Michael Tolan (born Seymour Tuchow, November 27, 1925 – January 31, 2011) was an American actor.

Early life and education

The son of Morris Tuchow, Tolan was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Michigan. He graduated from Central High School and

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in Detroit and studied under Stella Adler and at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Career

Tolan's early acting experience came on radio station WXYZ in Detroit, where he was heard on '' The Green Hornet'' and '' The Lone Ranger''. He also worked with the Actors Company. In 1948, he performed in summer stock theater in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. Tolan appeared primarily in stage roles in his early career, with only minor parts in films of the early 1950s. His stage roles include '' Romanoff and Juliet'' and '' Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?'', his Broadway debut. His film credits included '' Fort Worth'' (1951), '' The Savage'' (1952), '' Hiawatha'' (1952), '' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965), '' Hour of the Gun'' (1967), '' The Lost Man'' (1969), '' John and Mary'' (1969), '' The 300 Year Weekend'' (1971), '' Talk to Me'' (1984) and '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990). He acted mostly on television from the mid-1950s on, including an appearance on the 1960 CBS summer series, '' Diagnosis: Unknown'', a role in '' The Doctors and the Nurses'', and a continuing role as Jordan Boyle on "The Senator" segments of the anthology umbrella TV series '' The Bold Ones'' (1970–71). He appeared in a 1967 episode of The Rat Patrol, "The Fifth Wheel Raid", where he is credited as Michael Tolin (versus Tolan). He also appeared in three episodes of Mission: Impossible, entitled "Trial by Fury," "The Play," and "Terror." He had a recurring role on three episodes of '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', as Dan Whitfield, Mary's night-school teacher & boyfriend. He also made guest appearances on such television series as '' The Invaders'', '' The F.B.I.'', '' Mannix'', '' Kojak'', '' Nichols'', '' The Outer Limits'', '' McMillan and Wife'', and '' Law & Order''. His last known television appearance was on an episode of '' Murder, She Wrote'' in 1994. Tolan appeared in the Bob Fosse film '' All That Jazz'' (1979) as lead character Joe Gideon's cardiologist, Dr. Ballinger. Tolan also helped found the American Place Theatre, of which he wrote:

"We wanted to attract some of the writers who wrote fine, intelligent, deep material about American life, and see if we could interest them in writing for the theater".

Personal life

Tolan had two marriages, both of which ended in divorce; at the time of his death, he was partnered with Donna Peck, with whom he lived in Ancram, New York. He had previously married actress Rosemary Forsyth on June 28, 1966. The couple had one child and divorced in 1975.

Death

Tolan died January 31, 2011, at a Hudson, New York, hospital from kidney failure.

Selected filmography

*'' The Enforcer'' (1951) – James (Duke) Malloy *'' Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison'' (1951) – Leo Daly *'' Fort Worth'' (1951) – Mort Springer *'' The People Against O'Hara'' (1951) – Vincent Korvac (uncredited) *'' The Savage'' (1952) – Long Mane *'' Hiawatha'' (1952) – Neyadji *''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' (1953) – Officer to Octavius *'' Second Chance'' (1953) – Antonio (uncredited) *'' The Greatest Story Ever Told'' (1965) – Lazarus *'' Roseanna'' (1967) – Elmer B. Kafka *'' Hour of the Gun'' (1967) – Pete Spence *'' The Rat Patrol'' (1967) – Kabir (Season 2 Episode 13) *'' Journey into Darkness'' (1968) – Craig Miller (episode "Paper Dolls") *'' The Lost Man'' (1969) – Insp. Carl Hamilton *'' John and Mary'' (1969) – James *'' The 300 Year Weekend'' (1971) – Dr. Marshall *'' All That Jazz'' (1979) – Dr. Ballinger *'' Talk to Me'' (1984) – Dr. Ronald Webster *'' Presumed Innocent'' (1990) – Mr. Polhemus *'' Perfect Stranger'' (2007) – Judge

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolan, Michael 1925 births 2011 deaths Male actors from Detroit American male film actors American male television actors Wayne State University alumni Male actors from Los Angeles People from Hudson, New York Stanford University alumni Deaths from kidney failure in New York (state) 20th-century American male actors