Scott McKay (born Carl Gose, May 28, 1915 – March 16, 1987) was an American film, television and theatre actor.

Life and career

McKay was born in Pleasantville, Iowa as Carl Gose. He attended the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

, specializing in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

. He first worked in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

as a

straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...

for a magician. McKay also was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...

of English literature. He then performed in Broadway plays in 1939, first appearing in ''

The American Way The American way of life or the American way refers to the American nationalist ethos that adheres to the principle of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At the center of the American way is the belief in an American Dream that is claim ...

'', being credited as the ensemble. Later in his career, McKay appeared in numerous Broadway plays. He played Captain Fisby in '' The Teahouse of the August Moon'' replacing

John Forsythe John Forsythe (January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety s ...

. McKay also played David Larabee in '' Sabrina Fair''. He played Jeff Douglas in ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a ...

'' (1967). His final theatre credit was as Ronald in '' Absurd Person Singular'' (1974). McKay began his film and television career in 1944, playing Dr. Dan Proctor in the film '' Guest in the House''. He then starred in the film ''

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, ...

'' as Captain David M. Jones. McKay played Private Jimmy Earhart in the 1945 film '' Kiss and Tell''. He also played Sid in the 1946 film '' Duel in the Sun''. In 1954, McKay starred with actress

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in '' Come to ...

in the new CBS

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series ''

Honestly, Celeste! ''Honestly, Celeste!'' is an American television situation comedy that was broadcast on CBS from October 10, 1954, to December 5, 1954. It starred Celeste Holm in her first regular TV series. Premise, cast and characters Celeste Anders left her ...

'' as Bob Wallace and Holm played Celeste Anders. He played Mr. Gilling in the 1979 film '' The Bell Jar''. His final credit was from the 1980 film ''

Christmas Evil ''Christmas Evil'' (originally titled ''You Better Watch Out'', and also known as ''Terror in Toyland'') is a 1980 American slasher film written and directed by Lewis Jackson and starring Brandon Maggart. The plot follows a deranged man obsess ...

'', in which McKay played Mr. Fletcher.

Death

McKay died in March 1987 of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

at the Cabrini Medical Center in New York, at the age of 71.

References

External links

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Rotten Tomatoes profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Scott 1915 births 1987 deaths People from Iowa Male actors from Iowa American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors University of Colorado alumni