William Marshall (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Marshall
Marshall in 1951
Born	William Horace Marshall (1924-08-19)August 19, 1924 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 11, 2003(2003-06-11) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1996
Children	4
Awards	Emmy Award (1974)

William Horace Marshall (born August 19, 1924 – died June 11, 2003) was a talented American actor, director, and opera singer. He was very tall, standing at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 meters), and had a deep, powerful bass voice.

Marshall became famous for playing the main character in the vampire movie Blacula (1972) and its follow-up, Scream Blacula Scream (1973). He also appeared as the King of Cartoons on the TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse in the 1980s. Many Star Trek fans remember him as Dr. Richard Daystrom.

William Marshall's Life Story

Early Years

William Marshall as De Lawd in The Green Pastures (1951)

William Marshall was born in Gary, Indiana. His father, Vereen Marshall, was a dentist, and his mother was Thelma Edwards.

He first went to New York University to study art. But he soon changed his mind and moved to the Actors Studio to learn about acting. He also studied at the American Theatre Wing and with a famous teacher named Sanford Meisner.

Acting Career

Marshall started his acting career on Broadway in 1944 in a play called Carmen Jones. In 1950, he was the understudy for Boris Karloff in the Broadway show Peter Pan. This meant he was ready to play Captain Hook if Karloff couldn't.

He played a very important role, De Lawd, in the 1951 play The Green Pastures. He even played this role again for a BBC television show in 1958. Marshall also performed in many plays by William Shakespeare in the U.S. and Europe. He played the main character, Othello, in at least six different productions. A famous critic, Harold Hobson, said Marshall's Othello was "the best Othello of our time."

In 1968, Marshall joined a theater group in Los Angeles. He played Othello again in a jazz musical version called Catch My Soul.

Marshall also played important historical figures on stage. He acted as Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass. He studied Douglass's life very carefully. In 1983, he created and starred in a play about Douglass called Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman.

Movies and TV Shows

William Marshall started his movie career in 1952 in Lydia Bailey. He played a Haitian leader. He then had a big role in the 1954 movie Demetrius and the Gladiators. His strong presence, voice, and height helped him play many different kinds of characters. He was often chosen for roles that showed strength and leadership.

He played a leader in Something of Value (1957). He also played Attorney General Edward Brooke in The Boston Strangler (1968). But he is probably best known for his roles in the vampire movies Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream.

In the early 1950s, Marshall was in a TV series called Harlem Detective. This show was about Black police officers. However, the show was stopped because Marshall was wrongly accused of having certain political connections. Even though he was accused, Marshall kept getting roles in TV and movies.

He appeared in the British spy series Danger Man in 1962 and 1964. In 1964, he played an opera singer on the TV show Bonanza. That same year, he was on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Rawhide. In 1968, he was Dr. Richard Daystrom in the Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer". He also appeared in The Wild Wild West in 1969.

Marshall won two local Emmy Awards for a TV show he produced and starred in called As Adam Early in the Morning. He also appeared in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

In the 1980s, Marshall became the King of Cartoons on the popular children's show Pee-wee's Playhouse. In 1985, he was a guest star on the TV show Benson.

Later Life and Passing

Besides acting and producing, William Marshall also taught acting. He taught at universities like the University of California, Irvine. He also taught at the Mufandi Institute, which is an arts and music school for African-Americans in Los Angeles. In 1992, another arts foundation in Chicago honored him as one of the important men of the 20th century.

William Marshall passed away on June 11, 2003. He was survived by his sons Tariq, Malcolm, and Claude Marshall, and his daughter Gina Loring. Famous actors like Sidney Poitier and Paul Winfield spoke at his funeral.

Awards

• Emmy Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series, As Adam Early in the Morning (1974).

Filmography