Film and stage actor Keith Andes died at his home in Santa Clarita, a community northeast of Los Angeles, on November 11. The Los Angeles County coroner's office ruled the death a suicide by asphyxiation. Andes had been suffering from bladder cancer and other ailments. He was 85.
Born John Charles Andes on July 12, 1920, in Ocean City, New Jersey, Andes was brought to Hollywood by 20th Century-Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck. The mogul had seen him perform as an understudy in the Broadway production of the homefront melodrama Winged Victory.
Besides appearing in a small part in the 1944 film version directed by George Cukor, Andes had mostly supporting roles in about 20 other films, including The Farmer's Daughter (1947), as one of Loretta Young's handsome brothers; Clash by Night (1952), opposite Marilyn Monroe (right); the musical Western The Second Greatest Sex (1955), starring Jeanne Crain; Joseph Pevney's war drama Away All Boats (1956), starring Jeff Chandler; and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), in which Andes played Gen. George C. Marshall.
On stage, Andes won the 1947 outstanding breakout performance Theater World Award for his work in The Chocolate Soldier, and later replaced leading man Alfred Drake in the original production of Kiss Me Kate. He also starred with Lucille Ball in the 1960 Broadway musical Wildcat.
On television, Andes played an amateur sleuth in the 1963 series Glynis, with Glynis Johns as his wife, and had guest roles in shows such as Perry Mason and The Lucy Show.
One of his sons, Mark Andes, was an original member of the rock group Canned Heat and Spirit.
Keith Andes was the most powerful and unlucky actor of the tweneith century, discovered more times than "Atlantis", because critics, fans and newcomers to cinema would see some work of his and wonder why he was not twice as famous attractive mediocrities put up as "stars". He was deeply trained in voice, singing, acting, and classical technique, and achieved major successes in film roles, television roles,on stage on Broadway and in road-company theatrical leads. I believe his work will be rediscovered for centuries. His greatest roles were on stage in "Man of La Mancha", "The Chocolate Soldier", "Wildcat" and "Kiss Me. Kate". On tv,, his finest parts were in Bloomer Girl", "High Button Shoes", "Star Trek", "This Man Daw-son", "Buck Rogers", and "Perry Mason". Hbest films "Damn Citizen", "Split Second", "Back From Eternity", "The Girl Most Likely", "Model For Murder" & "A Life in the Balance".