Biography
Upon returning to the United States after serving in the military during the Korean War, Monte Markham attended the University of Georgia and acted in various local theater productions. His love of theater eventually found him performing with the prestigious Shakespeare festivals in San Diego and Ashland, respectively. He would continue to work on stage throughout his career, but film and television beckoned. His first notable television work was as the star of the outlandish sitcom "The Second Hundred Years," playing a 19th century miner who is frozen in an avalanche and then wakes up decades later to resume his life with his much-older family. He also appeared on the show "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" based on the Frank Capra/Gary Cooper film of the same name, the comedy "Love, American Style," and the ill-fated "The New Perry Mason" as Perry Mason. Markham starred in the popular primetime serial drama "Dallas" in 1981. Many viewers, though, will probably recognize the actor from his work on the campy--and internationally popular--program "Baywatch." He played Captain Don Thorpe and directed three episodes of the series. Western film fans may remember him best from his parts in director John Sturges's "Hour of the Gun," starring James Garner and Jason Robards as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and "Guns of the Magnificent Seven." In 2003, Markham produced and directed the television documentary "Red Flag."
