KEENAN WYNN

'Keenan Wynn' (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor and member of a well-known show-business family. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade as an actor.
He was born in New York, New York as 'Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn', the son of Jewish American vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn, and his Irish-American Catholic wife, the former Hilda Keenan, but took his stage name from his maternal grandfather, Frank Keenan, one of the first Broadway actors to star in Hollywood.
Keenan Wynn became an actor after Ed Wynn's encouragement, and the two appeared together in the original television production of Rod Serling's ''Requiem for a Heavyweight'' (1956) as well as a subsequent television drama detailing the problems they'd experienced together while working on that show called ''The Man in the Funny Suit'' (1960); the Wynns, Serling, and much of the rest of the cast and crew played themselves.
Keenan Wynn appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows between 1934 and 1986. Early notable Wynn performances can be seen in ''See Here Private Hargrove'' (1944), ''Under the Clock'' (1945), ''Week-End at the Waldorf'' (45), ''The Hucksters'' (1947) and ''Annie Get Your Gun'' (1950). He had a featured role in ''Kiss Me, Kate'' (1953) and ''The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit'' (1956). Promoter Jerry Marks in Frank Capra's ''A Hole In The Head'' (1959). His best-known part was as the U.S. Army Colonel "Bat" Guano in ''Dr. Strangelove'' (1964), the same year he starred in the Jerry Lewis comedy, The Patsy. He appeared as the villainous Alonzo P. Hawk in the "flubber" movies, ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961) and ''Son of Flubber'' (1963), in which his father appeared as well. Wynn took a dramatic turn as the tough as nails Yost in ''Point Blank'' (1967) with Lee Marvin. He played Hezakiah in the 1965 movie, The Great Race. He was the voice of the Winter Warlock in the holiday classic ''Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town''. He appeared with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent in ''The Mechanic''. He also appeared in other Disney films, including ''Herbie Rides Again'' (1974) (curiously, as Alonzo ''A''. Hawk, although the character is virtually identical to the ''Flubber'' versions) and ''The Shaggy D.A.'' (1974). He had an uncredited role in ''Touch of Evil''. He also appeared in such films as ''Finian's Rainbow'', ''Laserblast'', Joe Dante's ''Piranha'', Robert Altman's ''Nashville'', Dino De Laurentiis' ''Orca'', and the cult favorite ''. He was a regular on ''Dallas'' from 1979-1980, playing the part of "Digger Barnes".
In later years, Wynn took time to support various philanthropic groups. He was an active member of the Westwood Sertoma service club, in West Los Angeles, for many years until his death from cancer at the age of 70.
One son, actor and writer Ned Wynn (born 'Edmond Keenan Wynn') wrote the autobiographical memoir ''We Will Always Live In Beverly Hills''. His other son, Tracy Keenan Wynn is a screen writer, whose credits include ''The Longest Yard'' and ''The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman''.
He was uncle by marriage to the Hudson Brothers and his daughter Hilda is recently divorced from actor/singer/songwriter Paul Williams.

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★ Find-A-Grave profile for Keenan Wynn