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Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey in Only the Valiant (1951).jpg
Corey in Only the Valiant (1951)
Born
Arthur Zwerling

(1914-08-10)August 10, 1914
New York City, U.S.
Died August 16, 2002(2002-08-16) (aged 88)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Actor
  • acting teacher
Years active 1938–2000
Spouse(s)
Hope Corey
​
​
(m. 1938)​
Children 3

Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American actor. He performed on stage and in movies. Later, he became a very respected acting teacher. This happened after his career was stopped in the 1950s because of a time called the Hollywood Blacklist.

Early Life and Acting Career

Jeff Corey was born Arthur Zwerling in New York City. He went to New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. There, he was very active in the school's drama club.

In the mid-1930s, he acted with the Clare Tree Major Children's Theater. When he started making films, his agent suggested he change his name. So, Arthur Zwerling became Jeff Corey.

Corey worked with other actors and directors who had similar political views. He even attended some meetings of the Communist Party, but he never officially joined. He also served in the United States Navy during World War II.

His book, Improvising Out Loud: My Life Teaching Hollywood How To Act, tells his life story. He wrote it with his daughter, Emily Corey. His friend and former student, Leonard Nimoy, wrote the introduction for the book.

Moving to Hollywood

In 1940, Jeff Corey moved to Hollywood. He became a character actor. This means he often played interesting or unusual supporting roles, not always the main hero.

One of his film roles was in Superman and the Mole Men (1951). This movie was later made into a two-part TV episode for The Adventures of Superman. Corey played a character who was suspicious of strangers. This was a bit like what would soon happen to him in real life. Before that, he also appeared in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).

The Hollywood Blacklist

Jeff Corey's acting career stopped in the early 1950s. This was because he was called to speak before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This committee was looking for people they thought were Communists in the entertainment industry.

Corey refused to name any people he knew who might have been involved with the Communist Party. He even made fun of the committee during his testimony. Because of this, he was put on a "blacklist" for 12 years. Being blacklisted meant he was not allowed to work in Hollywood films or TV shows.

During this time, Corey used his experience from acting workshops. He started working as an acting teacher. He quickly became one of the most important acting teachers in Hollywood. Many famous actors learned from him.

Some of his students included:

Returning to Acting

In 1962, Jeff Corey was able to work in films again. He continued acting into the 1990s.

He played many memorable roles, such as:

In Seconds (1966), he played a wealthy executive who chose to start a new life with a new identity. He also played Wild Bill Hickok in Little Big Man (1970). Corey even directed some screen tests for the movie Superman (1978). He played Lex Luthor in some of these try-outs.

Television Appearances

Jeff Corey made many guest appearances on popular TV shows. He was in an episode of Perry Mason in 1964.

He also appeared in several science-fiction series:

Corey played Dr. Miles Talmadge in the show Night Gallery in 1970. He was very proud of this work and even received an Emmy nomination for it.

In the 1970s, he played Dr. Scott Rivers on The Bob Newhart Show (1973). He also appeared in the short-lived series Paper Moon (1974).

In the 1980s, Corey continued to act on TV. He played a judge on Newhart (1984). He also played a man who believed he was Santa Claus on Night Court (1984). Later, he played another judge on Night Court in 1986.

In 1994, Jeff Corey was the voice of the villain Silvermane in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Radio Work

In the past, before TV was common, Jeff Corey acted on radio. He played Detective Lieutenant Ybarra on the crime drama The Adventures of Philip Marlowe from 1947 to 1951.

Personal Life and Death

Jeff Corey and his wife, Hope, were married for 64 years. He passed away on August 16, 2002, at the age of 88.

