Don Marshall (actor)

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Donald James Marshall (May 2, 1936 – October 30, 2016) was an American actor best known for his role as Dan Erickson in the television show Land of the Giants.

Early life

Marshall was born on May 2, 1936, to father Ernest Overton Marshall (1910–1992) and mother Alma Louise Marshall (née Williams 1912–1993) in San Diego.[1][2] He lived with his father, mother, maternal grandmother Leola Williams, his two older sisters (Leola Marceline and Ernestine), and his twin brother (Douglas).[2][3] He graduated from San Diego High School in 1954.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

While studying engineering[1] between 1956 and 1957, he was encouraged to try acting by a friend, Peter Bren. Marshall was still in the army at this time,[2] but later studied acting at the Bob Gist Dramatic Workshop, while taking a course in theatre arts at Los Angeles City College.[2][4] While at college, he was a pole vaulter on the track team.[5]

Career

1960s

Marshall's first professional role was in a 1962 Columbia Studios feature The Interns in an uncredited role.[6] In 1964, he was in Shock Treatment, another uncredited role.[7] Also in 1964, Marshall took the role of Chris Logan, playing opposite Nichelle Nichols in CBS Repertoire Workshop episode titled "Great Gettin' Up Mornin'", a made-for-TV-movie about an African-American family preparing their children for their first day at a racially integrated school in America's South.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn That same year, Nichols played Marshall's fiancée in a controversial episode of Gene Roddenberry's series The Lieutenant. In 1965, Marshall appeared in a pilot for a series Premiere in the episode "Braddock". In 1966, he appeared as recurring character Luke in Daktari.

Later in the 1960s he appeared in Roddenberry's next series, Star Trek portraying Lieutenant Boma in the episode "The Galileo Seven" (1967).[8] Other TV series he appeared in were Tarzan (the series with Ron Ely), Dragnet 1967, and Ironside.

In 1968, he appeared as Ted Neumann, the recurring love interest of Julia Baker, in four episodes of the television series Julia, a series about an African-American widow raising her son on her own.

Land of the Giants

As a result of appearing in Premiere in the episode "Braddock", the actor met Irwin Allen, leading to Marshall gaining his role in Land of the Giants, in which he performed alongside Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Kurt Kasznar, Stefan Arngrim, Deanna Lund, and Heather Young.[4][5] The series, created by Irwin Allen, featured Marshall as a competent African-American in a leading role.[9] This was also a first for an African-American male in the 1960s to be featured so prominently in science fiction.[10] The only other African-American actors to be in such a position in the 1960s were Nichelle Nichols, known for her role as Lt. Uhura in the TV series Star Trek, and Greg Morris as electronics expert Barney Collier in Mission: Impossible.

On set, the actors had to perform many of their own stunts, and here Marshall's athleticism was an asset; he credited his previous football, track, and pole vaulting work with enabling him to do many of the stunts required. In one of the episodes, "Ghost Town", while diving over a fire, Marshall actually dislocated his shoulder and the next day had to shoot new scenes with his arm in a sling. Another episode, "Giants and All That Jazz", which featured former world champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson as Biff Bowers and Mike Mazurki as Loach, had Marshall teaching Biff Bowers how to play the trumpet. This episode, which Marshall called "Beautiful", seems to have been a favorite of his and made him want to act rather than follow or figure out what dialogue to use or say. He also claimed that actors had a better time on the set when Irwin Allen was not present; when he was, it was very different and people would get uptight.[11]

In later years, Marshall wrote a script for a sequel to the series called Escape from a Giant Land.[4] He hoped that it would be a big-screen production and would feature as many original cast members as possible.

1970s

Marshall had a role in the made-for-TV-movie The Reluctant Heroes, or The Egghead on Hill 656 (1971), a film that was directed by Robert Day. This war film was set in the Korean War with men under a newly commissioned lieutenant who are trapped on a hill surrounded by the enemy.[12] His character as Pvt. Carver LeMoyne was subject to continual racial abuse by Cpl. Leroy Sprague (Warren Oates). The film also starred Ken Berry, Jim Hutton, Ralph Meeker, Cameron Mitchell, and Trini Lopez.[5]

Marshall was subsequently cast in the role of Dr. Fred Williams in the science-fiction horror exploitation film The Thing with Two Heads (1972), which starred Ray Milland and Rosey Grier. This was a tale about a wealthy and racist white man who has his head transplanted onto the body of a black prisoner from death row.[5][13][14] In 1974, he was cast in Uptown Saturday Night as Slim's Henchman.[15] In 1976, he played the part of Captain Colter in an episode of The Bionic Woman, and in 1979 he was in a two-part episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Julio. From 1978 to 1980, Marshall was in three episodes of The Incredible Hulk.

1980–2016

In the 1980s, Marshall had few roles, appearing occasionally in episodes of Little House on the Prairie as Caleb Ledoux, as Doctor Jim Blair in Finder of Lost Loves, and as Senator Ed Lawrence in Capitol. In 1992, he played the concierge in Paul Schneider's made-for-TV-movie Highway Heartbreaker.[4][16] Marshall often stated that he was proud of his work on Little House.[3] In 2011, he was in Pioneers of Television as Pvt. Ernest Cameron in archival footage from the episode titled "To Set It Right" in 1964's The Lieutenant for PBS.

