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William Marshall

William Marshall

William Marshall 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.

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

2019

as Self (archive footage)

Monster Madness: The Counter Culture To Blockbusters

2015

as (archive footage)

The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features

2012

Macked, Hammered, Slaughtered and Shafted

2004

as Self

The Many Faces of Dracula

2000

as Blacula (archive footage)

Vampires: Thirst for the Truth

1996

as Narrator / Self

Sorceress

1995

as John Geiger

Dinosaur Valley Girls

1995

as Dr. Benjamin Michaels

Maverick

1994

as Riverboat Poker Player

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

1991

as Blacula (archive footage)

Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special

1988

as King of Cartoons

Killer Instinct

1988

Amazon Women on the Moon

1987

as Pirate Captain (segment "Video Pirates")

Pee-wee's Playhouse

1986

as The King of Cartoons

Beverly Hills Madam

1986

as Jenny's Widower

Vasectomy: A Delicate Matter

1986

as Dr. Dean

Othello

1981

as Othello

The Great Skycopter Rescue

1980

as Mr. Jason

Rosetti and Ryan: Men Who Love Women

1977

as Judge Marcus Black

Twilight's Last Gleaming

1977

as William Klinger - Attorney General

Abby

1974

as Bishop Garnet Williams

The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute

1974

as Self (archive footage)

Scream Blacula Scream

1973

as Blacula / Prince Mamuwalde

Blacula

1972

as Blacula / Prince Mamuwalde

Honky

1971

as Dr. Craig Smith

Zig Zag

1970

as Morrie Bronson

The Mask of Sheba

1970

as Capt. Condor Sekallie

Skullduggery

1970

as Attorney General

Operation Heartbeat

1969

as Dr. Harold Tawn

The Boston Strangler

1968

as Atty. Gen. Edward W. Brooke

The Hell with Heroes

1968

as Al Poland

Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion

1967

as Colonel Tatakombi

Star Trek

1966

as Dr. Richard Daystrom

Tarzan

1966

as Colonel Takakombi

Making It

1966

as Narrator

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

1964

as Premier Sekue Ashumen

To Trap a Spy

1964

as Sekue Ashumen

Danger Man

1960

as Saul Khano

Sabu and the Magic Ring

1957

as Ubal, the genie

Something of Value

1957

as Leader - Intellectual in Suit

Demetrius and the Gladiators

1954

as Glycon

Lydia Bailey

1952

as King Dick