Ted Cassidy
Encyclopedia
Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979), known as Ted Cassidy, was an American
actor
who performed in television
and film
s. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek
and I Dream of Jeannie
. He is best known for playing the part of Lurch, the butler on the 1960s television series The Addams Family
and performing the opening narration of the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk.
, 120 miles south of Pittsburgh. He played basketball
(center) and American football (tackle) for Philippi High School. At that time, he was an imposing figure in both venues, being the tallest player in the conference.
Early in his academic career, Cassidy attended West Virginia Wesleyan College
, in nearby Buckhannon, West Virginia
, where he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi
fraternity
. He later attended Stetson University
in DeLand, Florida
, as a Speech major. Active in student government, he also played basketball
for the Hatters, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds in his only season as a player.
After graduating with a degree in speech and drama, he married Margaret Helen in 1956, and they moved to Dallas, Texas. His acting business took off when he worked as a mid-day disc jockey
on WFAA-AM in Dallas. He also occasionally appeared on WFAA-TV
Channel 8, playing "Creech", an outer space creature on the "Dialing for Dollars" segments on Ed Hogan's afternoon movies. An accomplished musician, Cassidy moonlighted at Luby's Cafeteria
in the Lochwood
shopping center in Dallas, playing the organ to entertain patrons. In 1957, Margaret gave birth to their son, Sean; in 1960, daughter Cameron was born.
, Lurch (in which, despite being an accomplished organist, he feigned playing the harpsichord
), and the "helpful hand in a box" character named Thing, on the 1960s American television series The Addams Family
. (A crew member would take over the "Thing" role in scenes with both characters.) It was Cassidy who came up with the "You rang?" line, which was so funny that it was incorporated in the show.
's The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
as Injun Joe, the blood-foe of Tom Sawyer and Huck.
episode "The Corbomite Maneuver", and he played the role of the android Ruk in the episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?". He also voiced the Gorn
in the Star Trek episode "Arena".
Cassidy did more work with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
in the early 1970s, playing Isiah in the pilots of the post-apocalyptic dramas Genesis II and Planet Earth
.
in 1968. Once appearing as the master to Jeannie's devious sister in part 3 of the 4-part episode "Genie, Genie, Who's Got the Genie?", and again in the episode "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts" in which he plays Jeannie's cousin.
in the 1968 episode "The Scrimshaw Ivory Chart" as a pirate named Gentle Sam.
episode entitled "The Return of Bigfoot", Cassidy appeared as "Bigfoot
" (played by André the Giant
in a previous two-parter). He even provided the vocal effects for Bigfoot. He reprised the role in the episode "Bigfoot V".
episode "The Dahlia Feud" (April 12, 1967; season 5, episode 30) he played Mr. Ted, a large, muscular gardener who was planting Dahlias for Mrs. Drysdale.
episode, "The Thief from Outer Space", he plays the "Slave" to the alien "Thief" (Malachi Throne) who threatens the Robinsons.
, Cassidy began doing character voices on a recurring basis for the Hanna-Barbera
Studios, culminating in the role of Frankenstein Jr. in Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
series. He was the voice of the hero in the Chuck Menville pixillated short film "Blaze Glory' (1969), in which his already-deep voice was enhanced with a deep reverb & echo to give the character an exaggerated super-hero sound. Cassidy also voiced Ben Grimm (aka "The Thing") in the 1978 animated Fantastic Four
. Cassidy went on to perform the roars and growls for Godzilla in the 1979 cartoon series that Hanna Barbera co-produced with Toho
. His was the basis for the sinister voice of Black Manta
, as well as Brainiac
and several others on Super Friends
.
After The Addams Family
, Cassidy began to add more voice-over
work to his résumé; in that acting field, most notably, he narrated the opening of the TV series The Incredible Hulk. Cassidy also provided the Hulk's growls and roars.
In deleted scenes from the original Battlestar Galactica
TV pilot movie, "Saga of a Star World
" (on the DVD collection Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Epic Series [1978]), Cassidy can be heard providing temporary voice tracks of the Cylon
Imperious Leader
, before actor Patrick Macnee
was contracted to voice the character.
Other film work included his appearances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
, Mackenna's Gold
, Goin' Coconuts
, The Last Remake of Beau Geste
, Poor Pretty Eddie
, Harry and Walter Go to New York
, The Slams, The Limit and Charcoal Black. He also co-wrote the screenplay of 1973's The Harrad Experiment
, in which he made a brief appearance.
, and died at the age of 46 from complications following open-heart surgery. Fellow actor Sandra Martinez assisted and took care of him during his final years. Cassidy's remains were cremated, and later buried in the backyard of his Woodland Hills home.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who performed in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) in height, he tended to play unusual characters in offbeat or science-fiction series such as Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
and I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
. He is best known for playing the part of Lurch, the butler on the 1960s television series The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
and performing the opening narration of the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk.
