- Kenneth Tobey
Infobox actor
caption =
birthdate =March 23 1917
birthplace =Oakland, California
deathdate =December 22 ,2002
deathplace =Rancho Mirage, California Kenneth Tobey (
March 23 1917 -December 22 ,2002 ) was an American stage, television, and filmactor .Early years
Born in
Oakland, California , Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at theUniversity of California Little Theater. That experience led to a year-and-a-half of study at New York'sNeighborhood Playhouse , where his classmates includedGregory Peck ,Eli Wallach andTony Randall . Throughout the 1940s, Tobey acted on Broadway and in stock; he made his film debut in a 1943 short, "The Man of the Ferry". He made hisHollywood film debut in aHopalong Cassidy Western, and went on to appear in scores of features and on numerous television series. A sentry guard dressed down by the General (Peck) in "Twelve O' Clock High ". A brief comedy bit inI Was A Male War Bride caught the attention of directorHoward Hawks , who promised to use Tobey in something more substantial.The Thing From Another World
In 1951, Tobey was cast in Hawks' production
The Thing from Another World , playing Captain Patrick Hendry, aUSAF pilot and leader of the arctic polar station's dogged defense against the movie's title character, as portrayed byJames Arness . That role led to other sci-fi film roles in the 1950s, usually cast in the role of a military man, particularlyThe Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953), andIt Came From Beneath The Sea (1956).Other movies and Broadway
In 1957, he co-starred with
John Wayne andMaureen O'Hara inJohn Ford 'sWings of Eagles . That same year, he had his own TV series Whirlybirds, a syndicated adventure produced by Desilu, in which he played a helicopter pilot. In 1964, he began a long run on Broadway oppositeSammy Davis, Jr . in the musical version ofClifford Odets ' playGolden Boy . He became a semi-regular on the NBC seriesI Spy as the field boss of agents Robinson and Scott.Chris Nyby , director of The Thing, was often director of these episodes. Tobey continued to work in features and television through the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in such movies asBilly Jack ,Walking Tall andAirplane! .He also co-starred in such horror films as
The Howling , the war movieMacArthur , and the comediesHoney, I Blew Up the Kid , and .Later years
In his retirement years, he frequently received acting jobs from people who had grown up on his 50s sci-fi films, particularly
Joe Dante , who considered Tobey a good-luck charm. Two appearances on the sit-comNight Court came the same way, through fans of his work. Along with other character actors who had been in 1950s sci-fi and horror movies (John Agar, Robert O. Cornthwaite, Gloria Talbott, etc.), Tobey starred in a spoof originally titledAttack Of The B Movie Monster . In 2006Anthem Pictures released the completed feature version on DVD under the new title,The Naked Monster . Tobey's scenes were actually shot in 1985, but this posthumously became his final released film credit. Tobey made a memorable appearance in the 1994 episode "Shadowplay" as Rurigan, an alien who recreated his dead friends as holograms, and frequent appearances onL.A. Law as a judge.Tobey died of natural causes in 2002 at
Rancho Mirage ,California , aged 85.Partial filmography
*
Walking Tall - (2004)
*Honey, I Blew Up the Kid - (1992)
*Single White Female - (1992)
* - (1990)
*The Howling - (1981)
*Airplane! - (1980)
*Hero at Large - (1980)
*MacArthur - (1977)
*Baby Blue Marine - (1976)
*Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry - (1974)
*Ben - (1972)
*The Candidate - (1972)
*Billy Jack - (1971)
*The Long Ride Home - (1967)
*X-15 - (1961)
*Cry Terror! - (1958)
*Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - (1957)
*The Wings of Eagles - (1957)
*The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit - (1956)
*The Search For Bridey Murphy - (1956)
*Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier - (1955)
*It Came From Beneath The Sea - (1955)
*Rage at Dawn - (1955)
*Down Three Dark Streets - (1954)
*Angel Face - (1952)
*The Thing From Another World - (1951)
*Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - (1950)
*I Was a Male War Bride - (1949)
*Twelve O'Clock High - (1949)External links
*
* [http://www.filmbuffonline.com/InRemembrance/KennethTobey.htm Kenneth Tobey at Film Buff Online.com]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.