Milt Kogan was born on April 10, 1936, at Beth Israel Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Eastern European immigrants Mildred and Joseph Kogan. His father, Joseph, earned a degree in pharmacy from Temple University and later established a pharmacy in Camden, New Jersey, which became a neighborhood icon and lasted for 40 years.
Milt's early life was marked by success in basketball. He was a standout player at Woodrow Wilson High School, earning a spot on the Camden, N.J. City All-Star Basketball Team in 1953. He then attended Cornell University, where he was a leading scorer on his college freshman team and was voted Captain of the Cornell Basketball Team in 1957.
However, a severe knee injury in his first game of his sophomore year ended his high-level basketball career. Milt then decided to pursue a career in medicine, graduating with a D.O. degree and later an M.D. from the University of California, Irvine.
Milt's early years in medicine were marked by a stint as a professor and physician on the University of the Seven Seas, a floating campus that traveled around the world. He married Dena Lambie, and they had two children, Magavin and Teidi.
In the early 1960s, Milt began to pursue a career in acting, starting with TV commercials. His early roles were often as working-class characters, which brought him much respect and laughter. He then joined the United States Peace Corps and served in West Africa, now Burkina Faso, for two and a half years.
After his time in the Peace Corps, Milt returned to California and enrolled in a Masters in Preventive Health program at U.C.L.A. He graduated with an M.P.H. and continued to work in medicine, while also pursuing his acting career. He appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, and continued to work in comedy, including commercials.
In the 1980s, Milt accepted a position with the National Health Service Corps as a cowboy doctor in Harlowton, Montana. It was during this time that he met Susan Quast, a South Dakota native who would become his second wife. They had two children together, son Jamie and daughter Millay.
Milt continued to work in medicine and acting, and in the 1990s, he joined the U.S. Defense Department and served with the U.S. Army in West Germany for two years. After his time in the military, he returned to Hollywood and has been married to Susan for 35 years.
Throughout his life, Milt has been a devoted father and has instilled in his children a love of learning and a strong work ethic. Three of his four children have earned law degrees, and son Jamie is a successful film composer in Hollywood. Milt and Susan built a home and farm in Oceanside, California, where he now practices as a farmer and continues to work in medicine and acting.
