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Quick Facts
- NAME: William Marshall
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor
- BIRTH DATE: August 19, 1924
- DEATH DATE: June 11, 2003
- EDUCATION: Governors State University, New York University
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Gary, Indiana
- PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
Best Known For
Film actor. William Marshall was an actor best known for his lead role in the legendary blaxploitation film Blacula.
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Play NowWilliam Marshall. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:55, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171.
William Marshall. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"William Marshall." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 09:55 http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171.
"William Marshall," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"William Marshall," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171 (accessed May 20, 2013).
William Marshall [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171.
William Marshall, http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171 (last visited May 20, 2013).
William Marshall. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/william-marshall-20675171. Accessed May 20, 2013.
Synopsis
After making his stage debut in 1944, actor William Marshall began his film career in 1952. He made his permanent mark on cinema history in 1972, when he took on the lead role in Blacula, the first blaxploitation horror film.
Early Years
Born on August 19, 1924, in Gary, Indiana, William Marshall graduated from Governors State University and attended New York University, where he studied art. He later trained for the theater at the Actors Studio, at the American Theatre Wing, and at the Neighborhood Playhouse, making his Broadway debut in 1944 in Carmen Jones.
On the Stage
William Marshall took on Shakespearean roles many times on American and European stages, including the title role in at least six productions of Othello. The London Sunday Times called Marshall’s Othello "the best Othello of our time," outdoing his contemporaries on a range of criteria. He also memorably portrayed Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass on stage, researching Douglass’s life extensively for the role.
Big Screen and TV
Marshall's career on the big screen began in 1952 with a role in Lydia Bailey (1952). He followed that with a prominent role as Glycon, a fellow gladiator fighting alongside Victor Mature in Demetrius and The Gladiators (1954). His general demeanor, deep baritone voice, and impressive physical stature gave him a wide range: He played everything from Attorney General Edward Brooke in The Boston Strangler (1968) and a leader of the Mau-Mau uprising in Something of Value (1957) to various roles on Star Trek (1968), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964/1967), and The Wild Wild West (1968). He also was featured in “The Jar” (1964), an episode of the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and on the British spy series Danger Man (1962).
Blacula
William Marshall received his most widespread and lasting fame for his role in the vampire film Blacula and its sequel, Scream Blacula Scream, in which he played the first black vampire to appear in film. Blacula received mixed reviews but was a top box office draw that year. Its status as a touchstone of both blaxploitation and blaxploitation horror films, however, cannot be overstated, as it was both influential and memorable.
Later Years
In the 1980s, Marshall played the King of Cartoons on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and his catchphrase "Let...the cartoooon...begin!" became hugely popular. Marshall also taught acting at various universities and did similar work at Chicago's eta Creative Arts Foundation, which named him one of its Epic Men of the 20th Century in 1992. Marshall died June 11, 2003, in Los Angeles from complications arising from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
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