R.I.P: Kevin McCarthy dies at 96

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Sad news today. Kevin McCarthy died of natural causes at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts. As a veteran actor who began on stage as he made his way to the silver screen, Kevin McCarthy has devoted almost 70 years of his life to film. The man was best known for his role as Dr. Miles J. Bennell who tried to warn the world about alien “pod people”. The 1956 science-fiction classic was the film that helped jump start his career. 

INVASION was a low-budget film directed by Don Siegel (DIRTY HARRY) that did not take off quick. Over time it became a hit and one of science fiction’s most beloved and critically acclaimed films. Movie fans and other critics have applauded it’s usage of creating horror where it came not from violence but from the slow transformation of ordinary people into drones

McCarthy was first publicized in the late 1940’s when he played Biff Loman with Paul Mini in the 1949 London production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN. It wasn’t until 1951 when he reprised his role with Fredric that earned him a supporting-actor Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win as the most promising male newcomer. 

McCarthy also made a cameo appearance in the 1978 remake and then followed on to appear as a guest at film festivals and autograph shows. He will be missed and his work remembered.