Theo Marcuse (2 August 1920 – 29 November 1967; age 47) was the actor who portrayed Korob in the Star Trek: The Original Series second season episode "Catspaw". Marcuse filmed his scenes between Friday 5 May 1967 and Wednesday 10 May 1967 at Desilu Stage 8.
Early life and Military Service[]
Born as Theodore Carroll Marcuse in Seattle, Washington, to Theodore Martin Marcuse and Margaret Keefe, the elder Marcuse moved his family to California in the 1930s where the young Marcuse grew up in Santa Clara. Two months after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Theodore (known as "Theo") enlisted in the Naval Reserve and applied for appointment as a Midshipman in the Navy's V-6 Officer Training Program.
In November 1942, Marcuse was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve and transferred to the USS MALANAO (AG-4) which was a converted cargo ship. Shortly thereafter he applied for training in the submarine service, which was accepted, and in February 1944 he was posted to the USS O-8 which was a converted World War I submarine used for training purposes.
In the spring of 1944, now a Lieutenant, Marcuse was posted to the combat submarine USS TIRANTE (SS 420) for which he received first a commendation and in 1945 he was awarded the Silver Star Medal for valor in combat during a patrol in the Pacific. [1]
After the end of the Second World War, Marcuse was released from active service but held a reserve commission until 1956 when he was honorably discharged. In addition to the Silver Star Medal, his other decorations included the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. (Source: Department of the Navy)
Acting career[]
Marcuse began his television career in 1950, and a movie career five years later. Possessed of an expressive face and able to affect a sinister mien, he worked steadily throughout the 1950s and 1960s
Among his many television credits, Marcuse played one of The Riddler's, played by Frank Gorshin, henchmen in two 1966 episodes of Batman, which also guest-starred Sherry Jackson. The same year he appeared in an episode of The Time Tunnel, starring James Darren, Lee Meriwether, and Whit Bissell. Also in 1966, he guest-starred with Sally Kellerman in an episode of I Spy and appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone, including the classic "To Serve Man", which featured David Armstrong, Joseph Ruskin, and James Wellman. In films, he appeared in Elvis Presley's Harum Scarum (1965), with Michael Ansara and Carey Foster, directed by Gene Nelson.
Death[]
Shortly after filiming the episode "Catspaw" on Star Trek, one month later Marcuse was killed in a car accident in Hollywood. The cause of death was ruled to be accidential as a result of imparied driving while intoxicated. Marcuse's last residence was in San Francisco, California and he was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
External linkst[]
- Theo Marcuse at the Internet Movie Database
- Theo Marcuse at Wikipedia
- Theo Marcuse at InvisibleThemePark.com with extensive background information