Martin Sam Milner was born on December 28, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Jerre Martin, was a dancer with the Paramount Theater circuit, originally from Oregon. His father, Sam Gordon Milner, a Polish Jewish immigrant, was a film distributor. The family moved to Seattle when Martin was a baby and later to Los Angeles.
At the age of 15, Martin's father secured him an agent, and he landed the role of "John Day" in the 1947 film "Life with Father". Unfortunately, Martin contracted polio shortly after filming and his career was put on hold for a year as he recovered.
After graduating from North Hollywood High School and studying for one year at the University of Southern California, Martin worked steadily in films from 1949 to 1960. He appeared in notable films such as "Sands of Iwo Jima", "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", "Marjorie Morningstar", and "Sweet Smell of Success".
Martin's career was put on hold again when he was inducted into the Army in 1952 for two years. During his time in the Army, he directed military training films and served as Master of Ceremonies for a touring show based at Fort Ord, California.
After his military service, Martin married television actress and singer Judy Jones in 1957 and they have four children. He also continued to work with Jack Webb, whom he met during the filming of "Halls of Montezuma" in 1951. Webb offered Milner a role in the "Dragnet" radio show and later the TV series "Dragnet" in 1951.
Martin's breakthrough role came as "Tod Stiles" in the CBS-TV series "Route 66" in 1960. The show was notable for its coast-to-coast location shooting, eloquent scripts, impressive guest casts, and a distinctive theme song by Nelson Riddle. The series allowed Martin to explore a range of characterizations as he traveled across the United States with his companions "Buz Murdock" and later "Lincoln Case".
Apart from his work on "Route 66", Martin continued to appear in films throughout the 1970s and 1980s and made many guest appearances on television shows such as "Murder, She Wrote", "Columbo", "MacGyver", and "Diagnosis Murder". He has also been an avid fisherman and has been co-host of the syndicated radio talk show "Let's Talk Hook-up" since 1993.
