Actor. He acquired experience as a performer during his teenage years, appearing on the radio soap opera "The Guiding Light" and after attending Loyola University he focused fully on acting, enrolling at Barnum Dramatic School in Chicago. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, he succeeded Anthony Quinn as Stanley Kowalski in a road company production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" which led to his lengthy association with Broadway, beginning with "Misalliance" (1953) for which he received a Theatre World Award. In addition to originating the part of The Caliph in the musical "Kismet" (1953 to 1955), Kiley (along with Doretta Morrow) introduced the song "Stranger in Paradise" which established himself as a versatile showman. He earned a Tony Award for playing Tom Baxter in "Redhead" (1959 to 1960) and received a nomination for "No Strings" (1959), but Kiley will probably be best remembered as far as his stage work for his Tony Award-winning duel performances as Don Quixote/Cervantes in "Man of La Mancha" in which he became the first vocalist to sing the hit "The Impossible Dream." At this point, Kiley had accumulated a large body of work on TV in such live programs as Kraft Theatre and Goodyear Playhouse and began his motion picture career with "The Mob" (1951), "The Sniper" (1952) and "Blackboard Jungle" (1955). His more prolific television work included "Columbo," as well as his Emmy Award-winning roles in "The Thorn Birds" (1983), "A Year in the Life" (1987) and "Picket Fences" (1994).
Actor. He acquired experience as a performer during his teenage years, appearing on the radio soap opera "The Guiding Light" and after attending Loyola University he focused fully on acting, enrolling at Barnum Dramatic School in Chicago. Following service with the US Navy during World War II, he succeeded Anthony Quinn as Stanley Kowalski in a road company production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" which led to his lengthy association with Broadway, beginning with "Misalliance" (1953) for which he received a Theatre World Award. In addition to originating the part of The Caliph in the musical "Kismet" (1953 to 1955), Kiley (along with Doretta Morrow) introduced the song "Stranger in Paradise" which established himself as a versatile showman. He earned a Tony Award for playing Tom Baxter in "Redhead" (1959 to 1960) and received a nomination for "No Strings" (1959), but Kiley will probably be best remembered as far as his stage work for his Tony Award-winning duel performances as Don Quixote/Cervantes in "Man of La Mancha" in which he became the first vocalist to sing the hit "The Impossible Dream." At this point, Kiley had accumulated a large body of work on TV in such live programs as Kraft Theatre and Goodyear Playhouse and began his motion picture career with "The Mob" (1951), "The Sniper" (1952) and "Blackboard Jungle" (1955). His more prolific television work included "Columbo," as well as his Emmy Award-winning roles in "The Thorn Birds" (1983), "A Year in the Life" (1987) and "Picket Fences" (1994).
Bio by: C.S.
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