William H. Marshall

William H. Marshall
Birth name	William Horace Marshall
Born	August 19 1924(1924--) Gary, Indiana
Died	June 11 2003 (aged 78) Los Angeles, California

William H. Marshall (19 August 1924 – 11 June 2003) was an American actor, director and opera singer. He is best known for his title role in the 1972 blaxploitation classic, Blacula. In some of his films, he was credited as Bill Marshall.

Marshall was born in Gary, Indiana, and later lived north of Hanson Dam in Pacoima, California. His film career spanned from 1952 through 1996. He had a commanding height of 6 ft 5 inches, and a deep bass voice.

William H. Marhsall played Mamuwalde in "Blacula" 1972 and "Scream Blacula Scream" 1973

Although trained as a classical actor, and having performed in Shakespeare plays many times on the stage, Marshall received widespread fame for his role in the vampire film Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream, as well as his parts in a number of 1950s Tarzan films in which he played tribal chiefs, including 1954's Demetrius and the Gladiators. Marshall later played the highly-memorable King of Cartoons on Pee-wee's Playhouse, replacing actor Gilbert Lewis, during the 1980s. (The character's catch phrase "Let...the cartoooon...begin!" became immensely popular). He played the Video Pirate Captain in 1987's comedyAmazon Women On The Moon. He is also remembered by television viewers for his roles as Dr. Richard Daystrom in the Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer" and as travelling opera singer Thomas Bowers on Bonanza.

Marshall died from complications arising from Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by four children: Tariq Marshall, his youngest son, Gina Loring, his daughter, Malcolm Juarez Marshall, and Claude Marshall.

External links

• William H. Marshall at the Internet Movie Database

• William H. Marshall article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• The Associated Press. "'Blacula' Actor Dead At 78", 16 June 2003. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.  Via CBS News.

Donate to Wikimedia