Filmography

Film

  • I Am the Law (1938) as Thug (uncredited)
  • ...One Third of a Nation... (1939) as Man in Crowd at Fir (uncredited)
  • Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) as Johann (uncredited)
  • Bitter Sweet (1940) as Second Man on Stairs (uncredited)
  • You'll Find Out (1940) as Mr. Corey (uncredited)
  • Petticoat Politics (1941) as Henry Trotter
  • The Lady from Cheyenne (1941) as Reporter (uncredited)
  • Mutiny in the Arctic (1941) as The Cook
  • The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) as Tom Sharp (uncredited)
  • You Belong to Me (1941) as Mr. Greener (uncredited)
  • Paris Calling (1941) as Secretary (uncredited)
  • North to the Klondike (1942) as Lafe Jordan
  • Roxie Hart (1942) as Orderly (uncredited)
  • Who Is Hope Schuyler? (1942) as Medical Examiner
  • The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1942) as Coroner Tim Larsen
  • Small Town Deb (1942) as Hector
  • Syncopation (1942) as Kit's Attorney (uncredited)
  • The Postman Didn't Ring (1942) as Harwood Green
  • Girl Trouble (1942) as Mr. Mooney (uncredited)
  • Tennessee Johnson (1942) as Captain (uncredited)
  • Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) as Crypt Keeper (uncredited)
  • The Moon Is Down (1943) as Albert (uncredited)
  • Aerial Gunner (1943) as Flight Crew Member (uncredited)
  • My Friend Flicka (1943) as Tim Murphy
  • Somewhere in the Night (1946) as Bank Teller (uncredited)
  • Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) as Reporter (uncredited)
  • It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1946) as Sam Black (uncredited)
  • Rendezvous with Annie (1946) as Howard (uncredited)
  • The Killers (1946) as "Blinky" Franklin (uncredited)
  • The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) as Stenographer (uncredited)
  • California (1947) as Clem (uncredited)
  • Ramrod (1947) as Bice
  • Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as Reporter (uncredited)
  • Brute Force (1947) as Freshman Stack
  • Hoppy's Holiday (1947) as Jed
  • Unconquered (1947) as Trapper (uncredited)
  • The Flame (1947) as Stranger (uncredited)
  • The Gangster (1947) as Karty's Brother-in-Law (uncredited)
  • Alias a Gentleman (1948) as Zu
  • The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948) as Joshua Hill
  • Let's Live Again (1948) as Bartender
  • Homecoming (1948) as Cigarette Smoker (uncredited)
  • I, Jane Doe (1948) as Immigration Officer (uncredited)
  • Canon City (1948) as Carl Schwartzmiller
  • A Southern Yankee (1948) as Union Cavalry Sergeant (uncredited)
  • Joan of Arc (1948) as Prison Guard
  • Kidnapped (1948) as Shaun
  • Wake of the Red Witch (1948) as Mr. Loring
  • Hideout (1949) as Beecham
  • City Across the River (1949) as Police Lieutenant Louie Macon
  • Roughshod (1949) as Jed Graham
  • Home of the Brave (1949) as Doctor
  • Follow Me Quietly (1949) as Police Sgt. Art Collins
  • Scene of the Crime (1949) as Man Arrested with Switchblade (uncredited)
  • Bagdad (1949) as Mohammed Jao
  • The Nevadan (1950) as Bart
  • Singing Guns (1950) as Richards
  • The Outriders (1950) as Keeley
  • Rock Island Trail (1950) as Abraham Lincoln
  • Bright Leaf (1950) as John Barton
  • The Next Voice You Hear... (1950) as Freddie Dibson
  • Fourteen Hours (1951) as Police Sgt. Farley
  • Rawhide (1951) as Luke Davis
  • Only the Valiant (1951) as Joe Harmony
  • New Mexico (1951) as Coyote
  • Sirocco (1951) as Feisal (uncredited)
  • The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951) as Emir Mokar
  • Never Trust a Gambler (1951) as Lou Brecker
  • Red Mountain (1951) as Sgt. Skee
  • Superman and the Mole Men (1951) as Luke Benson
  • The Balcony (1963) as Bishop
  • The Yellow Canary (1963) as Joe Pyle
  • Lady in a Cage (1964) as George L. Brady Jr. aka Repent
  • The Treasure of the Aztecs (1965) as Abraham Lincoln
  • Pyramid of the Sun God (1965) (uncredited)
  • Once a Thief (1965) as Lt. Kebner SFPD
  • Mickey One (1965) as Larry Fryer
  • The Cincinnati Kid (1965) as Hoban
  • Seconds (1966) as Mr. Ruby
  • In Cold Blood (1967) as Mr. Hickock
  • Impasse (1969) as Wombat
  • True Grit (1969) as Tom Chaney
  • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) as Sheriff Bledsoe
  • Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) as Caspay
  • Getting Straight (1970) as Dr. Edward Willhunt
  • They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) as Captain Marden
  • Cover Me Babe (1970) as Paul
  • Little Big Man (1970) as Wild Bill Hickok
  • Clay Pigeon (1971) as Clinic Doctor
  • Shoot Out (1971) as Trooper
  • Catlow (1971) as Merridew
  • Something Evil (1972, TV Movie) as Gehrmann
  • Paper Tiger (1975) as Mr. King
  • Banjo Hackett: Roamin' Free (1976) as Judge Janeway
  • The Premonition (1976) as Lieutenant Mark Denver
  • The Last Tycoon (1976) as Doctor
  • Rooster: Spurs of Death! (1977) as Kink
  • Moonshine County Express (1977) as Hagen
  • Curse of the Black Widow (1977, TV Movie) as Aspa Soldado
  • Oh, God! (1977) as Rabbi Silverstone
  • Captains Courageous (1977, TV Movie) as Salters
  • Jennifer (1978) as Luke Baylor
  • The Wild Geese (1978) as Mr. Martin
  • The Pirate (1978, TV Movie) as Prince Feiyad
  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979) as Sheriff Ray Bledsoe
  • Up River (1979) as Bagshaw
  • Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) as Zed
  • The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) as Craccus
  • Conan the Destroyer (1984) as Grand Vizier
  • Creator (1985) as Dean Harrington
  • Fist of the North Star (1986, Streamline) as Ryuuken / Narrator (1991) (English version, voice)
  • Tajna manastirske rakije (1988) as Colonel Frazier
  • Messenger of Death (1988) as Willis Beecham
  • Bird on a Wire (1990) as Lou Baird
  • The Judas Project (1990) as Poneras
  • Ruby Cairo (1992) as Joe Dick
  • Beethoven's 2nd (1993) as Gus, the Janitor
  • Color of Night (1994) as Ashland
  • Surviving the Game (1994) as Hank
  • American Hero (1997)
  • Ted (1998) as Professor

