A singer on Broadway, he played Nathan Detroit in a Broadway touring company of "Guys and Dolls" in the 1950s.
An accomplished musician, he was a violin virtuoso at age 8, playing solo with the junior symphony orchestra.
At the time of his death in 1981, Martin and Robert Conrad were in the planning stages of another "Wild, Wild West" TV series.
Best remembered by the public for his starring role as Artemus Gordon in The Wild Wild West (1964).
Had two daughters: Phyllis, Rebecca; one son, George.
He is interred in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
His natural ability for dialects led him to radio while in his 20s, performing on three daytime radio serials at once, including the part of a 62-year-old Viennese gent. At one time, the prolific actor was a regular in eight separate major series on all the different networks. He ended up with his own radio program, "The Ross Martin Show.".
His wife Olavee Grinrod, died February 3, 2002.
In "Columbo: Suitable for Framing (#1.4)" (1971), many a viewer notes the marvelous interplay between Martin and Peter Falk. This is to be expected; Martin was Falk's acting instructor in years past. The two also worked together in The Great Race (1965).
One half of a vaudeville comedy duo from 1937-41 called "Ross & West." His partner was Bernard West.
With a penchant for playing villains, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his terrifying role in Experiment in Terror (1962). As a promotion and publicity stunt for the film, Columbia chose to withheld the identity of Martin from the press until the film opened. It helped bring interest to the film, but in the long run, hurt the unknown Martin.