Michael Callan, best remembered for his performance on Broadway as Riff in West Side Story, died on October 10 at the age of 86. Callan’s daughter, Rebecca Goodman, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father’s father She died Monday night of complications from pneumonia at Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills. Callan has been in the entertainment industry for more than five decades. He is known for his roles in musicals such as West Side Story, as well as films such as Gidget Goes Hawaiian, The Interns and Cat Ballou.
Michael Callan’s character in West Side Story
In 1957, Michael Callan played Riff in the original Broadway production of West Side Story. In the show, Riff is the leader of the Jets. The musical was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The plot revolves around the rivalry between two juvenile street gangs, the Jets and Sharks, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the mid-1950s.
Tony, the main character, is a former Jets and Riff player. He falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. West Side Story was first adapted into a film by Robert Wise in 1961 and Steven Spielberg again in 2021. Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler star in the 2021 film. Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn , Rita Moreno and George Chakiris appear in the 1961 photo.
RIP Michael Callan. I have to go see Cat Ballou now. pic.twitter.com/pGx0cCRyUf
– Well (@Janet52177263) October 11, 2022
All about Michael Callan
Martin Harris Calinieff, born November 22, 1935, enjoyed singing and dancing in his youth, and began dancing in local nightclubs at the age of 15. He later moved to New York City and began performing as Mickey Calin. He was originally cast in two musicals: The Boy Friend and Catch a Star. At the age of 21, he auditioned for the role of Riff in West Side Story and succeeded after several attempts. Columbia Pictures scout Joyce Selznick discovered Callan and signed him to a seven-year contract.
He made his film debut in 1959 with They Came to Cordura, followed by The Flying Fontaines the following year. Callan played Griff Rimer in the 1960 television series Because They’re Young and made a guest appearance in Pepe. He then landed a role in 1962’s The Interns, which was Columbia’s highest-grossing film of the year. He acted in such films as Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Mysterious Island, 13 West Street, Bon Voyage!, The Victors, The New Interns, etc.
Michael Callan is also known for his television appearances. He made his television debut with the lead role in the NBC comedy series Occasional Wife. This was followed by the Breaking Point series, The Name of the Game, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Marcus Welby, 12 O’Clock High, Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, Love, American Style and others.
He then starred in and co-produced the 1982 horror film Double Exposure with Von Deming and William Byron Hillman. He occasionally returns to the theater and performs in a number of different musicals. Dawn and Rebecca Callan, children of Michael Callan, survived him. He married Carlyn Chapman in 1960 and they divorced in 1967. Michael later married Patricia Harty in 1968, but the couple divorced in 1970. His last marriage was to Kareen Malouf, whom he was married to from 1975 to 1984.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education