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$408 million
18 of the 38 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 38 films: 18 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 15 figure not found.
- 18Worldwide figure
- 4US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 15Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 80% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$102M25.0% of the total
- 2$45M11.0% of the total
- 3$42M10.2% of the total
- 4$38M9.2% of the total
- 5$30M7.5% of the total
- 6$28M6.9% of the total
- 7$23M5.6% of the total
- 8$18M4.3% of the total
$82.8 millionfrom the other 10 films with a worldwide figure, 20% of the total
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.