Owen J. Martin (December 15, 1887 – May 4, 1960) was an Irish-American actor and vaudeville entertainer, best known for his more than decade-long participation in the original Broadway production—and subsequent national tour—of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma,” being the sole member of that show’s original cast to appear in the entire five-year, two-month Broadway run and national tour. He was in the part from 1943-1954.
Martin was elected to The Lambs in 1937 as a Professional member.
Born on December 15, 1887, in County Armagh, Ireland, Martin arrived with his parents in New York in June 1892. Prior to emigration, both parents had been Irish vaudeville performers. Martin made his stage debut in September 1905 alongside a young Leora Spellman at the Lyceum Theatre in Elizabeth, New Jersey, portraying “Billy” in a production of Lamb William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1926, Martin married fellow performer Edna Terry (née Gorbly).
On June 26, 1948, UPI reported that Martin’s recently achieved milestone of 2,275 consecutive performances of “Oklahoma” as Cord Elam was “said to be the longest run without a break any actor has ever had in an American play.” Martin harbored no illusions about his good fortune. Speaking with the musical’s director, Rouben Mamoulian, he confided, “The steady work has kept me young. In show business, it’s those four-week rehearsals and two-week runs that age you.”
Responding to reporter inquiries along similar lines, Martin remained adamant. “People ask me if I’m tired of ‘Oklahoma’. That’s a laugh. Things were pretty bad in the thirties and early forties. I thank God every night for ‘Oklahoma’.
Oklahoma composer Richard Rodgers thanked Martin following the show’s 2,001st performance, with a specially engraved gold watch.
Following the conclusion of “Oklahoma’s” national tour in 1954, Martin appeared as Max in the touring company of “The Pajama Game” for over two years before reprising the role in the 1957 film version. In March 1958, Martin appeared yet again—this time as “Andrew ‘Pop’ Carnes”—in “Oklahoma,” in a limited, two-week revival at New York City Center.
Owen Martin died at age 72 on May 4, 1960, at Will Rogers Memorial Hospital in Saranac Lake, New York. The Lambs hosted a Requiem Mass in his honor at St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church in the Theatre District. He is interred with his wife in Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Yonkers.