Marvin Elliott Miller (born Marvin Mueller; July 18, 1913 – February 8, 1985) was an American actor. Possessing a deep baritone voice, he began his career in radio in St. Louis, Missouri before becoming a Hollywood actor. He is remembered for voicing

Robby the Robot Robby the Robot is a fictional character and science fiction icon who first appeared in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction films and television programs, which has given him the d ...

in the

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstel ...

'' Forbidden Planet'' (1956), a role he reprised in the lesser-known ''

The Invisible Boy ''The Invisible Boy'' (aka ''S.O.S Spaceship'') is a 1957 black and white American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by Herman Hoffman, and starring Richard Eyer and Philip Abbott. It is the s ...

'' (1957). Miller's next most notable role is that of Michael Anthony, the loyal assistant of

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during ...

's generous billionaire John Beresford Tipton Jr., on the TV series '' The Millionaire'' (1955–1960).

Career

Radio and recordings

Born in St. Louis, Miller graduated from

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

before commencing his career in radio. When a singer named Marvin Miller debuted on another St. Louis radio station, he began using his middle initial to distinguish himself from the newcomer. For the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. ra ...

, he narrated a daily 15-minute radio show titled ''The Story Behind the Story'', which offered historical vignettes. He also served as announcer on several Old Time Radio shows of the 1940s and 1950s, including ''The Jo Stafford Show''Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920-1950''. The Viking Press. SBN 670-16240-x. P. 125. and the long-running mystery series '' The Whistler''. Miller played Dr. Lee Markham on ''The Woman in White'' on

NBC radio The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the NBC Blue Network it was one of the first tw ...

and Howard Andrews on ''Midstream'' on the

Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the National Broadcasting Comp ...

and appeared as "The voice of the Past" on the May 21, 1942 broadcast of The Right to Happiness. In 1945–47, he was the announcer for ''

Songs by Sinatra ''Songs by Sinatra, Volume 1'' is the second studio album by Frank Sinatra. The tracks were arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl and his orchestra. It is a collection of eight recordings from six different sessions. It was originally released ...

''. He played two characters and was the announcer on ''

The Billie Burke Show The Billie Burke Show was an old-time radio situation comedy in the United States. It was broadcast on CBS April 3, 1943 - September 21, 1946. Format Actress Billie Burke played herself as "a well-meaning young woman with her head in the clouds." ...

'' (1943–1946).Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . In 1952, Miller had a one-man program, ''Armchair Adventures,'' on

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broad ...

. He did "all voices and narration" in the 15-minute dramatic anthology. He also recorded 260 episodes of a program described in a 1950 trade publication as "Marvin Miller: Famous radio voice in series of five minute vignettes about famous people." The program was syndicated via electrical transcription by The Cardinal Company. He also won

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in 1965 and 1966 for his recordings of

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' Fox in Socks'' and ''

Green Eggs and Ham ''Green Eggs and Ham'' is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2019, the book has sold 8 million copies worldwide. The story has appeared in several adaptations, starting with 1973's '' Dr. Seuss on the Loos ...

''. He also read ''

Horton Hatches the Egg ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published in 1940 by Random House. The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's ...

'', '' The Sneetches and Other Stories'' and ''

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories ''Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories'' is a picture book collection by Theodor Seuss Geisel, published under his more commonly known pseudonym of Dr. Seuss. It was first released by Random House Books on April 12, 1958, and is written in Seuss' ...

''., In the mid-1970s, Miller even lent his voice to sports films, narrating the official

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

films in 1975 and 1976.

Films

In films, the heavyset Miller was often cast as a villain, many times playing Asian roles. He portrayed a sadistic henchman in the 1947

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

film ''

Dead Reckoning In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating current position of some moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, and then incorporating estimates of speed, heading direction, and course over elapsed time. ...

