William Marshall (actor)
William Marshall | |
---|---|
Born | William Horace Marshall August 19, 1924 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
Died | June 11, 2003 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 78)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1944–1996 |
Children | 4 |
Awards | Emmy Award (1974) |
William Horace Marshall (August 19, 1924 – June 11, 2003) was an American actor, director and opera singer. He played the title role in the 1972
Biography
Early life
Marshall was born in Gary, Indiana,[2] to Vereen Marshall, a dentist, and Thelma (née Edwards).[3]
He attended
Career
Marshall made his Broadway debut in 1944 in
In 1968, Marshall joined the Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles to play Othello in a jazz musical version, Catch My Soul, with Jerry Lee Lewis as Iago.[7]
Marshall portrayed Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass on stage. He researched Douglass's life extensively, and in 1983 produced and played the lead role in Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman.[8]
Film and television career
Marshall's career on screen began in the 1952 film
In the early 1950s, Marshall starred briefly in Harlem Detective, a series about black police officers. The show was canceled when Marshall was named as a communist in the anti-communist newsletter Counterattack.[9]
Despite blacklisting because of his supposed communist connections, Marshall continued to appear in both television and films. He appeared on the British spy series Danger Man in episodes titled "Deadline" (1962) and "The Galloping Major" (1964). Marshall played the role of traveling opera singer Thomas Bowers in the 1964 Bonanza episode "Enter Thomas Bowers," and that same year he appeared, with actor Ivan Dixon, as the leader of a newly independent African nation and as a T.H.R.U.S.H. agent in the first-season episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. entitled "The Vulcan Affair", also on the 1964 Rawhide episode "Incident at Seven Fingers" where he played a Buffalo Soldier. In 1968, he appeared as Dr. Richard Daystrom in the Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer".[10] In 1969, he had a special guest appearance as the character Amalek in an episode of The Wild Wild West entitled "The Night of the Egyptian Queen". He reprised his Othello persona in 1979 on Steve Allen's "Meeting of the Minds".
He won two local Emmys for producing and performing in a
Marshall played the
In 1985, guest starred on Benson as Mr. Reaper (death) season 7, episode 4 "The Stranger".
Later life and death
In addition to acting and producing, Marshall taught acting at various universities including the
For 42 years, Marshall was the partner of Sylvia Gussin Jarrico, former wife of blacklisted screenwriter Paul Jarrico. Marshall died on June 11, 2003, from complications arising from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. He was survived by sons Tariq, Malcolm, and Claude Marshall and daughter Gina Loring. Eulogists at his funeral included Sidney Poitier, Ivan Dixon, Paul Winfield, and Marla Gibbs.[11]
Awards
In 1974, Marshall won two local Emmys for producing and performing in a PBS production, As Adam Early in the Morning, a theatre piece originally performed on stage. [12]
Filmography
- Lydia Bailey (1952) – King Dick
- Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) – Glycon
- Something of Value (1957) – Leader – Intellectual in Suit
- Sabu and the Magic Ring (1957) – Ubal, the genie
- La fille de feu (1958) – Stork
- The Big Pride (1961) – Sutlej
- Piedra de toque (1963) – African Missionary (uncredited)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour(1964) (Season 2 Episode 17: "The Jar") - Jahdoo
- To Trap a Spy (1964) – Sekue Ashumen
- The Hell with Heroes (1968) – Al Poland
- The Boston Strangler (1968) – Atty. Gen. Edward W. Brooke
- Skullduggery (1970) – Attorney General
- The Mask of Sheba (1970) – Captain Condor Sekallie
- Zig Zag (1970) – Morris Bronson
- Honky (1971) – Dr. Craig Smith
- Blacula (1972) – Blacula / Mamuwalde
- Scream Blacula Scream (1973) – Blacula / Mamuwalde
- Abby (1974) – Bishop Garnet Williams
- Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977) – William Klinger – Attorney General
- The Great Skycopter Rescue (1980) – Mr. Jason
- The Tragedy of Othello (1981) – Othello
- Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter (1986) – Dr. Dean
- Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) – Pirate Captain (segment "Video Pirates")
- Maverick (1994) – Riverboat Poker Player #10
- Sorceress (1995) – John Geiger
- Dinosaur Valley Girls (1996) – Dr. Benjamin Michaels
References
- ^ a b c "N/A". Long Beach Press-Telegram. May 26, 1952. p. 27.
- ^ Sebastian, Simone M. (June 22, 2003). "William Marshall, 78, Stage, screen actor starred in 'Blacula'". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b "William Marshall Biography (1924–2003)". filmreference.com. July 1, 2015.
- ^ "William Marshall Biography (1924–2003)". CNN. Associated Press. June 17, 2003. Archived from the original on June 20, 2003.
- ^ "William Marshall Biography (1924–2003)". Internet Broadway Database. July 1, 2015.
- ^ "William Marshall, 'Blacula' actor, succumbs at 78". Jet Magazine. June 30, 2003. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-8154-1041-6.
- ^ "1983 Peabody Awards entry form". Hargrett Library, University of Georgia. 1983.
- ISBN 978-0-671-24848-2.
- ^ Kaye, Don (September 16, 2016). "The 17 best Star Trek: The Original Series guest stars (hero or villain)". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "N/A". EXo News. July 9, 2003.
- ^ "William Marshall to appear in 'As Adam Early in the Morning'" (PDF). library.ucsd.edu. May 24, 1974.
External links
- William Marshall at IMDb
- William Marshall at the Internet Broadway Database
- William Marshall at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- In Loving Memory Of William-Marshall
- William Marshall at Memory Alpha
- The Associated Press (June 16, 2003). "'Blacula' Actor Dead At 78". CBS News. Retrieved September 17, 2007.