Ted de Corsia
Ted de Corsia (September 29, 1903 – April 11, 1973) was an American radio, film, and television actor best remembered for his roles as the ex-wrestler murderer Willie Garzah in the film The Naked City (1948) and as a gangster who turned state's evidence in the film The Enforcer (1951).
Ted de Corsia | |
|---|---|
 de Corsia in The Enforcer | |
| Born | Edward Gildea De Corsia September 29, 1903 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 11, 1973 (aged 69) Encino, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Radio, film, television actor |
| Years active | 1947–72 |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Robertson (1934–35; divorced) Rachel Thurber (1939–19??; divorced); 2 children |
Early years
Edward Gildea De Corsia was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Radio
De Corsia was a member of the cast of Blackstone Plantation.[1] He starred in the title role on Mike Hammer[2] and played Sergeant Velie on The Adventures of Ellery Queen.[3] He also voiced roles on Family Theater,[2] The March of Time, Cavalcade of America, Gang Busters,[4] and The Shadow.
Film
He made his film debut in Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and went on to make a career playing villains and gangsters in 1940s and 1950s films, including The Naked City (1948), The Enforcer (1951), Crime Wave (1954), The Big Combo (1955), The Killing (1956), Baby Face Nelson, Slightly Scarlet (1956), and The Joker is Wild (1957).
In his last feature, The Outside Man (1972) with Ann-Margret and Angie Dickinson, his character, the mobster Victor, is killed off early in the film, but he later appears as his embalmed corpse, posed in a chair, holding a cigar.
Television
In the late 1950s and 1960s, he appeared in a number of television series, mostly westerns. He was featured on three episodes of the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason, including the episodes "The Case of the Drifting Dropout" (1964), in which he played murder victim Mort Lynch, and "The Case of the Positive Negative" (1966), in the role of murder victim George Emory. Other television appearances included The Californians, The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, Tales of Wells Fargo, Sugarfoot, Jefferson Drum, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Frontier Doctor, Mackenzie's Raiders, Riverboat, Tate, The Rifleman, The Twilight Zone, Sea Hunt, Lawman, Stoney Burke, Rawhide, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, 77 Sunset Strip,The Dakotas, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Zane Grey Theater,The Outer Limits (episode "The Inheritors", 1964) and The Monkees, episode "Hitting The High Seas", (1967) and "The Devil And Peter Tork", (1968).
Death
He died at the age of 69 in Encino, California, from a heart attack. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | The Lady from Shanghai | Sidney Broome | |
| 1948 | The Naked City | Willie Garzah | |
| 1949 | The Life of Riley | Norman | |
| Neptune's Daughter | Lukie Luzette | ||
| It Happens Every Spring | Manager Jimmy Dolan | ||
| Mr. Soft Touch | Rainey | ||
| 1950 | The Outriders | Bye | |
| Cargo to Capetown | Rhys | ||
| Three Secrets | Del Prince | ||
| 1951 | The Enforcer | Joe Rico | |
| Vengeance Valley | Herb Backett | ||
| A Place In The Sun | Judge R.S. Oldendorff | ||
| Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison | Warden Ben Rickey | ||
| New Mexico | Acoma - Indian Chief | ||
| Crazy Over Horses | Duke | ||
| 1952 | Captain Pirate | Capt. Easterling | |
| The Savage | Iron Breast | ||
| The Turning Point | Harrigan | ||
| 1953 | Man in the Dark | Lefty | |
| Ride, Vaquero! | Sheriff Parker | ||
| Hot News | Dino Rizzo | ||
| Crime Wave | 'Doc' Penny | ||
| 1954 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Capt. Farragut | |
| 1955 | The Big Combo | Ralph Bettini | |
| Man with the Gun | 'Frenchy' Lescaux | ||
| Kismet | Police Sub-altern | ||
| 1956 | The Conqueror | Kumlek | |
| Slightly Scarlet | Solly Caspar | ||
| The Steel Jungle | Steve Marlin | ||
| The Kettles in the Ozarks | Professor | ||
| Mohawk | Indian Chief Kowanen | ||
| The Killing | Patrolman Randy Kennan | ||
| Showdown at Abilene | Dan Claudius | ||
| Dance with Me, Henry | Big Frank | ||
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Shanghai Pierce | |
| The Lawless Eighties | Grat Bandas | ||
| The Midnight Story | Lt. Kilrain | ||
| The Joker is Wild | Georgie Parker | ||
| Gun Battle at Monterey | Max Reno | ||
| Man on the Prowl | Detective | ||
| Baby Face Nelson | Rocca | ||
| 1958 | Handle with Care | Sam Lawrence | |
| South Seas Adventure | Supplemental Narration | Voice | |
| Enchanted Island | Capt. Vangs | ||
| The Buccaneer | Capt. Rumbo | ||
| 1957-1958 | Official Detective | Ellis / Lt. Evans | 2 episodes |
| 1959 | Inside the Mafia | Augie Martello | |
| 1960 | Oklahoma Territory | Chief Buffalo Horn | |
| Noose for a Gunman | Jack Cantrell | ||
| From the Terrace | Mr. Ralph W. Benziger | ||
| Spartacus | Legionnaire | Uncredited | |
| 1962 | It's Only Money | Patrolman | |
| 1964 | The Quick Gun | Jud Spangler | |
| Blood on the Arrow | Jud | ||
| 1965 | The Money Trap | Police captain | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Hudson (bartender) | |
| 1967 | The King's Pirate | Capt. McTigue | |
| 1968 | 5 Card Stud | Eldon Bates | |
| 1970 | The Delta Factor | Ames | |
| 1972 | The Outside Man | Victor | (final film role) |
References
- Key, Pierre V.R. (ed.) (1933). Pierre Key's Radio Annual (PDF). Pierre Key Publishing Corporation. p. 218. Retrieved 25 November 2016.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- "Harry Wismer Off On Sports Trek". Brownwood Bulletin. November 25, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Whistling Clown Sunday Mystery". Harrisburg Telegraph. March 2, 1940. p. 18. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- Grunwald, Edgar A. (1938). Variety Radio Directory. Variety, Inc. p. 1284.
External links
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