William Marshall

William Marshall (19 Agustus 1924 – 11 Juni 2003) adalah seorang aktor, sutradara, dan penyanyi opera Amerika. Dia terkenal karena peran utamanya dalam Blacula dan sekuelnya Scream Blacula Scream serta perannya di Pee-wee's Playhouse. Marshall melakukan debut Broadwaynya pada tahun 1944 di Carmen Jones. Pada tahun 1950, dia mempelajari Boris Karloff sebagai Kapten Hook dalam produksi Broadway Peter Pan. Dia memainkan peran utama De Lawd dalam kebangkitan The Green Pastures tahun 1951, peran yang dia ulangi pada tahun 1958 dalam siaran drama BBC. Dia tampil di beberapa drama Shakespeare di panggung AS dan Eropa, termasuk peran utama dalam setidaknya enam produksi Othello. Harold Hobson dari London Sunday Times memuji penggambaran Marshall sebagai "Othello terbaik di zaman kita". Pada tahun 1968, Marshall bergabung dengan Center Theatre Group di Ahmanson Theatre di Los Angeles untuk memerankan Othello dalam versi musik jazz, Catch My Soul, dengan Jerry Lee Lewis sebagai Iago. Marshall memerankan Paul Robeson dan Frederick Douglass di atas panggung. Dia meneliti kehidupan Douglass secara ekstensif, dan pada tahun 1983 memproduksi dan memainkan peran utama dalam Frederick Douglass: Budak dan Negarawan. Karir Marshall di layar dimulai pada film tahun 1952 Lydia Bailey sebagai pemimpin Haiti. Dia mengikutinya dengan peran penting sebagai Glycon, kawan dan sesama gladiator Victor Mature dalam film tahun 1954 Demetrius dan para Gladiator. Sikap, suara, dan perawakannya memberinya banyak pilihan, meskipun ia tidak cocok untuk peran patuh yang paling sering ditawarkan kepada banyak aktor kulit hitam di generasinya. Dia adalah pemimpin pemberontakan Mau-Mau di Something of Value, dan Jaksa Agung Edward Brooke di The Boston Strangler. Dia mungkin mendapat perhatian paling banyak untuk perannya dalam film vampir Blacula dan sekuelnya Scream Blacula Scream. Di tahun-tahun berikutnya, Marshall berperan sebagai Raja Kartun di Pee-wee's Playhouse. Meskipun masuk daftar hitam karena dugaan koneksi komunisnya, Marshall berhasil terus tampil di televisi dan film. Dia muncul di serial mata-mata Inggris Danger Man dalam episode berjudul "Deadline" dan "The Galloping Major". Dia juga memenangkan dua Emmy lokal untuk memproduksi dan tampil dalam produksi PBS, As Adam Early in the Morning, sebuah karya teater yang awalnya dipentaskan di atas panggung. Dia juga tampil dalam episode The Alfred Hitchcock Hour berjudul, "The Jar", dengan aktor Pat Buttram dan George Lindsey. Selain akting dan produksi, Marshall mengajar akting di berbagai universitas termasuk Universitas California, Irvine, dan Institut Mufandi, sebuah institusi seni dan musik Afrika-Amerika di bagian Watts di Los Angeles. Dia melakukan pekerjaan serupa di ETA Creative Arts Foundation di Chicago, yang pada tahun 1992 menobatkan Marshall sebagai salah satu Manusia Epik abad ke-20. Marshall meninggal 11 Juni 2003 karena komplikasi penyakit Alzheimer dan diabetes. Marshall dianggap oleh banyak orang sebagai aktor yang diremehkan dan tidak pernah mendapatkan haknya. Beberapa orang berpendapat bahwa Marshall seharusnya memiliki karir layar yang jauh lebih sukses dan lebih besar, bahkan mengatakan bahwa Marshall akan menjadi pilihan yang sempurna untuk peran Thulsa Doom di Conan the Barbarian.

William Marshall (August 19, 1924 – June 11, 2003) was an American actor, director, and opera singer. He is best known for his title role in Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream as well as his role on Pee-wee's Playhouse. Marshall made his Broadway debut in 1944 in Carmen Jones. In 1950, he understudied Boris Karloff as Captain Hook in the Broadway production of Peter Pan. He played the leading role of De Lawd in the 1951 revival of The Green Pastures, a role he repeated in 1958 in a BBC telecast of the play. He performed in several Shakespearean plays on the stage in the U. S. and Europe, including the title role in at least six productions of Othello. Harold Hobson of the London Sunday Times praised Marshall’s portrayal as "the best Othello of our time." In 1968, Marshall joined the Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles to play Othello in a jazz musical version, Catch My Soul, with Jerry Lee Lewis as Iago. Marshall portrayed Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass on stage. He researched Douglass' life extensively, and in 1983 produced and played the lead role in Frederick Douglass: Slave and Statesman. Marshall's career on screen began in the 1952 film Lydia Bailey as a Haitian leader. He followed that with a prominent role as Glycon, comrade and fellow gladiator to Victor Mature in the 1954 film Demetrius and the Gladiators. His demeanor, voice and stature gave him a wide range, though he was ill-suited for the subservient roles that many black actors of his generation were most frequently offered. He was a leader of the Mau-Mau uprising in Something of Value, and Attorney General Edward Brooke in The Boston Strangler. He probably received the most notice for his role in the vampire film Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream. In later years, Marshall played the King of Cartoons on Pee-wee's Playhouse. Despite blacklisting because of his supposed communist connections, Marshall managed to continue appearing in both television and films. He appeared on the British spy series Danger Man in episodes titled "Deadline" and "The Galloping Major". He also won two local Emmys for producing and performing in a PBS production, As Adam Early in the Morning, a theatre piece originally performed on stage. He also was featured in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour titled, "The Jar", with actors Pat Buttram and George Lindsey. In addition to acting and producing, Marshall taught acting at various universities including the University of California, Irvine, and the Mufandi Institute, an African-American arts and music institution in the Watts section of Los Angeles. He did similar work at Chicago's ETA Creative Arts Foundation, which in 1992 named Marshall one of its Epic Men of the 20th century. Marshall died June 11, 2003, from complications arising from Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. Marshall was considered by many to be a much underrated actor and one who never got his due. Some have remarked that Marshall should have had a much more successful and larger screen career, even saying that Marshall would have been a perfect choice for the role of Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian.