Dick Kallman

Dick Kallman (July 7, 1933 – February 22, 1980) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned Broadway, television, and recording. Born in Brooklyn, New York City, he came from a prominent family: his father, Alvan Kallman, was a former barnstorming pilot who owned the Savoy-Plaza Hotel in New York City, The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in New Hampshire, and the St. Johns Hotel in Havana. His mother, Zara Whitman Kallman, had herself been a Broadway actress.

Kallman's stage career ran from 1951 to 1965 and included appearances in The Fifth Season, Seventeen, Come Blow Your Horn, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His work in the 1951 Broadway musical Seventeen earned him a Theatre World Award in 1952. He later returned to Broadway to take over the leading role in the musical Half a Sixpence.

Beyond the stage, Kallman became the star of the 1965–1966 television sitcom Hank, in which he played the title role. He also appeared in non-recurring parts on The Jack Benny Show, Bachelor Father, and Medical Center, and took on the recurring role of Little Louie Groovy — a character modeled on record producer Phil Spector — in episodes 110 and 111 of Batman. He performed on an episode of the musical variety program Hullabaloo as well.

As a recording artist, Kallman released several albums of pop standards, among them Hits & the Misses and Speak Softly, along with two albums tied to his television series: Hank Sings and Dick Kallman Drops in as 'Hank'. In 1966 he formed a music publishing company.

By the late 1970s, Kallman had left show business and established himself as an antiques and art dealer. He lived in a Manhattan apartment with his life partner, Steven Szladek. In February 1980, the two were murdered by three intruders who broke in to steal art, antiques, and jewelry from the apartment; the killers were subsequently caught and convicted. A fictionalized account of Kallman's life, Up With the Sun by Thomas Mallon, was published by Knopf in February 2023.