Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 – September 9, 2014) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on '' Wagon Train'', his guest-starring appearances on '' Gilligan's Island'' and '' Charlie's Angels'', and his 1959

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

role as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

Background

A native of

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. According to the Mo ...

, the 6'4' Miller was a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the UCLA Bruins at UCLA, where his father was a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

instructor. In his senior year, while he was working as a furniture mover to pay for school, Miller was discovered on Sunset Boulevard by a Hollywood agent who signed him with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. His screen test was directed by

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor (; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO when David O. Selznick, the studio's Head ...

Acting career

Miller became the first blond Tarzan in '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1959), a cheapie/quickie which lifted most of its footage from earlier Johnny Weissmuller movies. Miller had been recommended by someone else considered for the role, William Smith, later a star of the NBC '' Laredo'' western series. MGM had Miller under contract for twenty months; in that time, he worked only eight weeks as Tarzan. Miller did guest spots on a number of television series, such as ''

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the ...

'' and '' Overland Trail''. In 1960, the 26-year-old Miller appeared as Wilkie, the son of a powerful rancher, in the "License to Kill" episode of '' Laramie''. He also appeared on '' Have Gun, Will Travel'' and an episode of ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...

'' as a dimwitted gunfighter named Reuben Miles. Wagon Train cast 1962

From 1961 to 1964, Miller was a regular on ''Wagon Train'' in the role of the scout, Duke Shannon. After the cancellation of ''Wagon Train'' in 1965, Miller starred as Mike McCluskey on the NBC sitcom ''

Mona McCluskey Mona McCluskey (also known as ''Meet Mona McCluskey'') is an American sitcom that aired on NBC as part of its 1965-66 schedule. The series stars Juliet Prowse in the title role, and aired from September 16, 1965 to April 14, 1966. Synopsis Prowse ...

''. He guest starred on such series as '' Gunsmoke'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The High Chaparral'', '' Gilligan's Island'', '' I Dream of Jeannie'', '' The Brady Bunch'', ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', '' Death Valley Days'', '' Hawaii Five-O'', '' Emergency!'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin ...

'', ''

Quincy M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County medi ...

'', '' The New Adventures of Wonder Woman'', '' Battlestar Galactica'', '' Quark'', '' Charlie's Angels'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. T ...

'', and '' V''. Miller appeared in over 200 television series and, for 14 years, he played the Gorton's Fisherman in TV commercials. His film career included roles in ''

Love in a Goldfish Bowl ''Love in a Goldfish Bowl'' is a 1961 teen film directed by Jack Sher starring singing idols Tommy Sands and Fabian. Plot Gordon Slide and Blythe Holloway are two platonic best friends at a college, both from single-parent families. They are so ...

'' (1961), and the part of "Wyoming" Bill Kelso in '' The Party'' (1968), which he remembered as the part he most enjoyed. His other film credits included '' Making It'' (1971), '' Doomsday Machine'' (1972), '' Buck and the Preacher'' (1972), '' The Gravy Train'' (1974), '' The Island at the Top of the World'' (1974), ''

The Norseman ''The Norseman'' is a 1978 American adventure film starring Lee Majors, directed, produced and written by Charles B. Pierce. Plot An 11th-century Viking prince sails to North America to find his father, who on a previous voyage had been captured ...

'' (1978), '' Caboblanco'' (1980) and ''

Circle of Power ''Circle of Power'', also known as ''Mystique'', ''Brainwash'' and ''The Naked Weekend'', is a 1981 film, co-produced by Gary Mehlman, Anthony Quinn and Jeffrey White, and based on the non-fiction book '' The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled''. It ...

'' (1981).

Books

Miller wrote an autobiography titled ''Didn't You Used to Be...What's His Name?'' (January 28, 2004), To Health with You Publishers; ISBN 9780975391709 (ISBN10: 0975391704) and a book about

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

in the United States called ''Toxic Waist? ... Get to Know Sweat!'' (2006), To Health With You Publishers (ISBN 0975391712, ISBN 9780975391716).

Family

Miller lived with his second wife Nancy in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

, Nevada and taught classes in relaxation.

Death

Miller was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in January 2014. He died in Las Vegas on September 9, 2014 at the age of 80.

Filmography

Notes

External links

*
Entry for Denny Miller
a
Brian's Drive-In Theater

Official Denny Miller Website

Erbzine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Denny 1934 births 2014 deaths People from Bloomington, Indiana Male actors from Indiana American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Los Angeles People from the Las Vegas Valley University of California, Los Angeles alumni UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Writers from Indiana Neurological disease deaths in Nevada Deaths from motor neuron disease American autobiographers American non-fiction writers Western (genre) television actors American men's basketball players 20th-century American male actors