1970's character man Walter McGinn (seen here with Warren Beatty in Alan J. Pakula's THE PARALLAX VIEW) was born on July 6th, 1936 in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Emmy Nominated actor, who was acclaimed for his work on stage (THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON, STICKS AND BONES), film (THE PARALLAX VIEW, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, FAREWELL, MY LOVELY) and TV (Louis Howe in ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS, F. Lee Bailey in GUILTY OR INNOCENT: THE SAM SHEPPARD MURDER CASE, J. Miller Leavy in KILL ME IF YOU CAN), was killed in an auto accident on March 31st, 1977, when, in an attempt to avoid an obstacle, had his car swerve off the road and plunge down an embankment, crashing into a parked truck.
McGinn was only 40.
At the time of his death, McGinn had worked 3 days on the 1977 Robert Aldrich version of Joseph Wambaugh's THE CHOIRBOYS.
Charles HILL STREET BLUES Haid replaced McGinn.
McGinn replaced Martin Sheen in the Pulitzer Prize & Tony Award Winning Best Play THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES, playing opposite Maureen O'Sullivan and Chester Morris, in his first of 5 appearances on Broadway
A gradate of Boston University's School of Fine Arts,
McGinn went on to win a Drama Desk Award for playing reunion member Tom Daley in another Pulitizer Prize & Tony Award Winning Best Play, Jason Miller's THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON.
McGinn's other Broadway roles include The Sgt. Major in, yes, another Tony Award-Winning Best Play, David Rabe's STICKS AND BONES, Willie Oban in the 1973 revival of Eugene O'Neill's THE ICEMAN COMETH starring James Earl Jones and Caleb Trask in the huge Great White Way disaster HERE'S WHERE I BELONG, an ill-advised musical version of John Steinbeck's EAST OF EDEN.
His other Off-Broadway and regional theater credits included:
THE FANTASTICKS, THE BED, SUBJECT TO FITS, HENRY V, SPITTING IMAGE, WILLIE DOESN'T LEAVE HERE ANYMORE and A WINTER'S TALE.
McGinn in THE BED
He made his film debut in 1974's THE PARALLAX VIEW starring Warren Beatty, as assassin recruiter Jack Younger
McGinn in bed, again
He played a small, but pivotal role, in his first film for director Sydney Pollack--
Robert Redford's doomed old pal Sam Barber in THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR
McGinn also appeared in possibly Pollack's worst film:
the deadly dull BOBBY DEERFIELD with Al Pacino, as
The Brother
McGinn was excellent as washed up bandleader Tommy Ray in
1975's FAREWELL, MY LOVELY starring Robert Mitchum as Raymond Chandler's P.I. Philip Marlowe
McGinn scored big on TV, snaring a Posthumous Emmy Nomination as FDR confidant Louis Howe in ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS.
He was also memorable as 3 lawyers, 2 real and 1 fictional:
D.A. Horace Meade, charging hockey player Micheal Moriarty with manslaughter in 1977's THE DEADLIEST SEASON and both
celebrated attorney F. Lee Bailey in 1975's GUILTY OR INNOCENT: THE SAM SHEPPARD MURDER CASE and his last role, ''Red Light Bandit'' prosecutor J. Miller Leavy, in 1977's KILL ME IF YOU CAN starring Alan Alda as Death Row's Caryl Chessman.
McGinn had a starring role in the 1975 tele-film DELANCEY STREET: THE CRISIS WITHIN and played 2 other important roles on TV that year: Mercury Theater actor Paul Stewart in THE NIGHT THAT PANICKED AMERICA, a re-telling of the evening that Orson Welles radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells caused supposed mass hysteria in parts of the U.S.A. and Little Giant Stephen Douglas, opposite Hal Holbrook, in the staggered 1974-76 mini-series of SANDBURG'S LINCOLN.
With John DARK SHADOWS Karlen on DELANCEY STREET
His TV guest spots include HARRY-O, N.Y.P.D., SERPICO, MEDICAL CENTER and KOJAK.
With Telly Savales on KOJAK
Did you know....?
McGinn served in the U.S. Army.
At the time of his death, McGinn was married to stage actress Robyn Goodman, now a Tony Award Winning Broadway producer (AVENUE Q, IN THE HEIGHTS, AMERICAN IDIOT, WEST SIDE STORY, RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA).
McGinn at work:
ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN: THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS
THE PARALLAX VIEW Trailer
DELANCEY STREET: THE CRISIS WITHIN
KILL ME IF YOU CAN
SANDBURG'S LINCOLN
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