Martin E. Brooks (born Martin Baum; November 30, 1925 – December 7, 2015) was an American character actor known for playing scientist Rudy Wells in the television shows ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'' and ''

The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction film, science fiction Action-adventure fiction, action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson (producer), Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel Cyborg (novel), ''Cyborg'' by ...

'', from 1975 onward. The role had very briefly been played by

Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...

and then by

Alan Oppenheimer Alan Oppenheimer (born April 23, 1930) is an American actor. He has performed numerous roles on live action television since the 1960s and has had an active career doing voice work since the 1970s. Early life Oppenheimer was born in New York ...

Early life

Brooks was born Martin Baum in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1925. When he was 10, he moved with his family to

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

. After high school, he volunteered to serve in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, became a paratrooper with the

11th Airborne Division The 11th Airborne Division ("Arctic Angels") is a United States Army multirole infantry division made up of specialized light infantry and airborne infantry based in Alaska. Currently, this unit specializes in arctic warfare, airborne operat ...

and was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

for injuries received during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He attended

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

and enrolled at the Dramatic Workshop of the

New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

in New York City. He won the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

best actor award for his performance in ''Outside the Door'' and changed his name to Martin Brooks, following the advice of producer

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

Career

Acting

Theatre

In 1959, Brooks starred in Saul Levitt's hit play ''The Andersonville Trial'' with

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, who was noted for playing dangerous and tough characters. Usually appearing in supporting roles, among his best-known films are '' Beau Geste'' (1939), '' The Great ...

and

Charles Durning Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...

. He was very proud of his theatre work that included ''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende'') is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen that explores the conflict between personal integrity and societal norms. The play centers on Dr. Thomas Stockmann, w ...

'' and ''I Am a Camera'', as well as the actors with whom he appeared, including

Julie Harris Julia Ann Harris (December 2, 1925August 24, 2013) was an American actress. Renowned for her classical and contemporary roles, she earned numerous accolades including five Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play, three Emmy Awards, and a Grammy ...

and

Barbara Bel Geddes Barbara Bel Geddes (October 31, 1922 – August 8, 2005) was an American stage and screen Actor, actress, artist, and children's author whose career spanned almost 5 decades. She was best known for her starring role as Miss Ellie Ewing in th ...

. Brooks was also in

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

's '' Burning Bright'' as Victor with

Kent Smith Frank Kent SmithGordon, Dr. Roger L. (2018). Supporting Actors in Motion Pictures: Volume II'. Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing. pp. 130, 131. . "Kent Smith: Frank Kent Smith was born on March 19, 1907, in New York City. ..He was marrie ...

as Joe Saul, Barbara Bel Geddes as Mordeen, and Howard Da Silva as Friend Ed which he had adapted from his 1950 novel of the same name.

Television

In the 1950s, Brooks appeared in '' The Philco–

Goodyear Television Playhouse ''Goodyear Television Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that was telecast live on NBC from 1951 to 1957 during the first Golden Age of Television. Goodyear alternated sponsorship with Philco, and ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' ...

''.In the 1960s, he appeared in ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American soldiers ...

''. In the 1972–73 TV season, he had a

recurring role Recurring means occurring repeatedly and can refer to several different things: Mathematics and finance *Recurring expense, an ongoing (continual) expenditure *Repeating decimal, or recurring decimal, a real number in the decimal numeral syste ...

as Deputy D.A. Chapman in ''

McMillan & Wife ''McMillan & Wife'' (known simply as ''McMillan'' from 1976 to 1977) is an American police procedural television series that aired on NBC from September 17, 1971, to April 24, 1977. Starring Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James in the title roles, ...

''. In the fall of 1977, Brooks and

Richard Anderson Richard Norman Anderson (August 8, 1926 – August 31, 2017) was an American film and television actor. One of his best-known roles was his portrayal of Oscar Goldman, the boss of Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) in ...

(as

Oscar Goldman ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, United States Air Force, USAF Colonel (United States), Colonel Steve ...

) became the first known actors to portray the same characters as regulars simultaneously on two different networks. NBC picked up ''

'' after the series had been cancelled by ABC. ABC continued to air ''

''. Brooks had, by that time, been promoted to series regular on both series. The unusual situation lasted only one season as the two series were cancelled by their respective networks in the spring of 1978. Brooks reprised the role of Wells in three television movies: ''The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman'' (1987), ''Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman'' (1989) and ''Bionic Ever After?'' (1994). His other television roles include in Mike Snow in ''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'', Arthur Bradshaw in ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'', ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (“The Lure”-1967), '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, '' The Twilight Zon ...

'', ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'', ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Clarence Williams III as Lincoln "Linc" Hayes, Pegg ...

'', and ten appearances as Edgar Randolph in the prime-time soap opera ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'', playing a pivotal role in a story arc involving

J.R. Ewing John Ross Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the continuation series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the series premiere in ...

. Brooks also guest-starred in an episode of ''

The Silent Force ''The Silent Force'' is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released on 15 November 2004, by GUN Records. On 5 August 2008, ''The Silent Force'' along with ''Mother Earth (Within Temptation album), Mother Eart ...

'' in 1970. He appeared in ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'' as Ted Burton in the 1990s.

Writing

Brooks wrote two novels: ''Danny Brown'' and ''Roman Candle''. His play ''Flo and Joe'' was optioned for a Broadway production and received several workshop productions at the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

and at Theatre West.

Personal life and death

According to

Jon Landau Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received that institution's Ahme ...

