Biography
Martin Kingsley was a successful supporting actor in stage, radio, television, and film from 1947 to 1957. Born Martin Kornhauser on December 14, 1925, at Jewish Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, he was the eldest son of Harry A. Kornhauser, originally from Hungary, and Sadye R. Weiss Kornhauser. Raised in Brooklyn, Martin had a sister, Edna, about six years younger. He joined the U.S. Army around early 1944, serving at Third Army Headquarters in France. Toward the end of the war, while still on active duty, Martin took on an acting role as the gangster Trock in the overseas G.I. production of 'Winterset,' directed by Broadway’s Guthrie McClintic, who later gave Martin his first professional acting job after his military discharge.
Martin’s professional career began on Broadway in 1947 with Antony and Cleopatra, directed by McClintic, where he played Dercetas and later Menas alongside Katharine Cornell. He followed this with the role of Kurtz in Red Gloves (1948) starring Charles Boyer. Over the next seven years, Martin appeared in more than 200 live New York television productions, including episodes of Suspense, Police Story, Robert Montgomery Presents, Cosmopolitan Theater, Colgate Theater, Philco Studio One, Campbell Soundstage, and Broadway Television Theater, where he starred as Erwin Trowbridge in "Three Men on a Horse" (1952). He also starred as Captain John Howard in the weekly radio drama "Sentenced," broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting network.
During this period, Martin toured with summer and winter stock productions, performing alongside notable actors such as José Ferrer, Mary Anderson, Brian Aherne, Peggy Ann Garner, Paula Laurence, Buff Cobb, Buster Keaton, Signe Hasso, Shelley Winters, Sam Levene, Sylvia Sidney, Diana Barrymore, Ann Thomas, Orson Bean, Vincent Price, Maureen Stapleton, and Ruth Hussey. In 1953, Martin earned second billing in his first known TV film, No Room (1953), featuring James Dean. In 1956, he returned to Hollywood for supporting roles in Gunslinger (1956) with John Ireland and The Oklahoma Woman (1956) with Richard Denning, Mike Connors, and Peggie Castle. He also appeared in two television episodes: 20-20 (1956) with James Arness and Dennis Weaver, and Press Photographer (1956).
In February 1956, while working in Hollywood, Martin’s father in Brooklyn faced serious health issues and underwent two major surgeries. As a result, Martin returned to Brooklyn to manage the family business, "Edmark Gowns - Makers of Kornhauser Originals," a successful nationwide high-end fashion line founded by his father. On April 15, 1956, Martin wrote to his wife, Polly, expressing that his parents were prouder of his recent business efforts than any of his previous achievements, noting the challenges he faced in taking over the company compared to his acting career. Consequently, Martin gave up acting and spent the next sixteen years traveling across the country from his homes in New York and New Jersey, selling Edmark Gowns.
In the mid-1970s, Martin sold or closed Edmark Gowns, sold the Montclair, NJ home he shared with his wife Polly and their daughter Claudia, and moved to Claremont, CA, about 35 miles east of Hollywood. At that time, he was separated from Polly and living alone. From Claremont, Martin reportedly sought roles and production opportunities in film and television while working part-time in various sales jobs. As of August 11, 2010, no information is available about Martin’s TV and film career after 1956. Eventually losing his industry connections, Martin’s health declined, and he passed away on September 30, 1997, in Montclair, near Claremont, CA, at the age of 71.
