George Cadogan Gardner McKay (June 10, 1932 – November 21, 2001) was an American actor, artist, and author. He is best known for the lead role in the TV series '' Adventures in Paradise'', based loosely on the writings of

James Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and ...

. His character, Adam Troy, is a

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

veteran who purchased the two-masted 82-foot (25 m)

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoo ...

''Tiki III'', and sailed the

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The show ran for three seasons on ABC from 1959–1962, for a total of 91 episodes.

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, McKay was the son of ad executive Hugh Deane McKay (born 1894) and socialite Catherine "Kitty" Gardner McKay (born 1904). He was the great-grandson of shipbuilder

Donald McKay Donald McKay (September 4, 1810 – September 20, 1880) was a Canadian-born American designer and builder of sailing ships, famed for his record-setting clippers. Early life He was born in Jordan Falls, Shelburne County, on Nova Scotia's ...

. The father's business took the family to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, where McKay attended private schools. The family returned to the United States shortly before the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

; McKay and his older brother, Hugh, lived with grandparents in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County. By population, it is the second-largest city in Kentucky and 57th-largest city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 28th-largest ...

. McKay later said that he fell in love with Kentucky and considered it paradise.McKay, Gardner. ''Journey Without a Map''. Shiptree Publication (2013) He attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for two years, where he majored in art. He wrote for ''

The Cornell Daily Sun ''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees. ''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Asso ...

'' and the campus magazine. He dropped out of school at the age of 19 following the death of his father and moved to

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

where he worked as a sculptor and writer. McKay also took up photography and saw some of his work published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''Life'' magazine. McKay's sculpting appeared in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

in New York,Alexander, Shana. "A New Apollo for the Ladies". ''Life Magazine''. July 6, 1959. pp. 90–91. and at an exhibit of his work McKay attracted the attention of photographer

Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...

. Avedon invited McKay to Paris to shoot a series of photographs with model

Suzy Parker Suzy Parker (born Cecilia Ann Renee Parker; October 28, 1932 – May 3, 2003) was an American model and actress active from 1947 until 1970. Her modeling career reached its zenith during the 1950s, when she appeared on the covers of dozens of ma ...

, which led to a modeling career. '' Town and Country'' magazine did a piece on McKay and his sculptures in its Man About Town section, which led to an offer from an agent.

Career

McKay impressed

Dore Schary Isadore "Dore" Schary (August 31, 1905 – July 7, 1980) was an American playwright, director, and producer for the stage and a prolific screenwriter and producer of motion pictures. He directed just one feature film, '' Act One'', the film bi ...

, who signed him to a contract with MGM. For that studio he appeared in episodes of ''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...

'' and appeared in the film '' Raintree County'', with

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

and

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

. The movie was partly filmed in Kentucky. McKay left MGM and had television guest roles on ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', ''

The Silent Service is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kaiji Kawaguchi. It was published in Kodansha's '' Weekly Morning'' manga magazine from 1988 to 1996 and collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series was adapted into an anime tele ...

'', and ''

Jefferson Drum ''Jefferson Drum'', also known as ''The Pen and the Quill'', is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards that aired on the NBC network from April 25 to December 11, 1958. Overview Jefferson Drum, portrayed by Jeff Richards, i ...

''. In 1957–1958, McKay played

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

Lieutenant Dan Kelly in the 38-episode syndicated

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series '' Boots and Saddles'', with co-stars Jack Pickard and

Patrick McVey Patrick McVey (March 17, 1910 – July 6, 1973) was an American actor who starred in three television series between 1950 and 1961: ''Big Town'', '' Boots and Saddles'', and '' Manhunt''. Early life McVey was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Hi ...

. McKay screen-tested at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

for a TV series based on ''

The Gunslinger ''The Gunslinger'' is a dark-fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It is the first volume in the '' Dark Tower'' series. ''The Gunslinger'' was first published in 1982 as a fix-up novel, joining five short stories that had been publis ...

'', but failed to get the role. The test did, however, net him a long-term contract at the studio. George Tobias Julie Newmar Gardner McKay Adventures in Paradise 1960

George Tobias Julie Newmar Gardner McKay Adventures in Paradise 1960

Dominick Dunne Dominick John Dunne (October 29, 1925 – August 26, 2009) was an American writer, investigative journalist, and producer. He began his career in film and television as a producer of the pioneering gay film '' The Boys in the Band'' (1970) and ...

was searching for an actor to star in his planned '' Adventures in Paradise'' when he spotted McKay at the studio coffee shop. Dunne later said, "I didn't know who he was. He was an extraordinarily handsome guy. I said, 'Are you an actor?' I gave him my card and said, 'If you're interested, call me.'" McKay called, and ten actors were tested for the role. Dunne said of McKay: "His (test) was the worst, but everybody reacted to him, I mean everybody – especially the women." Although previously unknown to the public, McKay was featured on the cover of the July 6, 1959 issue of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

'' just two months before the series premiered. The article noted that he had been around boats since childhood and was an experienced seaman. During the series' run, McKay had small roles in several Fox films, including ''

Holiday for Lovers ''Holiday for Lovers'' is a 1959 DeLuxe in CinemaScope comedy film directed by Henry Levin. Based on a 1957 play of the same title by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Clifton Webb, Jane Wyman, Jill St. John and Carol Lynley. Plot Robert Dea ...

'' (1959) and '' The Right Approach'' (1961). McKay returned to Hollywood in 1963, and had a support role in Fox's '' The Pleasure Seekers'' (1964). McKay's final film was the 1968 '' I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew'', written and directed by

Richard L. Bare Richard Leland Bare (August 12, 1913 – March 28, 2015) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter of Hollywood movies, television shows and short films. Career Born in Turlock, California, he attended USC School of Cinematic Arts ...