Television

  • The Outer Limits – season one, episode seven – "O.B.I.T." – Byron Lomax (1963)
  • The Wild Wild West – two episodes:
    • "The Night of a Thousand Eyes" – Captain Ansel Coffin (1965)
    • "The Night of the Underground Terror" – Colonel Tacitus Mosely (1968)
  • Bonanza – two episodes:
    • Season eight, episode 13 – "The Bridegroom" – Tuck Dowling (1966)
    • Season 12, episode 15 – "A Single Pilgrim" – Frank Brennan (1971)
  • Star Trek – season three, episode 21 – "The Cloud Minders" – Plasus (1969)
  • Hawaii Five-O – two episodes:
    • "King of the Hill" – Doctor William Hanson (1969)
    • "Highest Castle, Deepest Grave" – Duncan (1971)
  • Gunsmoke – episode – "The Night Riders" – Judge Procter (1969)
  • Night Gallery – episode – "The Dead Man" – Dr. Miles Talmadge (1970)
  • Mannix – episode – "Overkill" – Paul Sorenson (1971)
  • Alias Smith and Jones – two episodes (1972):
    • "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg" (Director)
    • "The Day the Amnesty Came Through" – Governor George W. Baxter
  • Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color – episode – "The High Flying Spy: Part 1" – Gen. McClellan (1972)
  • Search – episode – "Short Circuit" – Dr. Carl Moen (1972)
  • Police Story – episode – "The Big Walk" – Defense Attorney (1973)
  • Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law – episode – "Poor Children of Eve" – Monsignor Morell (1973)
  • The Bob Newhart Show – episode – "Old Man Rivers" – Doctor Scott Rivers (1973)
  • Hawkins – episode – "Murder on the 13th Floor" (1974)
  • Paper Moon – episode – "Impostor" – Jeb Crew (1974)
  • The Six Million Dollar Man – episode – "Lost Love" – Orin Thatcher (1975)
  • Starsky and Hutch – episode – "Death Ride" – Andrew Mello (1975)
  • Kojak – episode – "A House of Prayer, a Den of Thieves" – Frank Raynor (1975)
  • McCloud – episode – "Our Man in the Harem" – Sheik Kipal (1976)
  • The Bionic Woman – episode – "The Night Demon" – Thomas Bearclaw (1977)
  • Testimony of Two Men – William Simpson (1977)
  • Greatest Heroes of the Bible – episode – "David & Goliath" – Saul (1978)
  • Fantasy Island – episode – "Let the Goodtimes Roll/Nightmare/The Tiger" – Tibur (uncredited) (1978)
  • Barney Miller – two episodes:
    • "The Prisoner" – Ralph Timmons (1978)
    • "The Desk" – Caleb Webber (1979)
  • One Day at a Time – episode – "Grandma Leaves Grandpa" – Mr. Romano (1979)
  • Little House on the Prairie – two episodes:
    • "Barn Burner" – Judge Parker (1979)
    • "Blind Justice" – Edgar Mills (1981)
  • Night Court – two episodes:
    • "Santa Goes Downtown" – Santa (1984)
    • "The Night Off" – Judge Hirsch (1986)
  • Simon & Simon – episode – "Slither" – Police Sgt. Spencer (1985)
  • The A-Team – episode – "Family Reunion" – A.J. Bancroft (1986)
  • Perfect Strangers – episode – "Taking Stock" – Henry Casselman (1987)
  • War of the Worlds – episode – "Eye for an Eye" – Francis Flannery (1988)
  • Jake and the Fatman – episode – "It All Depends on You" – Judge Ralph Colella (1989)
  • Beauty and the Beast – episode – "The Reckoning" – Winston Burke

(1989)

  • Roseanne - Season 1, Episode 21 - "Death and Stuff" - Salesman (1989)

(1990)

  • Picket Fences – episode – "This Little Piggy" – The Captain (1995)
  • The Marshal – season one, episode seven – "The Bounty Hunter" – Alex Cooper (1995)
  • Spider-Man: The Animated Series – two seasons, five episodes – voice of Elderly Silvermane (1995–1997):
    • Season two (Neogenic Nightmare)
      • "Chapter 1: The Insidious Six"
      • "Chapter 2: Battle of the Insidious Six"
      • "Chapter 11: Tablet of Time"
      • "Chapter 12: Ravages of Time"
    • Season four (Partners in Danger)
      • "Chapter 5: Partners"
  • Babylon 5 – season three (Point of No Return), episode 22 – "Z'ha'dum" – Justin (1996)

Other Credits

  • The Adventures of Philip Marlowe – radio series – Lieutenant Ebarra ("various times" (1948–1951))
  • Inside Magoo – animated short – voice of Doctor (1960)
  • Alias Smith and Jones – director – episodes – "The Men That Corrupted Hadleyburg" and "The Day the Amnesty Came Through" (1972)

Images for kids

  • Jeff Corey in Only the Valiant (1951)

    Corey in Only the Valiant (1951)

See also

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