Ted de Corsia
| Ted de Corsia | |
|---|---|
 de Corsia in The Enforcer | |
| Born |
Edward Gildea De Corsia September 29, 1903 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
April 11, 1973 (aged 69) Encino, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Donated to medical science |
| Occupation | Radio, film, television actor |
| Years active | 1947–72 |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Robertson (1934–35; divorced) Rachel Thurber (1939–19??; divorced); 2 children |
Ted de Corsia (September 29, 1903 – April 11, 1973) was an American radio, film, and television actor best remembered for his role as a gangster who turned state's evidence in the film The Enforcer (1951).
Early years
Edward Gildea De Corsia was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Radio
De Corsia was a member of the cast of Blackstone Plantation.[1] He starred in the title role on Mike Hammer[2] and played Sergeant Velie on The Adventures of Ellery Queen.[3] He also voiced roles on Family Theater,[2] The March of Time, Cavalcade of America, Gang Busters,[4] and The Shadow.
Film
He made his movie debut in Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai and went on to make a career playing villains and gangsters in 1940s and 1950s films including The Naked City (1948), The Enforcer (1951), The Big Combo (1955), The Killing (1956), Baby Face Nelson, and Slightly Scarlet (1956), The Joker is Wild (1957).
In his last film, The Outside Man with Ann-Margret and Angie Dickinson, his character, the mobster Victor, is killed off early in the film, but he later appears as his embalmed corpse, posed in a chair, holding a cigar.
Television
In the late 1950s and 1960s, he appeared in a number of television series, mostly westerns. He was featured on three episodes of the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason, including the episodes "The Case of the Drifting Dropout" (1964), in which he played murder victim Mort Lynch, and "The Case of the Positive Negative" (1966), in the role of murder victim George Emory. Other television appearances included The Californians, Sugarfoot, Jefferson Drum, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Frontier Doctor, Mackenzie's Raiders, Riverboat, Tate, The Twilight Zone, Lawman, Stoney Burke, Rawhide, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, The Dakotas, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Zane Grey Theater and The Outer Limits ("The Inheritors", 1964).
Death
He died at the age of 69 in Encino, California, from a heart attack. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Naked City | Willie Garzah |
| 1949 | The Life of Riley | Norman |
| It Happens Every Spring | Jimmy Dolan | |
| 1951 | Crazy Over Horses | Duke |
| A Place In The Sun | Judge R.S. Oldendorff | |
| The Enforcer | Joe Rico | |
| 1954 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Capt. Farragut |
| Crime Wave | 'Doc' Penny | |
| 1955 | The Big Combo | Bettini |
| 1956 | Slightly Scarlet | Solly Caspar |
| The Conqueror | Kumlek | |
| The Killing | Randy Kennan | |
| Mohawk | Indian Chief Kowanen | |
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Shanghai Pierce |
| 1957 | The Joker is Wild | Georgie Parker |
| 1958 | Official Detective | "Bombing Terror" as Evans |
| 1958 | Official Detective | "The Cover-Up" as Ellis |
| 1964 | The Quick Gun | Jud Spangler |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Hudson (bartender) |
References
- ↑ Key, Pierre V.R. (ed.) (1933). Pierre Key's Radio Annual (PDF). Pierre Key Publishing Corporation. p. 218. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Harry Wismer Off On Sports Trek". Brownwood Bulletin. November 25, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Whistling Clown Sunday Mystery". Harrisburg Telegraph. March 2, 1940. p. 18. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Grunwald, Edgar A. (1938). Variety Radio Directory. Variety, Inc. p. 1284.