# Kevin McCarthy (actor)
**Kevin McCarthy** (February 15, 1914 – September 11, 2010) was an American stage, film, and television actor whose career ran more than 70 years, best known for starring as Dr. Miles Bennell in the 1956 science-fiction film *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* and for playing Biff Loman in *Death of a Salesman* on stage in London and on screen, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) • [2](https://playbill.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-tireless-actor-of-stage-and-film-dies-at-96-com-171691)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | February 15, 1914, Seattle, Washington; September 11, 2010, Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis, Massachusetts, aged 96[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) |
| Signature role | Dr. Miles Bennell in *Invasion of the Body Snatchers* (1956), directed by Don Siegel[2](https://playbill.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-tireless-actor-of-stage-and-film-dies-at-96-com-171691) |
| Awards | Academy Award nomination, best supporting actor, and Golden Globe as most promising male newcomer, both for *Death of a Salesman* (1951)[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) |
| Career span | More than 70 years, over 200 film and TV credits, from a 1938 Broadway debut to work at age 93[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002994/fullcredits) |
| Family | Brother of the writer Mary McCarthy; married Augusta Dabney (1941, divorced 1961) and Kate Crane (1979); five children[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) |
| Stage work | Broadway debut in *Abe Lincoln in Illinois* (1938); later roles included *Winged Victory*, *Anna Christie*, *The Three Sisters*, and *Cactus Flower*[7](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20100913_Kevin_McCarthy__96___Body_Snatchers__actor.html) • [8](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/golden-globe-winner-kevin-mccarthy-dies-96/) |
## Early life and training
McCarthy was born in Seattle, the son of Roy Winfield McCarthy, a lawyer, and Martha Therese Preston McCarthy.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) He and his siblings, including his sister Mary, who became a celebrated novelist and critic, were orphaned when their parents died in the 1918 influenza epidemic, and they were raised by relatives.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary)
He attended the School of Foreign Service at [Georgetown University](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgetown-university) in 1933–34 with ambitions to be a diplomat, then the [University of Minnesota](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-minnesota) in 1936–38, where he first acted.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kevin-mccarthy-actor-best-known-for-his-role-in-the-cold-war-sciencefiction-thriller-lsquo-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-rsquo-2079262.html) His Broadway debut came in 1938 with a small role in Robert E. Sherwood's *Abe Lincoln in Illinois*.[7](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20100913_Kevin_McCarthy__96___Body_Snatchers__actor.html) During World War II he served with the military police and appeared in Moss Hart's Army-produced Broadway morale play *Winged Victory* (1943), repeating his role in [George Cukor](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-cukor)'s 1944 film version.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary) • [1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) He became an early member of the Actors Studio, in the first class run by Robert Lewis alongside Montgomery Clift, Patricia Neal, Karl Malden, and Eli Wallach.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002994/fullcredits)
## Death of a Salesman
[Elia Kazan](https://www.edgepedia.org/elia-kazan) chose McCarthy to play Biff, Willy Loman's disillusioned son, in the London production of [Arthur Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/arthur-miller)'s *Death of a Salesman* in 1949, opposite [Paul Muni](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-muni)'s Willy at the Phoenix Theatre.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) • [1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) He reprised the role in the 1951 film version opposite Fredric March, and all three lead actors received Oscar nominations; McCarthy's was for best supporting actor, and he also won a Golden Globe as most promising male newcomer.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary) • [1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html)
## Invasion of the Body Snatchers
In [Don Siegel](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-siegel)'s low-budget 1956 thriller *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*, McCarthy played Dr. Miles Bennell, the small-town doctor who discovers that alien "pod people" are replacing his neighbors while they sleep.[2](https://playbill.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-tireless-actor-of-stage-and-film-dies-at-96-com-171691) • [10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/) The film was not initially a hit but became one of the science-fiction genre's most acclaimed films, and its final image, McCarthy's Bennell screaming "You're next!" at passing traffic, became one of the most famous in the genre.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/)
Over the years the film was widely read as a metaphor for anti-communist paranoia, and some accounts suggested McCarthy was cast because his surname echoed Senator Joseph McCarthy. The actor rejected political readings: "There was no assignment of political points of view when we were making the film," he told the *Bangor Daily News* in 1997.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/) He returned to the material in the opening minutes of the 1978 remake starring [Donald Sutherland](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-sutherland), in a cameo that effectively continued his original character's warning.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) In 1999 he co-edited the tribute book *"They're Here" . . . "Invasion of the Body Snatchers": A Tribute*.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/)
## Film and television career
McCarthy never became a star but worked steadily for decades, often as a leading man in B movies and a character player in larger productions.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_mccarthy) His roughly 50 films included *[The Misfits](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-misfits-1961-film)* (1961), in which he played [Marilyn Monroe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marilyn-monroe)'s estranged husband; he had first turned the small part down and accepted, he recalled, at $100 a word for what turned out to be 29 words.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) Other credits included *The Best Man* (1964) as a scheming campaign manager, *Kansas City Bomber* (1972), *Piranha* (1978), *The Howling* (1981), *Twilight Zone: The Movie* (1983), *Buffalo Bill and the Indians* (1976), *Innerspace* (1987), and *UHF* (1989), the last two for directors [Joe Dante](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-dante) and "Weird Al" Yankovic respectively.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) • [3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/)
On television he was a fixture from the medium's golden age onward, with series regular roles as Claude Weldon in *Flamingo Road* (NBC, 1981–82), Zack Cartwright in *Amanda's* (ABC, 1983), George Hayward in *Bay City Blues* (1983), and Lucas Carter in *The Colbys* (1986–87).[12](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/kevin-mccarthy-veteran-actor-known-features-and-decades-television) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) One of his best-remembered guest roles was in a 1960 episode of *The Twilight Zone*, "Long Live Walter Jameson," as a man cursed with immortality.[13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/TV-Stars-The-Complete-Directory-to-Prime-Time-1964-Present-B--221117.pdf) He also appeared in more than two dozen episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/)
## Later work
From 1978 McCarthy toured in the one-man show *Give 'em Hell, Harry*, playing Harry Truman in 350 venues over the years.[3](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/) His Broadway career spanned six decades, from *Abe Lincoln in Illinois* to *Alone Together* at the Music Box Theatre in 1984, and he won an Obie Award in 1975 for *Harry Outside*.[8](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/golden-globe-winner-kevin-mccarthy-dies-96/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914) He worked into his nineties, filming *The Ghastly Love of Johnny X* at age 93; the film was released in 2011, after his death.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002994/fullcredits)
McCarthy died on September 11, 2010, at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The *Washington Post* reported the cause as pneumonia, while other obituaries reported natural causes.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/) • [2](https://playbill.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-tireless-actor-of-stage-and-film-dies-at-96-com-171691) He was survived by his second wife, Kate Crane, five children, a stepdaughter, and three grandchildren.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/)
## References
1. [Kevin McCarthy dies at 96; prolific actor best known for 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-kevin-mccarthy-20100913-story.html)
2. [Kevin McCarthy, Tireless Actor of Stage and Film, Dies at 96, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-tireless-actor-of-stage-and-film-dies-at-96-com-171691)
3. ["Body Snatchers" Star Kevin McCarthy Dies at 96, CBS News / Associated Press](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/body-snatchers-star-kevin-mccarthy-dies-at-96/)
4. [Kevin McCarthy obituary, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/14/kevin-mccarthy-obituary)
5. [Kevin McCarthy filmography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002994/fullcredits)
6. [McCarthy, Kevin 1914–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/mccarthy-kevin-1914)
7. [Kevin McCarthy, 96, 'Body Snatchers' actor, The Philadelphia Inquirer](https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20100913_Kevin_McCarthy__96___Body_Snatchers__actor.html)
8. [Golden Globe Winner Kevin McCarthy Dies at 96, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/golden-globe-winner-kevin-mccarthy-dies-96/)
9. [Kevin McCarthy obituary, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kevin-mccarthy-actor-best-known-for-his-role-in-the-cold-war-sciencefiction-thriller-lsquo-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-rsquo-2079262.html)
10. [Critically acclaimed screen and stage actor, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2010/09/13/critically-acclaimed-screen-and-stage-actor/06726f1b-4f41-491d-9d26-74202a3c7412/)
11. [Kevin McCarthy, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_mccarthy)
12. [Kevin McCarthy, Veteran Actor Known for Features and Decades of Television, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/news/kevin-mccarthy-veteran-actor-known-features-and-decades-television)
13. [The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Stars, worldradiohistory.com](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/TV-Stars-The-Complete-Directory-to-Prime-Time-1964-Present-B--221117.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license