Theodore Marcuse

Theodore Marcuse

actor

Theodore Marcuse was born on Aug 02, 1920 in USA. Theodore Marcuse's big-screen debut came with Jeanne Eagels directed by George Sidney in 1957, strarring Dr. Richards (uncredited). Theodore Marcuse is known for Ironside directed by James Goldstone, Raymond Burr stars as Robert Ironside and Geraldine Brooks as Honor Thompson. The upcoming new movie Theodore Marcuse plays is The Picasso Summer which will be released on Jan 01, 1969.

One of the memorable purveyors of screen villainy in the '60s, Theo graduated with a B.A. and M.A. in classical literature from Stanford University and was at one time artist-in-residence. The son of fur designer Theodore Meyer Marcuse (1893-1983), he served with distinction as a lieutenant aboard the USS Tirante during World War II, earning himself a Silver Star and other citations for bravery. After the war, he trained as an actor with the company of Guthrie McClintic. Specializing in Shakespearean roles, he made his Broadway debut in 1947 with "Antony and Cleopatra" (as Demetrius) opposite Katharine Cornell. He then appeared in "Medea"' (1949) with Judith Anderson, again staged and produced by McClintock; and "King Richard II" (1951) with Betsy Blair and Maurice Evans. At the 1959 Oregon Shakespearean Festival Theo acted in both "Twelfth Night" and in "The Life and Death of King John"'.His classical training stood him in good stead for the menacing roles he was tasked to play on screen, added to which was his somewhat sinister, bald-pated and shifty-eyed appearance. He also looked quite a bit older than his years may have suggested. Theo spent a long time serving his apprenticeship in smallish parts until he established a reputation as a skilled dialectician, ideally cast as assorted eastern Europeans, arrogant Nazi officers or crime figures of Arabic, Italian or Jewish extraction. He frequently veered towards comedic interpretations of villainy, notably for Max la menace (1965) and Stalag 13 (1965). His Zoltan Schubach in the spy spoof Les Plus Dingues des Agents Secrets (1966) (almost certainly a parody of Bond super villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld) may well have inspired the Austin Powers character Dr. Evil.On occasion, Theo escaped his typecasting. He was particularly effective as the sympathetic scientist Dr. Noel Markham in "The Leeches", one of the best early episodes of Les envahisseurs (1967). He is particularly well-remembered as Korob, an extra-galactic life-form in humanoid shape who captured several crew members of the Enterprise in the Star Trek (1966) episode "Catspaw"'. Theo's life was tragically cut short at the age of 47 as a result of a car crash while driving under the influence.

  • Birthday

    Aug 02, 1920
  • Place of Birth

    Seattle, Washington, USA

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