LOS ANGELES, CA: Actor Gavin MacLeod attends Betty White's 90th birthday celebration "A Tribute To ... [+]
Gavin MacLeod, who is remembered for his long stints as Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat, died on Saturday at his home in Palm Desert, California. He was 90. The cause of death is unknown.
Sadly, the passing of MacLeod makes Betty White, 99, and Ed Asner, 91, the remaining two primary cast members still alive from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Born Allan George See in Mount Kisco, New York on February 28, 1931, MacLeod made his television debut in 1957 on crime drama The Walter Winchell File. His first movie appearance was a small, uncredited role in The True Story of Lynn Stuart in 1958. His first credited large screen role was in 1958 prison drama I Want to Live! For the next few years, MacLeod made the rounds as a guest star in TV series like Lockup, Manhunt, Mr. Lucky, Peter Gunn and The Untouchables until landing a supporting role in sitcom McHale’s Navy in 1962 as Seaman Joseph 'Happy' Hanes.
In 1961, MacLeod appeared as Mel’s (Richard Deacon) cousin Maxwell Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which was his first time working with Mary Tyler Moore. MacLeod had three guest appearances on legal drama Perry Mason, not to mention guest roles on a variety of other TV series including Rawhide, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., My Favorite Martian, The Andy Griffith Show, Hogan’s Heroes and the original Hawaii Five-O before snagging the role as Mary’s sensible co-worker Murray on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
(Original Caption) The cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, from left to right: Gavin MacLeod, Cloris ... [+]
Immediately following MTM was an upgrade to the lead on ABC dramedy The Love Boat in the fall of 1977, which aired for nine seasons and made MacLeod a fixture on Saturday evenings for 16 consecutive years. Combined, his work on MTM and The Love Boat resulted in five Golden Globe nominations.
In 1986, MacLeod became the global ambassador for Princess Cruises and he toured with Michael Learned of The Waltons in Love Letters.
Stars of The Love Boat walk along the top of the Great Wall in Beijing. From left to right are: Fred ... [+]
MacLeod’s film roles throughout the course of his career included The Sand Pebbles, starring Steve McQueen, in 1966; A Man Called Gannon and the Peter Sellers comedy The Party in 1968; The Thousand Plane Raid, The Comic and The Intruders in 1969; and in 1970, the World War II caper film Kelly’s Heroes.
Additionally, MacLeod and his wife Patti were hosts on the Trinity Broadcasting Network for 17 years, primarily hosting a show about marriage called Back on Course. MacLeod also appeared in Rich Christian’s Time Changer in 2002, a movie about time travel and how the morals of society have moved away from the Bible, and played the lead role in Christiano's 2009 film The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.
Actor Gavin MacLeod and wife Patti MacLeod attend Third Annual Producer's Guild of America Awards on ... [+]
MacLeod was also an author, penning his first book with his wife on the struggles with divorce and alcoholism in Back On Course: The Remarkable Story of a Divorce That Ended in Remarriage. His memoir, This Is Your Captain Speaking: My Fantastic Voyage Through Hollywood, Faith & Life, was released in 2013.
MacLeod is survived by his second wife Patti, who divorced in 1982 but remarried in 1985, and four children by his first wife, Joan F. Rootvik.
