Marty Martyn

Biography

Marty Martyn was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1903. His birth name was Morris Kolinsky, and he was the son of Ukrainian-born parents, Philip and Rebecca Kolinsky. His father operated a clothes press in a tailor shop. Marty grew up in Philadelphia before moving with his younger sister, Florence, to New York, where, under the name Marty Kolinsky, he once lived in a brownstone apartment building at 108 West 69th St. Working as a dancer, he appeared in a Broadway production called "Gay Paree" in 1925. He only appeared in one film, "Night After Night," which starred George Raft. Martyn may have had a line that was cut from the final film, which would explain why his name appears in the credits even though he has no apparent lines in the version that reached theaters. Frustrated as a performer, Martyn opened the Marty Martyn Agency and became a successful talent agent. Among his clients was Glenn Ford. He had four marriages, one biological daughter and five stepchildren. He died in hospital in 1964, while suffering from leukemia. Immediate cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. His widow, Margaret, was the niece of 20th Century-Fox president Spyros P. Skouras.