Ted Cassidy

At 46 years old, Ted Cassidy has this physical status:

Theodore Crawford Cassidy (July 31, 1932 – January 16, 1979) was an American voice artist and actor active in radio, television, and film.

He was best known for his tall, 6 ft. (206 cm) and his deep bass voice, and he was best known for his role as Lurch in the 1960s.

He is also known for narrating The Incredible Hulk TV series.

Early life

Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Irish origins, and raised in Philippi, West Virginia. He was naturally gifted in his youth and spent third grade at age six. He was on the football and basketball teams in his freshman year of high school, at age 11.

Cassidy dropped out of high school at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, where he was a member of Alpha Sigma Phi. He attended DeLand, Florida, where he played college basketball for the Hatters and was heavily involved in student life.

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Career

He married Margaret Helen Jesse in 1956, who had earned their degree in speech and drama, and the pair moved to Dallas, Texas. He began his acting career on WFAA in Dallas as a midday DJ. On Ed Hogan's afternoon films, he appeared on WFAA-TV Channel 8 as Creech, an outer space creature. On the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated, he delivered an in-studio report from WFAA radio station, and he was one of the first to interview eyewitnesses W. E. Newman Jr. and Gayle Newman.

Cassidy's height gave him an edge over auditioning for unusual character roles. Lurch on The Addams Family, in which he feigned to playing the harpsichord, was his best-known role (although he was actually an accomplished organist). He also performed Thing, but associate producer Jack Voglin would take over the role in scenes involving both characters. Lurch's character was supposed to be mute, but Cassidy ad-libbed "You rang?" It was an immediate hit when it was received by the butler call. It was his trademark line, and he was given more lines. Lurch was included in several episodes.

In later appearances, Cassidy reprised the role of Lurch. He appears in Batman's "The Penguin's Nest" (1966) as a landlord engaged in the Addams Family's unique climbing scene up the side of a house prior to sticking his head out of the window and talking to Batman and Robin. In an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972), and in the 1973 animated version of The Addams Family, he appeared Lurch. Cassidy also played a small role opposite George Peppard in one episode of the television movie series "Banacek," according to Thomas "Duke" Miller, a television/movie/celebrity specialist. Cassidy was a worker in a auto scrapyard that tried to murder Banacek because the prosecutor was attempting to get a hold on Cassidy's brother. Cassidy, as the Addams Family, has appeared in a number of other television shows. Injun Joe, Tom Sawyer and Huck's blood-enemy, was a central figure on NBC's The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in 1967 was a member of The United Nations Central Council of Europe. Cassidy portrayed Edgar, a kidna, tortures, and repeatedly threatens Napoleon and Illya in this episode "The Napoleon's Tomb Affair."

Cassidy appeared in the Star Trek episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" and the Gorn, as the female Ruk in the episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" as the avatar. Cassidy continued to work with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the early 1970s, playing Isaiah in the postapocalyptic drama pilots Genesis II and Planet Earth. He appeared on "The Thief From Outer Space," the Robinsons' Slave.

He appeared in "The Dahlia Feud," a Beverly Hillbillies episode from 1967, as Mr. Ted, a large, muscular gardener who plants dahlias for Mrs. Drysdale. Cassidy appeared on Mannix in "To Kill a Writer" as Felipe Montoya on Daniel Boone, and in two episodes of I Dream of Jeannie as the master of Jeannie's devious sister. Who Has Got the Genie? In the episode "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts," Jeannie's cousin appears on "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts."

Cassidy provided the body and vocal effects of Bigfoot in the two-part episode "The Return of Bigfoot" (1976), a previous two-parter). Cassidy reimagined her role in the 1977 film "Bigfoot V" to bring Cassidy back to life.

In 1970, Ted appeared in Bonanza's "Decision in Los Robles."

Cassidy began doing character voices for the Hanna-Barbera Studios on a regular basis, culminating in Frankenstein Jr.'s The Impossibles series. He appeared in Birdman and the Galaxy Trio as the voice of Meteor Man, as well as the hero in the Chuck Menville pixillated short film Blaze Glory, in which his already-deep voice was enhanced with reverb echo to give the character a rousing superhero sound. In The New Fantastic Four, Cassidy also voiced Ben Grimm ("The Thing." Cassidy went on to perform the roars and growls for Godzilla in the 1979 cartoon film co-produced by Hanna Barbera and Toho, as well as Montaro's voice in the Jana of the Jungle segments that accompanied Godzilla during its first television run. Black Manta's sinister voice, as well as Brainiac and several others on Super Friends, was his voice. Cassidy was the original voice of Moltar and Metallus on Space Ghost from 1966 to 1968. In the television animated feature film Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All, Cassidy's last appearance was as King Thun of the Lion Men. The role was first recorded shortly before Cassidy's death in 1979, but it wasn't until the decision was made to use the footage for a television series, The New Adventures of Flash Gordon that was released. Cassidy's death necessitated his appearance in the series with Allan Melvin. The original feature film and soundtrack were reassembled and broadcast in prime time in 1982, with Cassidy's appearance as the series's end. The Addams Family, as seen on television series The Incredible Hulk, gave a narration of the title sequence and the Hulk's growls and roars. Cassidy can be seen in deleted scenes from the original Battlestar Galactica TV pilot film "Saga of a Star World" where the Cylon Imperious Leader appears before actor Patrick Macnee was hired to voice the character.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), The Limit (1972), Mackenna's Gold (1972), The Limit (1972), The Limit (1972), Goin' Coconuts (1978), a documentary about Beau Geste (1977) and Goin' Coconuts (1978). He co-wrote the screenplay of 1973's The Harrad Experiment, alongside Michael Werner, in which he made a brief appearance. During that time, he collaborated with Noel Marshall, Harrad Experiment's executive producer, on the adventure-comedy film Roar (which was released two years after his death).

He released "The Lurch," written by Gary S. Paxton, and "Wesley," written by Cliffie Stone and Scott Turner in 1965, on Capitol Records. On September 11, 1965, he introduced the dance and performed the song "The Lurch" on Shivaree! On Halloween of the same year on Shindig, we revived it.

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