Early life and career
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cassidy was raised in Philippi, West VirginiaPhilippi, West Virginia
Philippi is a city in — and the county seat of — Barbour County, West Virginia, USA. The population was 2,870 at the 2000 census. In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as "The Philippi Races"...
, 120 miles south of Pittsburgh. He played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(center) and American football (tackle) for Philippi High School. At that time, he was an imposing figure in both venues, being the tallest player in the conference.
Early in his academic career, Cassidy attended West Virginia Wesleyan College
West Virginia Wesleyan College
West Virginia Wesleyan College is a regionally accredited private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Buckhannon, West Virginia, United States. It has an enrollment of about 1,400 students from 35 U.S. states and 26 countries. The school was founded in 1890 by the West Virginia Conference of...
, in nearby Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon, West Virginia
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,725 at the 2000 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival,...
, where he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is a social fraternity with 71 active chapters and 9 colonies. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest fraternity in the United States....
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He later attended Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
in DeLand, Florida
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
, as a Speech major. Active in student government, he also played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for the Hatters, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds in his only season as a player.
After graduating with a degree in speech and drama, he married Margaret Helen in 1956, and they moved to Dallas, Texas. His acting business took off when he worked as a mid-day disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on WFAA-AM in Dallas. He also occasionally appeared on WFAA-TV
WFAA-TV
WFAA, channel 8, is an ABC-affiliated television station serving the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, one of the top ten media markets in North America. The station is the flagship of Belo Corporation and the largest ABC affiliate not owned and operated by the network...
Channel 8, playing "Creech", an outer space creature on the "Dialing for Dollars" segments on Ed Hogan's afternoon movies. An accomplished musician, Cassidy moonlighted at Luby's Cafeteria
Luby's
As of March 2011, Luby's, Inc. operates restaurants under the brands Luby's, Fuddruckers and...
in the Lochwood
Lochwood, Dallas, Texas
Lochwood is a neighborhood in east Dallas, Texas adjacent to Lake Park Estates and Old Lake Highlands. It is located east of White Rock Lake and sometimes referred to as 'Dixon Branch' because of the creek by that name running through the neighborhood....
shopping center in Dallas, playing the organ to entertain patrons. In 1957, Margaret gave birth to their son, Sean; in 1960, daughter Cameron was born.
The Addams Family
Cassidy's unusual height gave him an advantage in auditioning for unusual character roles. He is probably best known for playing the butlerButler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
, Lurch (in which, despite being an accomplished organist, he feigned playing the harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
), and the "helpful hand in a box" character named Thing, on the 1960s American television series The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
. (A crew member would take over the "Thing" role in scenes with both characters.) It was Cassidy who came up with the "You rang?" line, which was so funny that it was incorporated in the show.
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Cassidy had a regular role on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a half-hour live-action/animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions on NBC primetime in 1968, based on the famous Mark Twain characters.-Plot:...
as Injun Joe, the blood-foe of Tom Sawyer and Huck.
Star Trek
Cassidy portrayed the voice of the more aggressive version of Balok in the Star TrekStar Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "The Corbomite Maneuver", and he played the role of the android Ruk in the episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?". He also voiced the Gorn
Gorn
In Star Trek, the Gorn are humanoid reptiles from the Gorn Hegemony.-Fictional history:The Gorn had contact with the Orion Syndicate as early as 2154...
in the Star Trek episode "Arena".
Cassidy did more work with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
in the early 1970s, playing Isiah in the pilots of the post-apocalyptic dramas Genesis II and Planet Earth
Planet Earth (TV pilot)
Planet Earth was a science fiction television movie that was created by Gene Roddenberry, written by Roddenberry and Juanita Bartlett . It first aired on April 23, 1974 on the ABC network, and starred John Saxon as Dylan Hunt. It was presented as a pilot for what was hoped to be a new weekly...
.
I Dream of Jeannie
Ted appeared in several episodes of I Dream of JeannieI Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
in 1968. Once appearing as the master to Jeannie's devious sister in part 3 of the 4-part episode "Genie, Genie, Who's Got the Genie?", and again in the episode "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts" in which he plays Jeannie's cousin.
Daniel Boone
He appeared on Daniel BooneDaniel Boone (TV series)
Daniel Boone is an American action/adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Native American friend, for the...
in the 1968 episode "The Scrimshaw Ivory Chart" as a pirate named Gentle Sam.
The Six Million Dollar Man
In the two-part The Six Million Dollar ManThe Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
episode entitled "The Return of Bigfoot", Cassidy appeared as "Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
" (played by André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
in a previous two-parter). He even provided the vocal effects for Bigfoot. He reprised the role in the episode "Bigfoot V".
The Beverly Hillbillies
In The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
episode "The Dahlia Feud" (April 12, 1967; season 5, episode 30) he played Mr. Ted, a large, muscular gardener who was planting Dahlias for Mrs. Drysdale.
Lost In Space
In the Lost in SpaceLost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
episode, "The Thief from Outer Space", he plays the "Slave" to the alien "Thief" (Malachi Throne) who threatens the Robinsons.
Voice acting and film work
Concurrent with his appearances on The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
, Cassidy began doing character voices on a recurring basis for the Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
Studios, culminating in the role of Frankenstein Jr. in Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
Frankenstein, Jr. and the Impossibles was an American Saturday morning cartoon produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1966. It premiered on September 10, 1966, and ran for two seasons.-Overview:...
series. He was the voice of the hero in the Chuck Menville pixillated short film "Blaze Glory' (1969), in which his already-deep voice was enhanced with a deep reverb & echo to give the character an exaggerated super-hero sound. Cassidy also voiced Ben Grimm (aka "The Thing") in the 1978 animated Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (1978 TV series)
Fantastic Four is an animated series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation in the late 1970s.-Premise:It is the second animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The 1978 series replaced the character of the Human Torch with a robot named...
. Cassidy went on to perform the roars and growls for Godzilla in the 1979 cartoon series that Hanna Barbera co-produced with Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
. His was the basis for the sinister voice of Black Manta
Black Manta
Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as the archenemy of Aquaman. The character debuted in Aquaman #35 .-Fictional character biography:...
, as well as Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
and several others on Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
.
After The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
, Cassidy began to add more voice-over
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
work to his résumé; in that acting field, most notably, he narrated the opening of the TV series The Incredible Hulk. Cassidy also provided the Hulk's growls and roars.
In deleted scenes from the original Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
TV pilot movie, "Saga of a Star World
Saga of a Star World
"Saga of a Star World" is the pilot for the American science fiction television series of Battlestar Galactica which was produced in 1978 by Glen A. Larson...
" (on the DVD collection Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Epic Series [1978]), Cassidy can be heard providing temporary voice tracks of the Cylon
Cylon (1978)
Cylons are a fictional race of robots in the original Battlestar Galactica TV series. They are the primary antagonists of the series and are at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity. The Cylons also appeared in the short-lived 1980 spin-off series Galactica 1980.The Cylons were created by a...
Imperious Leader
Imperious Leader
The Imperious Leader is the ruler of the Cylons as depicted in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.The Imperious Leader's body is built to resemble the reptilian race that originally built the Cylons, but is not organic in any way...
, before actor Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
was contracted to voice the character.
Other film work included his appearances in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman...
, Mackenna's Gold
Mackenna's Gold
Mackenna's Gold is a 1969 western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, and Julie Newmar...
, Goin' Coconuts
Goin' Coconuts
Goin' Coconuts is a musical comedy film, directed by Howard Morris and featuring Donny and Marie Osmond. The feature film was released in October 1978. It was both a critical and commercial failure, resulting in the decline in the popularity of Donny and Marie Osmond....
, The Last Remake of Beau Geste
The Last Remake of Beau Geste
The Last Remake of Beau Geste is a 1977 American historical comedy film. It starred and was also directed and co-written by Marty Feldman. It is a satire loosely based on the novel Beau Geste, a frequently-filmed story of brothers and their adventures in the French Foreign Legion. The humor is...
, Poor Pretty Eddie
Poor Pretty Eddie
Poor Pretty Eddie is a 1975 American film starring Leslie Uggams, Shelly Winters and Michael Christian. Made on a relatively small budget, it is known for having an atypical narrative and direction style, which combines horror, exploitation and surreal drama...
, Harry and Walter Go to New York
Harry and Walter Go to New York
Harry and Walter Go to New York is a 1976 American period comedy film written by John Byrum, directed by Mark Rydell, and starring James Caan, Elliot Gould, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Charles Durning and Lesley Ann Warren. In the film, two down-on-their-luck con men try to pull off the biggest...
, The Slams, The Limit and Charcoal Black. He also co-wrote the screenplay of 1973's The Harrad Experiment
The Harrad Experiment
The Harrad Experiment is a movie about a fictional Harrad College where the students learn about sexuality and experiment with each other...
, in which he made a brief appearance.
Death
Cassidy suffered from acromegalyAcromegaly
Acromegaly is a syndrome that results when the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone after epiphyseal plate closure at puberty...
, and died at the age of 46 from complications following open-heart surgery. Fellow actor Sandra Martinez assisted and took care of him during his final years. Cassidy's remains were cremated, and later buried in the backyard of his Woodland Hills home.
External links
- Hear The Ted Cassidy Song "The Lurch"http://staffannouncer.com/blog/?p=7
- Watch a video of Ted Cassidy performing his song "The Lurch" http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/quicktime-ted-lurch-cassidy-the-lurch.html