, Brooks was the "

soulmate A soulmate is a person with whom one feels a deep or natural affinity. This affinity may involve similarity, love, romance, comfort, intimacy, sexuality, sexual activity, spirituality, compatibility, and trust. The idea of ''soulmates'' orig ...

" of Landau's mother, Edie, for over 20 years. They were friends as children and reconnected in 1993 after her husband died. Brooks was friends with

when they met in 1959 in Saul Levitt's hit play ''The Andersonville Trial'' until Durning's death in 2012. Brooks died on December 7, 2015, of natural causes at his home in

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 19 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

one week after his 90th birthday.

Awards and honors

Brooks won the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

and the Donaldson Award for his role in '' Burning Bright''.

Filmography

Film

Television

4 , - , 1965 , ''

'' , Corporal MacGowan , Episode: " The Raider" (S 4:Ep 16) , - , rowspan="3" , 1966 , '' The Loner'' , Chris Meegan , Episode: " Pick Me Another Time to Die" (S 1:Ep 24) , - , ''

Flipper Flipper may refer to: Common meanings *Flipper (anatomy), a forelimb of an aquatic animal, useful for steering and/or propulsion in water *Swimfins, footwear that boosts human swimming efficiency, also known as flippers * Flipper (cricket), a typ ...

'' , Kent , Episode: "Flipper's Underwater Museum" (S 2:Ep 27) , , - , '' The F.B.I.'' , Richard Larken , Episode: " Anatomy of a Prison Break" (S 2:Ep 10) , rowspan="8" , , - , rowspan="4" , 1967 , ''

'' , Young , Episode: " The Lure" , - , '' The Fugitive'' , Lieutenant Gould , Episode: " The Walls of Night" (S 4:Ep 27) , - , ''

Iron Horse ''Iron horse'' is a pervasive term (considered by the early twenty-first century to be transitioning into an archaic reference) for a steam locomotive and the railway on which it travels, originating in the early 1800s, when horses still powered ...

'' , Gilbert Reese , Episode: "Diablo" (S 2:Ep 1) , - , ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'' , Franklin Poore , Episode: " The Night of the Hangman" (S 3:Ep 7) , - , rowspan="2" , 1968 , ''The F.B.I.'' , Bobby Devries , Episode: " The Predators" (S 3:Ep 25) , - , ''

Judd, for the Defense ''Judd, for the Defense'' is an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to March 21, 1969. Judd was a shortened surname from Juddinski. Synopsis The show stars Carl Betz, who had pr ...

'' , Art Barrows , Episode: " The Gates of Cerberus" (S 2:Ep 10) , - , 1969 , '' Mission: Impossible'' , Paul Trock , Episode: "

Illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

" (S 3:Ep 24) , - , rowspan="2" , 1970 , ''

'' , , Episode: " The Hero" (S 1:Ep 2) , , - , ''The Old Man Who Cried Wolf'' , Hudson F. Ewing , Made-for-TV Movie directed by

Walter Grauman Walter E. Grauman (March 17, 1922 – March 20, 2015) was an American director of stage shows, films and television shows. Early life Grauman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Jacob and Irene Grauman, both children of German immigrants who ...

, , - , rowspan="6" , 1971 , ''

'' , Doctor Armstrong , Episode: " They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar / The Last Laurel" (S 1:Ep 6–b) , rowspan="7" , , - , ''

Storefront Lawyers ''Storefront Lawyers'' (also known as ''Men at Law'') is an American legal drama that ran from September 1970 to January 1971 and February 1971 to March 1971 on CBS. The series starred Robert Foxworth, Sheila Larken, David Arkin, and A Mart ...

'' , Kendrick , Episode: " This Money Kills Dreams" (S 1:Ep 22) , - , ''

'' , , Episode: " Love and the Anniversary Crisis / Love and the Conjugal Visit / Love and the Dream Burglar / Love and the Hotel Caper / Love and the Monster" (S 3:Ep 2) , - , ''

Cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

'' , Lewis R. Enders , Episode: " Dead Pigeon" (S 1:Ep 8) , - , ''

The Partners ''The Partners'' is an American sitcom that aired on September 18, 1971, through September 8, 1972, on NBC. Synopsis The program featured Don Adams and Rupert Crosse as bumbling detectives, and John Doucette their exasperated commanding ...

'' , Feeny , Episode: " Have I Got an Apartment for You!" (S 1:Ep 10) , - , ''

'' , Richard Clark , Episode: " Death of a Nobody" (S 4:Ep 13) , - , 1972 , '' Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law'' , Pierce , Episode: " Smiles from Yesterday" (S 1:Ep 21) , - , 1972–73 , ''

'' , Deputy D.A. Chapman , , , - , 1975–78 , ''

'' , rowspan="2" , Dr. Rudy Wells , rowspan="2" , Contract role , rowspan="2" , , - , 1976–78 , ''

'' , - , 1981 , ''

'' , Dr. Arthur Bradshaw , Contract role , , - , 1983-84 , ''

'' , Edgar Randolph , 10 episodes , - , 1985 , '' Benson'' , Mr. Burger , season 7 episode 6 "$1 million an hour" ,

References

Notes

# Credited as Martin Brooks. # Part of the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' series. #

Uncredited In the creative arts and scientific literature, an acknowledgment (British English also acknowledgement
is a ...

. # Episodes were shown out of production order. # Episode was

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. The two types of reruns are those that occur during a hiatus and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word "repe ...

on July 6, 1960.

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* * *
Martin E. Brooks
(Aveleyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Martin E. 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) People from Studio City, Los Angeles Male actors from the Bronx United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers