Jeff Corey

Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 — August 16, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.

Biography

Corey was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Mary (née Peskin) and Nathan Zwerling.^[1] After a Shakespearean stint in New York in the late 1930s, Corey made the move to Hollywood in 1940, where he became a highly respected character actor. One of his early TV appearances was in the pilot for Adventures of Superman, a 1950 feature film called Superman and the Mole Men, later edited to a two-part episode called The Unknown People. His portrayal of a xenophobic vigilante would coincidentally reflect what was about to happen to him.

His career was halted in the early 1950s, when he was summoned before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Corey refused to give names and went so far as to ridicule the panel by offering critiques of the testimony of the previous witnesses. This behaviour led to his being blacklisted for twelve years.

During his blacklisting, Corey drew upon his experience in various actors' workshops (including the Actors Lab, which he helped establish) by seeking work as an acting teacher. His reputation soon grew as one of the most influential teachers in Hollywood. His students, at various times, included: Robert Blake, Richard Chamberlain, James Dean, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, Michael Forest, James Hong, Penny Marshall, Rita Moreno, Jack Nicholson, Leonard Nimoy, Anthony Perkins, Rob Reiner, Barbra Streisand and Robin Williams.

In 1962, Corey began working in films again, and remained active into the 1990s. He made guest appearances in many TV shows. His best known appearances in the science fiction community were in The Outer Limits episode "O.B.I.T." and the Star Trek season 3 episode "The Cloud Minders" as High Advisor Plasus and on Babylon 5 as Justin in the season 3 finale "Z'ha'dum". Her also appeared in the short-lived Paper Moon, a sitcom about a father and his presumed daughter roaming through the American Midwest during the Great Depression trying to get rich quick.

In an interview in February 1973 on board the SS Universe Campus, of Chapman College, Corey detailed his TV work on Rod Serling's "Night Gallery". Up to this time he was proudest of this work for which he received an Emmy nomination.

Returning to one aspect of his acting roots, he can be seen directing some of the screen tests for Superman in the DVD extras.

References

External links

• Official Website
• Jeff Corey at the Internet Movie Database
• Back Stage West Interview