'' and was Yamada in the 1945

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

effort '' Blood on the Sun''. In 1946's film noir '' Deadline at Dawn'' he plays Sleepy Parsons, a blind pianist. Miller played George "Gusty" Gustafson in the

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

classic '' Johnny Angel''. Miller also did a great deal of voice work in animation from the 1950s to 1970s, from the narration on the 1950

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning

United Productions of America United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio active from the 1940s through the 1970s. Beginning with industrial and World War II training films, UPA eventually produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Picture ...

cartoon '' Gerald McBoing Boing'' to the 1970 ''

The Ant and the Aardvark ''The Ant and the Aardvark'' is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, originally released by United Artists and currently distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1969 to 1971. Plot The cartoon se ...

'' cartoon ''Scratch a Tiger''.

Television

From 1949 to 1950 he starred as Dr. Yat Fu on the short-lived ABC series ''

Mysteries of Chinatown ''Mysteries of Chinatown'' is an American crime drama series that aired on the ABC television network from December 4, 1949 to October 23, 1950. Marvin Miller made his television debut in the series. Cast * Marvin Miller as Dr. Yat Fu * Gloria Sa ...

'', with

Gloria Saunders Gloria Ella Saunders (September 29, 1927 – June 4, 1980) was an American actress of film and television, primarily from the late 1940s to 1960. Background Career Saunders acting career began on stage. She was discovered when she performed ...

cast as his niece. In 1961, Miller guest-starred as Johnny Kelso, with Erin O'Brien, in "The Marble Slab" episode of the

Frederick Ziv Frederick William Ziv (August 17, 1905 – October 13, 2001, Cincinnati, Ohio) was an American broadcasting producer and syndicator who was considered as the father of television first-run syndication and once operated the nation's largest indepen ...

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

-, and MGM-produced

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

, starring Gene Barry. Original air date was May 11, 1961. Miller voiced "Mr. Sun" in the

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile ...

educational film ''

Our Mr. Sun ''Our Mr. Sun'' is a 1956 one-hour American television film in Technicolor written, produced, and directed by Frank Capra. It is a documentary that explains how the Sun works and how it also plays a huge part in human life. It was first broadca ...

'', and "Hemo" in the

educational film '' Hemo the Magnificent'', parts of a series featuring Dr.

Frank C. Baxter Francis Condie Baxter (May 4, 1896 – January 18, 1982) was an American scholar and television personality. An authority on Shakespeare with a doctorate in literature from Cambridge University, he was a highly popular professor of English Literat ...

and directed by

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

, which was shown on American network television in 1956 and 1957. Miller crossed paths with other prolific voice-over artists many times in his career, including

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

, playing "Deer" in ''Hemo the Magnificent'' and in the TV series ''

Rocky and Bullwinkle ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC tele ...

'' along with

, who voiced " Boris Badenov" in that program. Miller and Frees also performed in separate segments on the audio recording '' Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America Volume One The Early Years''. Miller made a guest appearance in 1963 on '' Perry Mason'' as unscrupulous attorney F.J. Weatherby in "The Case of the Lover's Leap". Miller voiced

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...

for the

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

studio for their 1967 series ''

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'' is a Saturday morning Filmation animated series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1968. Premiering on September 9, 1967, this 60-minute program included a series of six-minute adventures featuring various DC ...

''. He was also the voice of pilot/scientist Busby Birdwell in the company's animated series '' Fantastic Voyage''. He was the voice of the arrogant alien "Zarn" in three episodes of the second season of '' Land of the Lost''. Miller also lent his distinct voice to '' The Pink Panther Show'', often talking with the feline offscreen and asking questions, while also voicing The Inspector, his second Deux Deux and their boss The Commissioner. On ''The Millionaire'', Miller played Michael Anthony in more than 200 episodes, conveying the wishes of the "fabulously wealthy" John Beresford Tipton, Jr., voiced by Paul Frees.

Death

Miller died in 1985 at the age of 71 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He is entombed at

Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary is a cemetery and mortuary located in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood, with an entrance from Glendon Avenue. The cemetery was ...

in Los Angeles. For his contribution to the television industry, Marvin Miller has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

at 6101

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Marvin 1913 births 1985 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors American male radio actors Audiobook narrators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Grammy Award winners Male actors from St. Louis Radio and television announcers Washington University in St. Louis alumni 20th-century American male actors