Oscar-nominated actor Kevin McCarthy (February 15, 1914 in Seattle, Washington, USA) known for his roles in Death of a Salesman and Invasion of the Body Snatchers died Saturday (September 11, 2010) in Hyannis, Mass., according to the New York Times.He was 96 years old, and no cause of death was immediately reported although it was reported he passed away in the hospital.
(Image of Kevin McCarthy in October of 2002 with Corinne Sidney – DC Media – All Rights Reserved)
McCarthy first portrayed Biff in the 1949 London stage version of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman before scoring an Oscar nod and Golden Globe win for doing the role in the 1951 film version.
His most remembered part as an actor was as Miles Bennell, a doctor in cult sci-fi flick Invasion of the Body Snatchers who tries to escape the movie’s infamous “podification” alongside a divorcée played by Dana Wynter.
The film had a humble, low-budget B movie beginning, but went on to be selected for the National Film Registry in 1994, and the American Film Institute named it one of the Top 10 science fiction films of all time in 2008.
The Body Snatcher film was so popular it was remade two different times. The first remake was 1978, starring Donald Sutherland, and it was remade again in 2007 starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig as The Invasion.
He was also famous for another reason. McCarthy co-starred in Marilyn Monroe’s last film ever, playing her estranged husband in the 1961 classic The Misfits.
The actor is survived by his second wife, Kate Crane, who he had two children with. He had three other children with first wife, Augusta Dabney.
