Noah Keen, a veteran stage, TV and movie actor, died March 24 at his home in Harlem. He was 98.
Born October 10, 1920, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Keen moved to New York City, where he worked in radio at NBC.
Though he was first drawn to directing, he was bitten by the acting bug and appeared in Off-Broadway plays before moving to L.A. and embarking upon a successful TV and, occasionally, film career.
From 1959-2006, Keen amassed over 100 TV credits, including appearances on Naked City (1960-1961), Surfside 6 (1962), Ben Casey (1962), Perry Mason (1962), Dr. Kildare (1961 & 1965), Hawaii Five-O (1968), The Big Valley (1965, 1967 & 1968), The F.B.I. (1965-1969), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978), The Love Boat (1979), Charlie's Angels (1979 & 1981), Cagney & Lacey (1984 & 1988) and his final TV role, as Otto on the "Johnny Cakes" episode of The Sopranos (2006).
Keen was perhaps best-known for two appearances on The Twilight Zone: "The Arrival" (1961) and "The Trade-Ins" (1962). He was thought to be the oldest-surviving actor from the original series.
His most famous film role was as a teacher in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
Keen, a lifelong lover of literature, is survived by his wife Gerrianne; his daughter, Evan; two grandsons. His personal obit notes he is also survived by three "bonus daughters" and two "bonus grandchildren."
I’m continuously struck by how you acknowledge the lesser known but hard working men and women who held up the stars of TV and Movies and because of their lower tier status, were basically forgotten. How many times have I seen a face from a 60’s or 70’s movie or TV show and thought about watching them all those years ago! And in those days I never even knew their names! Thank you for keeping these peoples memories!