Allan Melvin
| Allan Melvin | |
|---|---|
Allan Melvin promotional photo
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| Born |
February 18, 1923 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 2008 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Occupation | Actor, Voice actor, Impressionist |
| Years active | 1951–1994 |
| Spouse(s) | Amalia Faustina Sestero (1944–2008) (his death) (2 children) |
| Children | Jennifer, Mya |
Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American character actor who appeared in several television shows including the recurring roles of Corporal Henshaw on The Phil Silvers Show; Sergeant Hacker on Gomer Pyle, USMC; Alice’s boyfriend Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch; and Archie Bunker’s friend Barney Hefner on All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Richard and Marie Melvin and raised in New York City by his paternal grandparents, Frank and Helen (née Campbell) Melvin. He attended Columbia University. After graduation, he served in the United States Navy during World War II and married his wife, Amalia Faustina Sestero, in March 1944 in New York City.
While working at a job in the sound effects department of NBC Radio, he did a nightclub act and appeared and won on the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts radio show. While appearing on Broadway in Stalag 17, he got his break into television by getting the role of Corporal Steve Henshaw on the popular The Phil Silvers Show program. TV fans of this era usually best remember his role as Henshaw, Sergeant Bilko’s right-hand man on that show. “He was proudest of that show,” Amalia Melvin said. “I think the camaraderie of all those guys made it such a pleasant way to work. They were so relaxed.”
During this period, in addition to his role on The Phil Silvers Show, Melvin was often cast in slightly loud, occasionally abrasive, but generally friendly second banana roles. Melvin was also adept at “tough guy” roles; in an example of his range as an actor, one episode of Sergeant Bilko featured Melvin doing a recognizable impersonation of Humphrey Bogart.
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