After he retired from acting, Marshall set up his own company called DJM Productions, Inc., which produced television commercials and documentary films.[2]

Personal life and death

He had one daughter and one son.[1][17] Marshall provided consultation on matters connected with his work and with racial issues, and received an award for "Outstanding Achievement in his field as a Black Achiever in the United States".[18] He died on October 30, 2016, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 80.[5] Veteran actress BarBara Luna had reported his death on Facebook.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1962 The Interns Intern Template:Plain list
1964 Shock Treatment Singer Template:Plain list
1968 Sergeant Ryker Corporal Jenks Template:Plain list
1972 The Thing with Two Heads Dr. Fred Williams Science fiction film directed by Lee Frost.[13][14][19]
1973 Terminal Island A. J. Thomas Action–drama thriller film directed by Stephanie Rothman.[20]
1974 Uptown Saturday Night Slim's Henchman #2 Action–comedy crime film directed by Sir Sidney Poitier.[15]
1975 Hugo the Hippo Template:Plain list

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1963 Kraft Suspense Theatre Corporal Jenks Episodes: Template:Plain list
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Tom Jackson Season 2 Episode 8: "The Cadaver"
1964 CBS Repertoire Workshop Chris Logan Episode: "Great Gettin' Up Mornin'" (S 1:Ep 1–Pilot)Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The Lieutenant Private Ernest Cameron Episode: "To Set It Right" (S 1:Ep 21)
Rawhide Private Goodlove Episode: "Incident at Seven Fingers" (S 6:Ep 30)
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Officer Healy Season 2 Episode 31: "Isabel"
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Template:CGuest Episode: "The Turncoat" (S 2:Ep 4)
1965 The Rogues Chalo Episode: "The Diamond-Studded Pie" (S 1:Ep 20)
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Joe Chandler Season 3 Episode 28: "Night Fever"
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Lathrop Episode: "The War and Eric Kurtz" (S 2:Ep 17)
Ben Casey Charles Stearns Episode: "A Nightingale Named Nathan" (S 5:Ep 3)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Jerry Benton Episode: "The Admiral" (S 3:Ep 9)
1966 Daktari Luke Template:CRecurring
Mission: Impossible The Police Officer Episode: "The Ransom (S 1:Ep 8)
Twelve O'Clock High Sergeant Earl Conklin Epispde: "Graveyard" (S 3:Ep 15)
1967 Star Trek Lieutenant Boma Episode: "The Galileo Seven" (S 1:Ep 16)
Mr. Terrific Athlete Episode: "Stanley the Track Star" (S 1:Ep 14)
Tarzan Kimini Episode: "The Fanatics" (S 2: Ep 7)
Ironside Joe Masterson Episode: "Let My Brother Go"
Dragnet Dave Roberts Episode: "The Shooting" (S 1:Ep 11)
1968 Premiere Gilmore Episode: "Braddock" (S 1:Ep 4)
Dragnet Officer Dave Evans Episode: "Community Relations (DR-10)" (S 3:Ep 3)
1968–1970 Julia Ted Neumann Template:CRecurring
Land of the Giants Dan Erickson Main role, 51 episodes
1970 Bewitched Keith Wilson Episode: "Sisters at Heart" (S 7:Ep 13)
1971 The Reluctant Heroes Private Carver LeMoyne Made-for-TV-Movie and war film directed by Robert Day.[12][21]
1974 Police Story Chuck Template:Plain list
1975 Justin Sullivan Episode: "The Execution" (S 2:Ep 18)
1976 Good Times FBI Agent Lloyd Episode: "The Investigation" (S 3:Ep 20)
The Bionic Woman Captain Colter Episode: "The Vega Influence" (S 2"Ep 9)
Rich Man, Poor Man Book II Reverend Template:Plain list
1977 Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover Detective Vincent Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Ron Satlof.[22]Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Flight Engineer Eddy Baker Episode: "The Strange Fate of Flight 608" (S 2: Ep 8)
1978 The Incredible Hulk Lee Episode: "The Hulk Breaks Las Vegas" (S 1:Ep 8)
Rescue from Gilligan's Island FBI Man #1 Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Leslie H. Martinson.[23][24]
1979 The Suicide's Wife Richard Wilkes Made-for-TV-Movie directed by John Newland.[25]
The Incredible Hulk Doctor Episodes: Template:Plain list
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Julio Episodes: Template:Plain list
1980 The Incredible Hulk Willy Episode: "Deathmask" (S 3:Ep 20)
1981 Little House on the Prairie Caleb Ledoux Episode: "Dark Sage" (S 8:Ep 4)
1984 Capitol Senator Ed Lawrence #1 Template:CRecurring
Finder of Lost Loves Doctor Jim Blair Episode: "Forgotten Melodies" (S 1:Ep 10)
1992 Highway Heartbreaker Concierge Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Paul Schneider.[16]
  • (final film role)
2011 Pioneers of Television Private Ernest Cameron Archival footage from the episode titled "To Set It Right" in 1964's The Lieutenant.

References

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Sources

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External links

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  1. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b c d Don Marshall on Actordatabase.com
  5. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named The Interns
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Shock Treatment
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Template:Open access
  9. ↑ Tv.com Land of the Giants Cast and Crew at TV.com Template:Webarchive
  10. ↑ MSN TV best and worst of 60s sci-fi Template:Webarchive
  11. ↑ Interview with Don Marshall on Actordatabase.com
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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