Gardner McKay

George Cadogan Gardner McKay (June 10, 1932 – November 21, 2001) was an American actor, artist, and author. He is best known for the lead role in the TV series Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on the writings of James Michener. He is best known for the lead role in the TV series Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on the writings of James Michener. His character, Adam Troy, is a Korean War veteran who purchased the two-masted 82-foot (25 m) schooner Tiki III, and sailed the South Pacific. The show ran for three seasons on ABC from 1959–1962, for a total of 91 episodes.

Born in New York City, McKay was the son of ad executive Hugh Deane McKay (born 1894) and socialite Catherine "Kitty" Gardner McKay (born 1904). He was the great-grandson of shipbuilder Donald McKay. The father's business took the family to Paris, where McKay attended private schools. The family returned to the United States shortly before the outbreak of World War II; McKay and his older  brother, Hugh, lived with grandparents in Lexington, Kentucky.

McKay impressed Dore Schary, who signed him to a contract with MGM. For that studio he appeared in episodes of The Thin Man and appeared in the film Raintree County, with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. The movie was partly filmed in Kentucky.

McKay settled in Hawaii, where he died from prostate cancer in 2001 at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife Madeleine Madigan, a painter, and two children. McKay is buried in Brooks, Kentucky.

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Category:1932 births
Category:2001 deaths
Category:American movie actors
Category:American television actors
Category:Actors from New York City
Category:Journalists from New York City
Category:Actors from Hawaii
Category:Journalists from Hawaii
Category:Deaths from prostate cancer