Lee Kinsolving

Gifted poetic actor who never fulfilled his potential The son of an Episcopal minister and the eldest of four Kinsolving began acting after his first year of college A Method actor Kinsolving studied under Mary Welch of the famed Actors Studio in New York After a short turn on Broadway he was signed by agent Richard Clayton who had brought both James Dean and Tab Hunter to stardom Soon Kinsolving was appearing in various East Coast television shows including the live presentation of Eugene ONeills Ah Wilderness with Helen Hayes In 1959 Kinsolving headed for Hollywood rooming with actor James Franciscus After several more TV appearances in such shows as Have Gun Will Travel 1957 Kinsolving landed his first movie role with Alan Ladd in 1960s All the Young Men 1960 That same year he gave a moving performance as Sammy Golden in the film adaptation of William Inges The Dark at the Top of the Stairs 1960 Kinsolving won raves and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor Regrettably Kinsolving made only one more film The Explosive Generation 1961 before completing his brief career in TV guest roles Nonetheless Kinsolving brought a striking combination of sexuality pathos and vulnerability to his work including an outstanding performance in Route 66 1960 Kinsolving retired from acting in 1966 due to his personal frustrations with the business For two years he owned a hip restaurantbar Toad Hall in Manhattan After brief romances with Tuesday Weld and Candice Bergen Kinsolving sold his bar and married in late 1969 Moving to Florida he managed two art galleries After divorcing his wife in 1972 Kinsolving an avid seaman spent the remainder of his life sailing exotic locales in his private schooner Sadly Kinsolving developed a strange respiratory illness which without warning rendered him unconscious On the afternoon of December 4 1974 Kinsolving collapsed and died in his Palm Beach apartment He was 36