William Marshall

American actor, director, and opera singer, best known for his title role in the 1972 blaxploitation classic Blacula and its sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), as the "King of Cartoons" on the 1980s television show Pee-wees Playhouse beginning with its second season, and an appearance as Dr. Richard Daystrom on the original Star Trek television series. He had a commanding height of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), as well as a deep bass voice. 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 Chicagos ETA Creative Arts Foundation, which in 1992 named Marshall one of its Epic Men of the 20th century. For 42 years, Marshall was the partner of Sylvia Gussin Jarrico, former wife of blacklisted screenwriter Paul Jarrico. Marshall died on 11 June 2003 from complications arising from Alzheimers disease and diabetes. He was survived by four children. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less