Barney Martin was born on March 3rd, 1923, in the New York City borough of Queens. He died of cancer at his Studio City home on March 21, 2005 just following his 82nd birthday. He is survived by his wife and son, his daughter died in 2002 of cancer.

He was a former New York City detective for 20 years but is best known for playing Jerry Seinfeld's father Morty on the comedian's hit television series. In "Seinfeld", Martin was the third actor to play the part of Seinfeld's father and became the one most identified with the role of the Florida retiree.

In the Air Force during World War II, he served as a navigator. In the 1950s, he began writing on the side for comedy shows such as "Name That Tune" and "The Steve Allen Show."

In 1968, Mel Brooks featured him in "The Producers". He also worked in Broadway theater, where he appeared in several musicals, including "South Pacific", "The Fantasticks", All American" and "How Now Dow Jones." He is credited with creating the role of Roxy's unappreciated husband, Amos Hart, in the musical "Chicago."

Martin also appeared in several television series in the 1990s, including "The Tony Randall Show," "US", "Sydney" and "Zorro and Son".