McMullan's early life was marked by a creative spark, as he spent his childhood in Long Beach, Long Island, always inventing, building, and creating something new. This innate curiosity led him to pursue higher education in art, design, and architecture at New York University and Parsons School of Design, before transferring to Kansas University's School of Architecture, where he delved into design, sculpture, art history, and even theatre.
During his college years, McMullan's passion for acting was ignited after being coaxed into playing the lead in a college production of "Desire Under the Elms" by Eugene O'Neill. He went on to spend much of his free time honing his craft, and eventually graduated from the University of Kansas in 1961 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.
McMullan's big break came in 1961 when he was given a screen test for Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962),which led to a seven-year contract with Universal Pictures. He went on to star in numerous TV pilots, opposite James Stewart in the classic Shenandoah (1965),and had a recurring role on the popular nighttime soap Dallas (1978) as Senator Dowling.
Throughout his career, McMullan appeared in hundreds of TV series, movies, and commercials, earning a reputation as a versatile and talented actor. He guest-starred in over 150 TV shows, including MacGyver (1985),Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989),The Six Million Dollar Man (1974),and Hart to Hart (1979).
In addition to his acting career, McMullan co-wrote the highly acclaimed coffee-table book "Actors As Artists" with Dick Gautier, a tribute to 77 stars of stage and screen who are gifted visual artists.
Later in life, McMullan expanded his creative endeavors to include a stint as Buffalo Bill in the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show" at Disneyland Paris from 1998 to 2002. He retired to a small town on the New Jersey shore with his wife, Helene, until his passing in California in 2019.
