Victor Kilian

Biography

American character actor of gruff demeanor who played in dozens of films through the Thirties and Forties. A native of New Jersey, he was a wagon driver for his father's laundry business before joining a vaudeville company. He played in stock and touring companies, then was cast in the Walter Huston production of 'Desire Under the Elms' on Broadway. While working on the New York stage, he made a few appearances in films shot on Long Island. In 1935 he came to Hollywood and appeared with great frequency in supporting roles over the next decade and a half. In the early 1950s, he was blacklisted for his political beliefs during the Communist witchhunts, and returned to the stage almost exclusively thereafter. In 1976, he gained perhaps his greatest fame, as the title character's libidinous grandfather on the Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976) TV series. But three years later, he was beaten to death by robbers burglarizing his apartment.