Paul Mantee

Acting

Paul Mantee

Born 1931-01-09 · San Francisco, California, USA

Mantee was born Paul Marianetti in San Francisco, California. A journalism major at San Mateo Junior College, Mantee enlisted in the U.S. Navy for four years during the Korean War that made him decide on acting as a career. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. His stage name was changed from an Italian-sounding name to the name of Humphrey Bogart's character in The Petrified Forest. He made a great number of guest appearances in well-known television shows and starred in a handful of films, including a cult classic, Robinson Crusoe on Mars. A restored version of the film was released in 2007 by The Criterion Collection. Mantee authored two novels, In Search of the Perfect Ravioli (Ballantine Books, 1991) and a semi-autobiographical Bruno of Hollywood (Ballantine Books, 1994). Mantee, a longtime Malibu resident, died November 7, 2013 at a rehabilitation center in Canoga Park, California. He was survived by his wife, Suzy Davis Mantee.

Acting credits

Apollo 13 poster
7.5

The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.

Apollo 13

1995

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story poster
6.9

This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

1993

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? poster
7.6

In the midst of the Great Depression, manipulative emcee Rocky enlists contestants for a dance marathon offering a $1,500 cash prize. Among them are a failed actress, a middle-aged sailor, a delusional blonde and a pregnant girl.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

1969

The Manitou poster
5.4

A psychic's girlfriend finds out that a lump on her back is a growing reincarnation of a 400 year-old demonic Native American spirit.

The Manitou

1978

The Greatest poster
5.7

Muhammad Ali's life story up to the late 1970s, which includes his Olympic boxing triumphs as Cassius Clay, his conversion to Islam, his refusal of the Army draft and the legal battle after being stripped of his World Title.

The Greatest

1977

Wolf Lake poster
6.2

War veterans visit a lakeside cabin for a week of shooting, drinking, etc. but find the cabin being looked after by a young caretaker named David. When David's status as a war deserter is revealed, all hell breaks loose.

Wolf Lake

1980

Breakout poster
6.3

A bush pilot is hired for $50,000 to go to Mexico to free an innocent prisoner.

Breakout

1975

Helter Skelter poster
6.9

The investigation of two horrific mass murders leads to the capture and trial of the psychotic pseudo-hippie Charles Manson and his "family".

Helter Skelter

1976

Robinson Crusoe on Mars poster
6.3

Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food and companionship on the lifeless planet.

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

1964

Framed poster
6.6

Joe Don Baker plays a gambler who is framed for a crime he did not commit. A corrupt legal system leads him into a plea bargain and four years behind bars. By the time he gets out of prison, he's determined to put together the pieces of his frame-up and dole out the justice he was denied to those responsible.

Framed

1975

The Great Santini poster
6.8

As he approaches manhood, Ben Meechum struggles to win the approval of his demanding alpha male father, an aggressively competitive, but frustrated marine pilot.

The Great Santini

1979

That Man Bolt poster
5.2

Fred Williamson chop-sockeys his way through this popular blaxploitation adventure as Jefferson Bolt, a Kung Fu expert assigned to deliver a cool $1 million to Mexico City from Hong Kong with a stop in Los Angeles. When Bolt discovers the cash is dirty mob money and his gal has been killed, he heads back to the Far East to get even.

That Man Bolt

1973

Day of the Animals poster
5.2

The depletion of the earth's ozone layer causes animals above the altitude of 5000 feet to run amok, which is very unfortunate for a group of hikers who get dropped off up there by helicopter just before the quarantine is announced.

Day of the Animals

1977

Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story poster
5.5

Filmed on location at Alcatraz Island, this two-part "whole story" actually concentrates on a handful of the denizens behind the cold grey walls of "The Rock". Michael Beck plays the real-life Clarence Carnes, an Oklahoma Choctaw Indian said to be the youngest man ever incarcerated in the notorious maximum security prison. Serving a 99-year sentence for a gas station holdup and murder, Carnes makes periodic attempts to escape, the final attempt being the most violent. Many of the subordinate characters are fictional (as are most of the details concerning Carnes' escape efforts); the one exception is Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", here portrayed by Art Carney as a gentle, kindly philosopher. Telly Savalas, a costar of the Burt Lancaster vehicle Birdman of Alcatraz, also guest starred in the 1980 film. Originally titled Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes, this made-for-TV movie wavers between gritty realism and "I'm bustin' outta here!" artifice.

Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story

1980

An American Dream poster
5.0

Stephen Rojack is a decorated war vet who has now found success as an outspoken television personality. During a vicious argument with his wife, Deborah, Stephen snaps and pushes her from his high-rise apartment to her death. He manages to convince the authorities that she killed herself, then reignites an old affair with singer Cherry McMahon -- which doesn't sit well with her jealous mobster boyfriend, Nicky.

An American Dream

1966

Lionpower from MGM poster
6.3

"Lionpower from MGM" (1967) is an exciting 60's promotional short subject, which showcases MGM's releases for the 1967-68 film season under a "five seasons" theme--fall, winter, spring, summer--plus a "fabulous fifth season". The main music is set to the rousing theme from "The Magnificent Yankee" composed by David Raksin in 1950. The promo is narrated by some of the best voice-over actors of the time, and is an excellent time capsule of a by-gone era.

Lionpower from MGM

1967

Promises to Keep poster
7.5

An aging cowboy returns to the family he abandoned 30 years ago with a terrifying secret.

Promises to Keep

1985

First Strike poster
6.0

A U.S. Navy submarine captain tries to prevent the Soviets from trying to launch World War III.

First Strike

1985

Lurking Fear poster
4.9

The storm-swept and depopulated town of Leffert’s Corners has been terrorized for decades by grotesque creatures that breed in the depths beneath the local cemetery. A group of townspeople have hatched a last-ditch plan to destroy the ghoul-infested graveyard, but their mission is interrupted by the arrival of a band of violent thieves intent on retrieving money hidden in one of the graves.

Lurking Fear

1994

This Girl for Hire poster
5.0

In this pilot for a proposed TV series, B.T. Brady is a flippant, but somewhat klutzy female private detective in Hollywood who sets out to solve the murder of a obnoxious mystery writer. Along the way, Brady gets help from her flamboyant mother Zandra, a washed-up actress, as well as Brady's live-in boyfriend Wolfe who runs a memorabilia shop.

This Girl for Hire

1983

When Hell Was in Session poster
7.5

This film describes Navy Commander Jeremiah Denton's 7-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war. Held in numerous, brutal POW camps, he faced starvation, torture and terrible living conditions brought on by his North Vietnamese captors in an effort to keep communication alive between the prisoners. His wife, Jane, is also arranging a POW wives league in the U.S. in order to popularize their plight.

When Hell Was in Session

1979

Illusions poster
4.6

Greg Sanderson is helping his wife, Jan, to recover from a nervous breakdown and revive their strained marriage. Their privacy is interrupted by the arrival of Greg's stunning and mysterious sister, Laura. Jan's paranoia deepens as she suspects that Greg's and her sister's relationship is too close. In her desperation, she confides her fears to the landlord but his weird reaction only creates more confusion.

Illusions

1992

Blood on the Arrow poster
4.4

In this western, the sole survivor of an Apache ambush rides out to save a young boy who has been captured. The hero was a captured outlaw en route to his trial.

Blood on the Arrow

1964

Call to Danger poster
9.0

A federal agent recruits a computer whiz to try to free a Mafia witness who has been kidnapped and held in a heavily fortified compound.

Call to Danger

1973