ACTOR
Brian Keith
- Known for
- The Parent Trap (1961), The Young Philadelphians (1959), Family Affair (1966), Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)
49 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Brian Keith is an actor best known for The Parent Trap, The Young Philadelphians and Family Affair.
All facts (49)
- #001
When Johnny Whitaker, the future star of Family Affair (1966), appeared in the film The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966), Keith was so impressed by Johnny's acting that he invited him to star in Keith's new sitcom.
- #002
He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II and received the Air Medal. He was the rear gunner of an SBD Dauntless, a scout/dive bomber widely used by the Marines and Navy that saw major action in the Pacific during World War II. His weapons were twin-mounted .30-caliber Browning machine guns. He saw action in particular at Rabaul in the Pacific.
- #003
At the time of his death, Keith was suffering from emphysema and terminal lung cancer. He had been a heavy smoker until 1986 and had quit ten years before the diagnosis. He was also grieving for his 27-year-old daughter Daisy Keith, who had died by suicide ten weeks earlier. She too had financial problems. All of these were factors contributing to Keith's suicide on June 24, 1997. His final work appeared after his death: voice work in the last episode of Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) and an on-screen appearance in Follow Your Heart (1999). He was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.
- #004
His last film, Rough Riders (1997), was dedicated to his memory.
- #005
In 1945, after four years of service in the Marine Corps, Keith wanted to serve as an officer in the Merchant Marine but was rejected because of his poor grades in algebra.
- #006
He met the actor Michael Landon on an episode of Crusader (1955). The two became good friends from 1956 until Landon's death on July 1, 1991.
- #007
At the age of 62, he made a comeback with a successful series.
- #008
Keith's third wife and widow, the artist Victoria Young, was almost 23 years younger than him. A Hawaii native, she appeared as a guest star alongside him in two episodes of Hardcastle and McCormick (1983). She played a nurse in The Little People (1972). She and Keith had two children, Bobby (an artist) and Daisy Keith (who died by suicide before both of her parents).
- #009
Although Keith had been acting since the age of three, he did not appear in his first film until he was 31. Before making his mark on the screen, he appeared in stock theatre productions and on radio.
- #010
Because he spoke fluent Russian, he was cast as the Russian astrophysicist Dr. Dubov in Meteor (1979) and as the Soviet Premier Gorny in World War III (1982).
- #011
He owned a 200-acre ranch in Redlands, California, and a 12-meter yacht named 'Maialoha' off Waikiki.
- #012
Before becoming an actor, he changed his name from Robert to Brian Keith.
- #013
During and after Family Affair (1966), he remained good friends with Johnny Whitaker and Kathy Garver.
- #014
He met the young actor James Drury during the making of Ten Who Dared (1960); they became and remained friends until Keith's suicide on June 24, 1997.
- #015
When they suggested to CBS executives that the content of The Westerner (1960) series be made more appealing to children, he boasted that he told them to 'go fly a kite.'.
- #016
Keith was the stepson of two actresses; the first was Peg Entwistle, who died by suicide in 1932 by jumping from the 'H' of the famous Hollywood sign. His second stepmother, Dorothy Tierney, remained married to his father until his father's death.
- #017
He was raised by his grandmother in Long Island, New York.
- #018
Keith's hobbies included playing golf, swimming, spending time with his family, cooking, sailing, horseback riding, reading and painting.
- #019
Brian Keith was deeply disappointed when Family Affair (1966) was cancelled at the end of its fifth season, as CBS shifted toward more adult-oriented sitcom fare.
- #020
Before finding success as an actor, Brian Keith worked at carnivals.
- #021
Actors Kathy Garver and Johnny Whitaker were reportedly big fans of his while growing up. Both appeared alongside him in Family Affair (1966) and stayed with the series until its cancellation in 1971.
- #022
He was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on June 26, 2008.
- #023
Brian Keith was a close friend of Charlton Heston.
- #024
Before moving to California to find work in films, he spent seven years on the New York stage and in live television during the summer months.
- #025
He had four biological children (Michael, Mimi, Robert and Daisy) and three adopted children (Barbara, Betty and Rory). His first son, Michael, died in childhood in 1963. His 27-year-old daughter Daisy Keith committed suicide 10 weeks before her father did the same while battling terminal cancer. His son Robert was named after his father and grandfather.
- #026
Following in his father's footsteps, Brian Keith's passion for acting was postponed by World War II.
- #027
For two seasons, he commuted between Los Angeles and Hawaii every week to film The Little People (1972).
- #028
In the 1950s, he was a commercial spokesman for Camel cigarettes.
- #029
He was always producer Don Fedderson's first choice to play Uncle Bill Davis in Family Affair (1966).
- #030
Future Family Affair (1966) co-star Kathy Garver appeared with him twice as a guest actor: in an episode of his short-lived series Crusader (1955) and in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) shortly before his death.
- #031
He lived in Malibu, California, for more than a quarter of a century, until his death on June 24, 1997.
- #032
He began his career in 1953 as a contract player for Paramount Pictures.
- #033
He attended and graduated from East Rockaway High School in East Rockaway, New York (1939).
- #034
He never gave up acting until his death.
- #035
He was also good friends with John Mills and his entire family.
- #036
He was the father of Michael, Mimi, Robert and Daisy and the stepfather of Barbara, Betty and Rory. His first son, Michael, died in childhood in 1963. His daughter Daisy Keith appeared with him in Heartland (1989). His son Robert was named after his father (born with the surname Robert) and his paternal grandfather.
- #037
Brian Keith was offered the role of Deke Thornton in The Wild Bunch (1969), but turned it down because he was under contract to work on Family Affair (1966).
- #038
Brian Keith played a real U.S. president in both of John Milius's films that featured Theodore Roosevelt. In The Wind and the Lion (1975) he played Roosevelt himself. In Rough Riders (1997), Keith had a small role as Roosevelt's predecessor William McKinley (during the period when Roosevelt served as McKinley's Assistant Secretary of the Navy).
- #039
Brian Keith appeared on the front cover of TV Guide three times.
- #040
Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly was said to have been a big Keith fan while growing up. His favorite Keith films were The Rare Breed (1966) and Nevada Smith (1966). The two men remained friends during and after Hardcastle and McCormick (1983). Years later, Kelly starred opposite Keith in Hardcastle and McCormick (1983) and stayed with the series until it was cancelled in 1986.
- #041
Brian Keith beat out three other actors for the lead role in Hardcastle and McCormick (1983).
- #042
Brian Keith is best remembered by the public for his role as Uncle Bill Davis in Family Affair (1966).
- #043
Brian Keith attended Michael Landon's funeral in 1991.
- #044
Brian Keith's father, Robert Keith, was from Indiana.
- #045
Brian Keith grew up in the same area as Telly Savalas.
- #046
Brian Keith was the younger of the two children of actors Robert Keith (died December 22, 1966) and Helena Shipman (died October 26, 1983), who married in 1919 and divorced in 1925.
- #047
Brian Keith's mother, Helena Shipman, was originally from Aberdeen, Washington.
- #048
Brian Keith's son Michael died of cystic fibrosis at the age of 8.
- #049
Some people, especially moviegoers, often confuse Brian Keith with Van Heflin because of similarities in their builds and facial features (except for Heflin's distinctive eyes) and their gruff voices.
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