Facts About Strother Martin

Strother is gone, but not forgotten.

Creative Commons: vmiramontes

Strother Martin was an amazingly prolific character actor. For a guy who didn’t look physically imposing, he could be seriously menacing. Of course, he has one of the most famous lines in movie history. His, “What we have here, is a failure to communicate,” from “Cool Hand Luke” still resonates today.

Martin passed away from a heart attack at the age of 61. The fact he was in so many memorable movies in his relatively short life is amazing. So, here are some things you might not have known about Strother Martin.

1: Because of his driving, Martin was given the nickname, “T-Bone Martin.”

Wait, being told he got that nickname because he was good at diving, not bad at driving.

2: Martin was on the diving team at the University of Michigan.

He was also on the boxing team and was also known to take a dive there. Hold on, being told that is completely bogus.

3: Strother worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He worked with John Wayne and Paul Newman each six times.