Ted Cassidy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ted Cassidy
Cassidy as Tarzan with Cheeta in Storybook Squares (1969)
Born	Theodore Crawford Cassidy (1932-07-31)July 31, 1932 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 16, 1979(1979-01-16) (aged 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Stetson University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1959–1979
Height	6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Spouse(s)	Margaret Helen Jesse ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1975)​
Children	2

Theodore Crawford Cassidy (born July 31, 1932 – died January 16, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for being very tall, at 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm). He also had a unique face and a very deep voice. These features were due to a medical condition called acromegaly.

Ted Cassidy often played unusual characters. He appeared in science fiction shows like Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. His most famous role was Lurch on The Addams Family in the 1960s. He also narrated The Incredible Hulk TV series. He even voiced The Hulk in the first two seasons.

Early life and education

Ted Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Philippi, West Virginia. He was a very smart kid. He went to third grade when he was only six years old. When he was 11, he played on his high school's football and basketball teams.

After high school, Ted went to West Virginia Wesleyan College. He later moved to Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. There, he played college basketball for the Hatters. He was also active in the student government.

Career highlights

After college, Ted Cassidy earned a degree in speech and drama. He married Margaret Helen Jesse in 1956. They moved to Dallas, Texas. His acting career began when he worked as a radio DJ. He also appeared on TV, playing an alien character named Creech. He was one of the first reporters to interview people after the John F. Kennedy assassination.

Television roles

Cassidy (right) as Lurch in The Addams Family with Jackie Coogan in 1966

Ted Cassidy's height helped him get unique acting roles. His most famous part was Lurch on The Addams Family. He pretended to play the harpsichord on the show. In real life, he was a skilled organ player. He also played the character called Thing.

Lurch was originally supposed to be silent. But Ted Cassidy famously ad-libbed the line "You rang?". This line became very popular right away. It became his signature phrase. After that, Lurch was given more lines in the show. Some episodes were even written to feature Lurch more.

Ted Cassidy played Lurch again in other shows. He appeared as Lurch in an episode of Batman in 1966. He also voiced Lurch in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972). He lent his voice to the 1973 animated series of The Addams Family.

Besides The Addams Family, Cassidy worked on many other TV shows. He played Injun Joe in The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He was a bad guy named Edgar in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. He also voiced characters in Star Trek. These included the aggressive Balok and the Gorn. He also played the android Ruk.

Ted Cassidy appeared in The Beverly Hillbillies as a gardener. He was in Mannix and Daniel Boone. He played two different characters in I Dream of Jeannie. In The Six Million Dollar Man, he played Bigfoot. He provided the body and voice for the character.

Voice acting and films

Ted Cassidy was a busy voice actor for Hanna-Barbera Studios. He voiced Frankenstein Jr. in Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles. He was also the voice of Meteor Man in Birdman and the Galaxy Trio. He voiced Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing, in The New Fantastic Four.

He provided the roars and growls for Godzilla in the 1979 cartoon series. He also voiced Montaro in Jana of the Jungle. His deep voice was used for Black Manta and Brainiac in Super Friends. He was the original voice of Moltar and Metallus in Space Ghost.

His last voice role was King Thun in Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All. For The Incredible Hulk TV series, he narrated the opening. He also made the Hulk's famous growls and roars.

Ted Cassidy also acted in movies. Some of his films include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Mackenna's Gold (1969). He also helped write the movie The Harrad Experiment (1973). In 1965, he released a record with two songs. One of them was called "The Lurch". He performed this song on TV shows like Shivaree! and Shindig!.

Later life and death

Ted Cassidy had a medical condition called acromegaly. This condition caused his tall height, deep voice, and unique facial features. A tumor formed in his heart because of this condition. He had surgery to remove it in Los Angeles.

Sadly, complications happened a few days later. Ted Cassidy passed away on January 16, 1979, at the age of 46. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in his backyard.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Ted Cassidy para niños