John McLiam
Actor
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John McLiam (born John Williams; January 24, 1918 – April 16, 1994) was a Canadian actor noted for his skill at different accents. His film appearances include My Fair Lady (1964), In Cold Blood (1967), John Frankenheimer's movie of The Iceman Cometh (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976), and First Blood (1982). He was a guest star in numerous television series and wrote a Broadway play, The Sin of Pat Muldoon.
Early life
He attended St. Mary's College of California (Moraga, California). During World War II he served in the United States Navy as an intelligence officer, having received a Bronze Star. After the war he worked briefly as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner.
He took McLiam, the Gaelic form of his real surname Williams, as a stage name.
Acting career
His acting career began in Maxwell Anderson's Winterset in San Francisco in 1946. After a few roles in plays in California he moved to New York. His first Broadway role was as a guard in Maxwell Anderson's Barefoot in Athens in 1951. His other stage roles include Shaw's Saint Joan, and Tiger at the Gates, Christopher Fry's version of a Jean Giraudoux play, which ran 1959–60 on Broadway. He appeared in the original Broadway cast of One More River (1960).
He moved to California in 1960 to work in film and television. His film roles included a cockney ne'er-do-well in My Fair Lady (1964), Boss Kean in Cool Hand Luke (1967), In Cold Blood (1967) as murder victim Herbert Clutter, John acted as the pilot/flight instructor for Aunt Bee in Season 8 of The Andy Griffith Show, "Aunt Bee's Big Moment" Halls of Anger (1970), Woody Allen's Sleeper (1973), rancher David Braxton in The Missouri Breaks (1976), and Orval in First Blood (1982). He played Jimmy Tomorrow in John Frankenheimer's American Film Theater movie of The Iceman Cometh (1973), alongside Fredric March, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Jeff Bridges.
Personal life
McLiam and his wife Roberta had a daughter, Claire. He died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California in 1994 from melanoma and Parkinson's disease. McLiam was interred at the Santa Barbara Cemetery at Santa Barbara, California. CLR
Filmography
Cool Hand Luke
as Boss Keen 1967
My Fair Lady
as Harry (uncredited) 1964
Sleeper
as Dr. Agon 1973
In Cold Blood
as Herbert Clutter 1967
The Missouri Breaks
as David Braxton 1976
Big Jake
as Army Officer (uncredited) 1971
Bite the Bullet
as Gebhardt 1975
The Food of the Gods
as Mr. Skinner 1976
Madigan
as Dunne (uncredited) 1968
Monte Walsh
as Fightin' Joe Hooker 1970
The Reivers
as Van Tosch 1969
The Culpepper Cattle Co.
as Thorton Pierce 1972
The Iceman Cometh
as Jimmy Tomorrow 1973
Showdown
as F.J. Wilson 1973
The Return of the Incredible Hulk
as Michael 1977
Split Decisions
as Pop McGuinn 1988