Jan Merlin Dies: Emmy-Winning Soap Writer And ‘Tom Corbett, Space Cadet’ Star Was 94
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Jan Merlin, an Emmy-winning writer and actor best remembered for early TV series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and The Rough Riders, has died at the age of 94.
Merlin’s death was confirmed by his family and collaborator William Russo, with whom he wrote books about Hollywood.
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Merlin won a writing Emmy in 1975 for daytime NBC soap opera Another World.
As an actor, he built an early reputation for playing villainous characters.
“A veteran of the Navy in World War II, Jan went from the military during the big war to the Neighborhood Playhouse where he learned the craft of acting, though he had many talents,” wrote Russo.
“We wrote about Boys Town, Billy Budd, Reflections in a Golden Eye, among other films, giving a unique perspective on daily life during the studio shoot. He knew Brando, Taylor, Clift, James Dean, in ways that others could never understand. He threw James Dean out of the Pier Angeli house at her mother’s request.”
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