Keene Holbrook Curtis (February 15, 1923 – October 13, 2002) was an American character actor.

Early life

Curtis was born in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, to Polley Francella (née Holbrook), a teacher, and Ira Charles Curtis, a railway and civil service employee. He attended Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah, then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served three years in the Pacific Theater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After Curtis returned home, he attended the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

where he earned a bachelor's degree. In 1943, he was recognized by

Theta Alpha Phi Theta Alpha Phi National Theatre Honors Fraternity () is an American honor society that accepts members who achieve excellence in the art of theatre. Membership is available to undergraduates and graduate students at member institutions. The His ...

national honorary dramatic society as the university's outstanding actor.

Film

Curtis made his film debut in the 1948

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

' adaptation of '' Macbeth''. Additional film credits included '' American Hot Wax'', '' Rabbit Test'', ''

The Buddy System The buddy system is a procedure in which two individuals, the "buddies", operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. As per Merriam-Webster, the first known use of the phrase "buddy system" goes as fa ...

'', ''

I.Q. An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern for the German term ''Intelligenzq ...

'', '' Heaven Can Wait'', '' Sliver'', and ''

Richie Rich's Christmas Wish ''Richie Rich's Christmas Wish'' (also known as ''Richie Rich 2'') is a 1998 direct-to-video American film based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Richie Rich. It is a stand-alone sequel to the 1994 film '' Richie Rich'', starring David Gal ...

''. Curtis was a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

Theatre work

Curtis' theatrical career began as a in 1949 as an assistant stage manager for the

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is known for being the oldest American dance company. Founded by Martha Graham as a contemporary dance company, it continued to perform pieces, revive classics, and train dancers even after Graham's ...

before working on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions. His first appearance as a performer was in a 1965 revival of '' You Can't Take It with You''. In 1971, he was awarded the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for '' The Rothschilds''. Additional Broadway credits included ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate editio ...

'', ''

A Patriot for Me ''A Patriot for Me'' is a 1965 play by the English playwright John Osborne, based on the true story of Alfred Redl. The controversial refusal of a performance licence by the Lord Chamberlain's Office played a role in the passage of the Theatres ...

'', ''

Via Galactica ''Via Galactica'' is a rock musical with a book by Christopher Gore and Judith Ross, lyrics by Gore, and music by Galt MacDermot. It marked the Broadway debut of actor Mark Baker. Originally entitled ''Up!'', it offers a futuristic story of soc ...

'', '' Annie'', Night Watch (played Curtis Appleby in 1972 production) and '' La Cage aux Folles''. He was a member of the Stratford Festival of Canada acting company in 1981, playing Sir George Thunder in Wild Oats.

Television work

Curtis had a recurring role playing John Allen Hill, the owner of Melville's Restaurant in '' Cheers'' and as a wealthy banker on the short-lived

Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress and comedian. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, Arthur began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving ...

vehicle, '' Amanda's''. His many television credits include '' The Magician'' as quirky columnist Max Pomeroy opposite Bill Bixby, ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' starring Bette Midler and appearances on:

Animation work

For the animated series '' SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron'', he voiced the character the Pastmaster. He also provided the voice of

Grand Moff Tarkin Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, introduced as the main antagonist of the original 1977 ''Star Wars'' film (played by Peter Cushing). In the film, Tarkin is depicted as a high-ranking officer ...

for the radio adaptation of ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', but may have been best known for voicing "Lord Balthazar" in ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...

'' from 1981-89. He also used his voice talents for other cartoon shows including ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'', '' The Dukes'', '' The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour'', '' Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures'', '' Trollkins'', '' The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda'', '' The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible'', ''

Denver, the Last Dinosaur ''Denver, the Last Dinosaur'' is TV an animated series produced by World Events Productions and . It was nationally syndicated throughout the United States in 1988 with reruns airing until 1990. In the show, a dinosaur hatches from a petrified egg ...

'', '' The Snorks'', ''

The Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced ...

'', '' Space Stars'', ''

Adventures from the Book of Virtues ''Adventures from the Book of Virtues'' is an American animated children's television series based on the books '' The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories'', and ''The Children's Book of Virtues'', both by William Bennett, who serve ...

'', ''

The Herculoids ''The Herculoids'' is an American Saturday-morning animated-cartoon television series, created and designed by Alex Toth, that was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The show debuted on September 9, 1967, on CBS. Hanna-Barbera produced one sea ...

'', ''

Fantastic Max ''Fantastic Max'' is an animated cartoon series, originally aired from 1988 to 1990 created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, Kalisto Ltd., Booker PLC and Tanaka Promotion Co. and in association with S4C. It centers on a boy named Maxwell "Fantastic ...

'', ''

Paddington Bear Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book ''A Bear Called Paddington'' and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, a ...

'', '' The Centurions'', ''

Kissyfur ''Kissyfur'' is an American animated children's television series which aired on NBC. It was produced by Jean Chalopin and Andy Heyward and created by Phil Mendez for DIC Animation City. The series was based on a half-hour NBC special called ' ...

'', ''

Mother Goose and Grimm ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gesta ...

'', ''

The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats ''The Hot Rod Dogs and Cool Car Cats'' is an animated television series which aired between September 9, 1995 and June 15, 1996 on ITV kids strand CITV, and was shown in May 11, 2009 on Scottish children's programme ''wknd@stv''. The series is ...

'' and '' Bonkers''.

Death

Curtis died from complications from Alzheimer's disease in a

Bountiful, Utah Bountiful is Davis city. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301. The city grew rapidly during the suburb growth of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and was Davis County's l ...

nursing home, aged 79, and was buried at Bountiful Memorial Park. Curtis never married and had no children. He is survived by his sister-in-law and several nieces and nephews.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Keene 1923 births 2002 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Male actors from Salt Lake City Tony Award winners Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Neurological disease deaths in Utah Burials in Utah Latter Day Saints from Utah 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers