Leading Men Michael Callan
Mysterious Island/Herbert Brown
The Interns/ Dr. Alec Considine
Cat Bellou/ Clay Boone
The New Interns/ Dr. Alec Considine
Michael Callan was an American actor. He is probably best known for his role of Riff in West Side Story of which he originated.
He was born Martin Harris Calinieff at Philadelphia, PA in 1935.
As a teenager he sang and danced and was dancing in local night clubs by age 15.
In 1952 he moved to New York whereby he was cast in the plays The Boy Friend (1954) and Catch A Star (1955).. He and his dance partner Grace Genteel appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Chance Of A Lifetime.
He auditioned for Jerome Robbins for the part of Riff in West Side Story in the original Broadway production. He thus was the originator of the role and the production lasted from 1957 through 1959..
Callan was noticed by talent scout Joyce Selznick who represented Columbia Pictures. The studio was looking for youth talent and signed Callan to a seven year contract.
His debut came in a prestige production entitled They Came To Cordura which starred Gary Cooper.
He followed up this with the film The Flying Fontaines for producer Sam Katzman.
Callan was unable to reprise his role as Riff in the film version of West Side Story due to his contract with Columbia Studios. However, he was given the chance to dance in Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) opposite Deborah Walley as Gidget.
The film roles of Michael Callan were:
They Came To Cordura (1959) as Pvt. Andrew Hetherington
The Flying Fontaines (1959) as Rick Rias
Because They're Young (1960) as Griff Rimer
Pepe (1960) as Dancer
Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) as Eddie Horner
Mysterious Island (1961) as Herbert Brown
13 West Street (1962) as Chuck Landry
Bon Voyage! (1962) as Nick O'Mara
The Interns (1962) as Dr. Alec Considine
The Victors (1963) as Eldridge
The New Interns (1964) as Dr. Alec Considine
Cat Ballou (1965) as Clay Boone
You Must Be Joking! (1966) as Lt. Tim Martin
Kiss Me Kate (1968-TV) as Bill Calhoun/ Lucentio
In Name Only (1969) as Steve Braden
The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) as Noah Forbes
Frasier, The Sensuous Lion ( 1973) as Marvin Feldman
The Photographer (1974) as Adrian Wilde
Lepke (1975) as Robert Kane
Record City (1978) as Eddie
Donner Pass: The Road To Survival (1978-TV) as William Eddy
The Cat And The Canary (1978) as Paul Jones
Tom Edison: The Boy Who Lit Up The World (1979) as Mr. Cramer
Blind Ambition (1979-TV Miniseries) as Charles Colson
Scruples (1980-TV Miniseries) as Alan Wilton
Double Exposure (1983) as Adrian Wilde
Chained Heat (1983) as Martin
Last Of The Great Survivors (1984-TV) as Jerry
Young Hearts (1984-TV) as Carl Fettis
My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend Of Errol Flynn (1985-TV) as Hal Wallis
Otherworld (1985- TV Miniseries) as Billy Sunshine
Freeway (1988) as Lt. Boyle
Leprechaun 3 (1995) as Mitch
Drifting School (1995) as Andrew Morgan
Stuck On You (2003) as Fox Prexy
The Still Life (2006) as Resident
Callan both produced and starred in his own film Double Exposure (1983)
He has occasionally returned to the stage in both plays and musicals such as Absurd Person Singular, Killjoy, Love Letters, Hello Muddah Hello Faddah and The Music Man..
Mr. Callan was active on television appearing in such programs as Arrest And Trial, Dr. Kildare, Breaking Point, Hazel, 12 O'clock High, Occasional Wife, The Felony Squad, One Life To Live, Journey To The Unknown, That Girl, In Name Only, The Name Of The Game, Mary Tyler Moore, Ironside, Funny Face, Honeymoon Suite, The FBI, Police Surgeon, The ABC Afternoon Playhouse, Love American Style, Griff, McMillan & Wife, Lucas Tanner, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, Medical Center, Medical Story, SWAT, Ellery Queen, Switch, Quincy ME, Delvecchio, Hunter, The Bionic Woman, The Love Boat, Vegas$, Charlie's Angels, Simon & Simon, Automan, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, Crazy Like A Fox, Hardcastle & McCormick, Knight Rider, Dragnet, Swamp Thing, Superboy, Murder She Wrote and Viper.
Mr. Callan was married and divorced three times from which he has two daughters from the second marriage.
I enjoyed this actor in the films Mysterious Island, The Interns, The New Interns, Cat Ballou, They Came To Cordura, Because They're Young and Gidget Goes Hawaiian.
Louie The Movie Buff