Paul Kent (October 13, 1930 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor and the founder and artistic director of the Melrose Theatre in West Hollywood.

Paul Kent
Kent in front of the Melrose Theater in 1975
Born
Paul Inglese

October 13, 1930 (1930-10-13)
DiedOctober 7, 2011 (2011-10-08) (aged 80)
OccupationActor
Years active1956–2011

Biography

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Early life

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Kent was born as Paul Inglese on October 13, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York. He studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse and briefly served in the United States Army during the Korean War. In 1958, he and his parents moved from New York to California, where he trained under Sanford Meisner and later assisted Meisner with his classes. The two became close friends and colleagues during Meisner's life, and when Meisner left Los Angeles to go back to New York, he left his teaching methods to be carried on in the West by Kent who consequently taught acting for many years through his theater.

Kent played a part in the formation of Lucille Ball's Desilu Workshop, where he became the first acting student signed by the workshop. According to Hedda Hopper, when Kent appeared at the workshop to help a female friend at an audition, he was discovered by Ball and promptly signed to an actor-stage manager contract. Kent's acting roles during this period included a small part in an episode of December Bride in 1957.

Acting instruction

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In 1964, Kent founded the Melrose Theater, in the city of West Hollywood, with the assistance of fellow actors including Tom Troupe, Carole Cook, Richard Bull and Don Eitner. Funds for the theater were partially raised by a guest appearance with Lucille Ball and Gary Morton on Password.

Kent later recalled in an interview with The Los Angeles Times:

I was scared to death. I wasn't working steadily, I didn't know where the next rent would come from, and I had no experience in building a theater...I bought seats from a defunct movie house on Washington Boulevard. I'll never forget. Two dollars a seat. Linden Chiles and the students and I literally unbolted the seats from the floor and brought them back here.

In 1976, Kent entered into a partnership with workshop organizer Jomarie Ward to purchase a former bakery and photographer's studio at 733 North Seward Street, a half block north of Melrose Avenue, in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. With the assistance of Ward and members of the workshop, the building was renovated and converted to the new Melrose Theater in 1977. The new, larger theater became the permanent headquarters of the Melrose, with Kent installed as artistic director and Ward as managing director.

In 1984, Kent decided to create a production employing the largest possible number of Melrose actors, and convened several playwrights at the Mark Taper Forum to write a play in a bar setting to be produced by the theater. The resulting collaboration, The Bar Off Melrose, was credited to fifteen playwrights and employed nearly forty actors. The play premiered successfully in 1986, and is still performed today at various theaters, drama workshops and colleges.

Acting career

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While serving as artistic director of the Melrose Theater, Kent also acted in many of its plays, and continued acting in film and television. One of Kent's acting appearances in the 1970s was a small part in the television miniseries Helter Skelter. The part was notable because Kent later played a different character in the 2004 adaptation directed by John Gray. Gray later bought Kent back to play a spirit in the episode "Mended Hearts", of his TV seriesGhost Whisperer. In addition, Kent often played different characters in multiple episodes of a series, including his appearances in Lou Grant, T. J. Hooker and Falcon Crest.

In 1982, Kent portrayed Commander Beach, the helmsman and third-in-command of the Starship USS Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. When the ill-fated starship was commandeered by Ricardo Montalbán's Khan, the character of Beach would be marooned on a desolate planet along with the majority of the ship's crew until rescued by the USS Enterprise.

In 1987 Kent played Harry M. Daugherty in a biographical TV movie of J. Edgar Hoover, produced by Showtime. In 1999, he became the third actor to play the character of Doctor Noel Clinton in Port Charles, a spinoff of General Hospital, succeeding actors Dean Harens and Ron Husmann. He had a lead starring role as the character of Miles Mason in Viagra Falls, a television pilot. One of his final acting roles was his portrayal of Mack Sennett in Return to Babylon, an independent film released in 2013.

In 1975, Kent reflected on his craft to Los Angeles Times reporter Lawrence Christon:

Acting is my sanity, the thing I run to when things go wrong in my life. My special joy is rehearsing, making discoveries about the ins and outs of character. I love it so much that the actual performance, to me, is like the cigarette after the affair.

Personal life

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Kent was the father of several children. At the time of his death he was married to actress and author Madelyn Cain.[1]

Death

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Kent died on October 7, 2011, six days before his 81st birthday, in Hollywood Hills, California, from multiple myeloma. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Partial filmography

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Film

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Title Character Year Notes
1956 Diane Groom uncredited
1966 Seconds Party Guest uncredited
1973 The Mad Bomber Dr. Devincy
1976 Lifeguard Jack Gilmore
1977 Ruby Louie
1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Commander Beach
1985 Perfect Judge
1987 A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Doctor Carver
1987 Programmed to Kill Carlson
1988 Double Revenge Judge
1989 The Jigsaw Murders Captain Matt Ludwig
2003 The Road Home Coach Dale
2013 Return to Babylon Mack Sennett black-and-white silent film

Television

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Year(s) Title Character(s) Notes
1963 My Three Sons Announcer Episode: "Bub's Butler"
1963 The Outer Limits Detective Episode: "The Man with the Power"
1966 Mission: Impossible Frederico Episode: "Elena" (uncredited)
1967 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Valandros's Aide Episode: "The Master's Touch Affair"
1968 Hawaii Five-O David Milner Episode: "Strangers In Our Own Land"
1970 Bonanza Doctor Martin Episode: "The Night Virginia City Died"
1972 The Astronaut Carl Samuels TV movie
1972 Family Flight First Controller TV movie
1973 The Alpha Caper John Woodbury TV movie
1974 Pray for the Wildcats Doctor Harris TV movie
1974 The Six Million Dollar Man Flight Surgeon Wolf Episode: "The Rescue of Athena One"
1976 Helter Skelter Dennis Ranson TV movie
1977 Starsky & Hutch Lieutenant Anderson Episode: "The Plague: Part 1"
1979, 1981 Three's Company Alvin Morrell, Doctor Anderson 2 episodes: "Jack Moves Out", "Professor Jack"
1980, 1982 Diff'rent Strokes Judge Roscoe C. Briggs, Chief Scott 2 episodes: "Small Claims Court", "Fire"
1981 The Dukes of Hazzard Mister Hodges Episode: "Cletus Falls In Love"
1987 J. Edgar Hoover Harry M. Daugherty TV movie
1990 Doogie Howser, M.D. Philip Leonetti Episode: "Doogenstein"
1993 Coach Mister Burrows Episode: "Vegas Odds"
1994 Frasier Doctor Sternstein Episode: "Burying a Grudge"
1997 High Incident Steven Carlisle Episode: "Knock Knock"
1997 The Practice Judge Skully Episode: "Trial And Error" (uncredited)
1999 Boy Meets World Tourist #1 Episode: "The Honeymooners"
2003 The West Wing Cardinal Patrick Episode: "Inauguration: Part I"
2004 ER Mister Morgan Episode: "Get Carter"
2004 Helter Skelter Van Nuys Judge TV movie
2005 Ghost Whisperer Patient Episode: "Mended Hearts"

References

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  1. ^ "Madelyn Cain". madelyncain.com. 2009-03-23. Archived from the original on 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
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