. "It took me 100 hours to become a good actor," said McKay. "Then I committed professional suicide.""New life for Gardner McKay" By Arthur Unger. ''The Christian Science Monitor'' 10 May 1976: 23. McKay had just decided to end his acting career, when he got a phone call from the noted director

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 ...

, offering him the opportunity to star in a romantic comedy film opposite

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. The film was ''

Something's Got to Give ''Something's Got to Give'' is an unfinished American feature film shot in 1962, directed by George Cukor for 20th Century Fox and starring Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse. A remake of ''My Favorite Wife'' (1940), a screwball comedy ...

''. McKay had made up his mind and turned it down. Cukor and Monroe were shocked. Monroe phoned him to see if she could get him to change his mind. McKay said, "She was so delightful on the phone, so winning, so seductive in a way," but he said no. He added "I didn’t belong in acting."Dunne, Dominic. "The Real McKay". ''Vanity Faire''. January 1999. pp. 106–110 The part went to

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

and the film was never completed. Instead McKay went sailing in the Caribbean and South America for a year and a half. "Not doing anything really," he said later. "I didn't give myself an excuse for being there." He moved to Paris, where he had lived as a boy. McKay left Hollywood to pursue his interest in photography, sculpture, and writing. He exhibited his sculpture at the

in New York City, besides holding individual exhibitions. His lifeboat rescue photographs of the ''

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Rep ...

'' were published internationally. McKay wrote many plays and novels, and was a literary critic for the ''

Los Angeles Herald Examiner The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...

'' between 1977 and 1982. He taught writing classes at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

University of Alaska The University of Alaska System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was created in 1917 and comprises three separately accredited universities on 19 campuses. The system serves nearly 30,000 full- and part-time stu ...

, and the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. He wrote and co-directed a TV film '' Me'' (1973) for Hollywood Television Theatre on PBS. He wrote a script for another TV movie, ''

Sea Marks The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

'' (1976), based on his play. "I'm through with acting," he said in 1976. "I'll never do a series again. I can't. It's a mental mess-up for me. I got all sorts of attention I didn't deserve and I was too sensitive to hear things about myself. People loved me and hated me for absolutely no good reasons." His play ''Toyer'' was produced by the Arena Players Repertory Theater in New York opening November 28, 1993. ''Toyer'' was produced in London at the Arts Theatre in 2009. His play ''Sea Marks'' was produced in New York in 1981 at the Players Theatre; in 2003 at the American Theatre for Actors (Off-Off Broadway), directed by Allen Fitzpatrick and produced by Jonah Productions; and again in 2014, produced Off-Broadway at the Irish Repertory Theatre. A verse by McKay became the lyrics for the song "Black Bean Soup" sung by the actor and singer

David Soul David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943) is an American-British actor and singer. He is known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series ''Starsky & Hutch'' from 1975 to 1979; Joshua Bolt on ' ...

. It was the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the hit single "Don't Give Up on Us". Soul sang it as a duet with actress

Lynne Marta Lynne may refer to: *Lynne (surname) *Lynne (given name) *Lynne, Florida Lynne is an unincorporated community in Marion County, in the U.S. state of Florida. It is located along Florida State Road 40 in the western edges of Ocala National Forest. ...

. It has sold 1.16 million copies in the UK. It is also part of the soundtrack on two episodes of the TV series, ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...

'' .

Personal life

Gardner bought a wooded property in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

and kept a

menagerie A menagerie is a collection of captive animals, frequently exotic, kept for display; or the place where such a collection is kept, a precursor to the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in 17th-century France, in reference to the m ...

of animals including lions, cheetahs, dogs, and a monkey which he brought back from his sojourn to South America.

Awards

McKay's awards included three

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

fellowships for playwriting, the Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and Sidney Carrington Prize. He was a winner in Canadian Regional Drama Festival, and runner-up in the

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fi ...

Short Story Contest.

Final years and death

McKay settled in Hawaii, where he died from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

in 2001 at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife Madeleine Madigan, a painter, and two children. Gardner is buried in Kentucky.

In popular culture

Gardner is mentioned in the 1983 song, "We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About", by

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

that appeared on his ''

One Particular Harbour ''One Particular Harbour'' is the twelfth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released in September 1983 as MCA 5447 and was produced by Buffett and Michael Utley. It was Buffett's first involvement p ...

'' album.

Written works

Plays

*''Sea Marks'' (1972) *''Masters of the Sea'' (1991) *''This Fortunate Island'' *''Toyer'' (1993) *''In Order of Appearance'' (2003) *''Untold Damage''

Novels

*''Toyer'' (1999) *''The Kinsman'' (2011) *''Trompe L'Oeil'' (2015) *''Ten, Bloomsbury Square'' (2015)

Memoir

*''Journey Without a Map'' (2013)

Short stories

*''Stories on the Wind: An Anthology of Short Stories'' (2017) *''Stories on the Wind: Volume 2: An Anthology of Short Stories.''McKay, Gardner. ''Stories on the Wind: Volume 2: An Anthology of Short Stories''. Shiptree Publications (2018).

References

External links

*
Francois Liot's fan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Gardner 1932 births 2001 deaths American people of Scottish descent Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors American dramatists and playwrights American short story writers 20th-century American photographers Deaths from cancer in Hawaii Deaths from prostate cancer Cornell University alumni University of California, Los Angeles staff Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Hawaii Artists from Los Angeles American male short story writers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers Western (genre) television actors