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... as Plasus
Actor Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling) (10 August 1914 – 16 August 2002; age 88) played Plasus in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Cloud Minders".
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Corey has made over 200 film and television appearances in a career that spanned 61 years. His early career included appearances in such classic films as Template:IMDb-name (1941), Template:IMDb-name (1946), and Template:IMDb-name (1947). Later feature film credits include two classic western adventures released in 1969, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and True Grit. The first features Trek guest actors Ted Cassidy, Kenneth Mars, Don Keefer and Charles Dierkop. The latter film features one-time TOS guest actors Kim Darby, Alfred Ryder, Ron Soble, and John Fiedler.
In 1948, Corey co-starred with TOS actors DeForest Kelley and Whit Bissell in the crime thriller Template:IMDb-name, which also featured Phyllis Douglas. Corey later appeared in the 1951 film Template:IMDb-name, as did veteran Trek actor Michael Ansara. Corey also played Luke Benson, the xenophobic local shot by the mole men's ray gun, in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men. This movie, which also featured Billy Curtis and which was the first theatrical feature-length film featuring DC Comics' Superman, was later edited into a two-part episode of the TV series The Adventures of Superman.
Corey was among the many actors affected by the government's quest to seek out people they thought were communists. He was blacklisted in 1951 for refusing to name names of possible communists before the so-called "House Un-American Activities Committee." Not only did he refuse to name names, but he also critiqued the acting of previous witnesses. After being blacklisted, Corey worked as an acting teacher for twelve years, and was even one of Leonard Nimoy's early acting coaches. (Star Trek 30 Years)
Corey returned to acting in 1963, appearing in a drama called Template:IMDb-name with Nimoy and Peter Brocco. He and Nimoy later appeared together in the 1971 film Catlow. Corey also co-starred with Salome Jens and William Wintersole in the 1966 film Template:IMDb-name, which featured music by Jerry Goldsmith, and with Anthony Zerbe and Garry Walberg in They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!, photographed by Jerry Finnerman, released in 1970.
Other films in which Corey appeared include In Cold Blood (1967, with Mary Linda Rapelye), Little Big Man (1970, with Alan Oppenheimer and stunts by Hal Needham), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970, with James Gregory and Lou Wagner, and music by Leonard Rosenman), and Oh, God! (1977, with Teri Garr, Paul Sorvino and David Ogden Stiers). His later career included a role in the 1984 fantasy film Conant the Destroyer (alongside young Olivia d'Abo and featuring music by Basil Poledouris), the 1986 TV movie Template:IMDb-name opposite actresses Louise Fletcher and Alice Krige, and appearance in the 1994 films Color of Night (which featured Scott Bakula, Erick Avari and Brad Dourif) and Surviving the Game (with F. Murray Abraham, Bob Minor, and Trek stuntman Steve Lambert).
His television appearances include guest spots on The Wild Wild West ("The Night of a Thousand Eyes", with Celeste Yarnall, and "The Night of the Underground Terror", with Nehemiah Persoff and Sabrina Scharf), Bonanza ("The Bridegroom" with Joanne Linville, and "A Single Pilgrim" with John Schuck), and Hawaii Five-O ("King of the Hill" written by John D.F. Black, and "Highest Castle, Deepest Grave" with France Nuyen and Bill Quinn). In 1977, Corey, TOS star William Shatner, John de Lancie, Theodore Bikel and Logan Ramsey would appear in the mini-series Template:IMDb-name, partly directed by Leo Penn and featuring music by Gerald Fried.
Corey also made two memorable appearances on the sitcom Night Court, appearing with John Larroquette and William Utay. In addition, Corey was the voice of the villain "Silvermane" in the 1990s animated Spider-Man series, based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics magazines.
Corey died due to injuries from a fall in Santa Monica, California on 16 August 2002, just six days after his 88th birthday. His last film was a little-known comedy called Template:IMDb-name, released in 1998 and featuring Trek guest actors Andy Dick, Lee Arenberg and Michael Shamus Wiles. His last television appearance came on 25 November 2000, in "The Jackal", an episode of The District which also featured Michelle Forbes and Jack Donner. He was survived by his wife of 63 years, and their three children.
External links
- Jeff Corey at Wikipedia
- Template:IMDb-link