Paul Kent was an American
character actor who starred in
film,
television and
theater for over five decades. Kent is perhaps best known for playing Lieutenant Commander
Beach in
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(October 13, 1930 – October 7, 2011)
Early life
Kent was born on October 13, 1930 in
Brooklyn, New York. His acting career officially began in 1958, when he and his parents moved from New York to
California. He studied acting 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 part in an episode of
December Bride.
Acting instruction
In 1964, Kent founded the Melrose Theater in
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 the popular game show
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. |
” |
Throughout the 1960s, the Melrose employed actors who went on to become well-known performers, including
Richard Dreyfuss. Many of the theater's plays were broadcast on local
CBS television affiliates.
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 in
Hollywood.
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.
Acting career
While serving as artistic director of the Melrose Theater, Kent also
acted in many of its plays, and continued acting in film and television.
He often worked with directors Robert Michael Lewis and
Gene Reynolds,
Star Trek producer
Harve Bennett, and actor
William Shatner.
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 reimagining of that film, directed by
John Gray. Gray later bought Kent back to play a spirit in an episode of his TV series,
Ghost Whisperer ("
Mended Hearts"). 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
1987 Kent played
Harry M. Daugherty in a
made-for-TV biographical film of
J. Edgar Hoover, produced by
Showtime. In 1999 Kent 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. Recently Kent 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, a film completed in 2008 but never commercially released.
In 1975, having acted for almost twenty years, 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. |
” |
In 2002 the Melrose Theater was acquired by the
National Comedy Theatre chain. It is currently the home of
ComedySportz LA.
Personal life
Kent was the father of several children. At the time of his death he had been married to actress and author
Madelyn Cain.
Death
Kent died on October 7, 2011 from
multiple myeloma. He was buried in
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
Partial filmography
Film
Television
To see more of who died in 2011
click here
