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Jeff Corey (born Arthur Zwerling; August 10, 1914 – August 16, 2002) was an American actor, television director, and teacher. After being blacklisted in the 1950s, he became one of the most prominent and influential acting coaches in Hollywood, whose students included the likes of Kirk Douglas, Jack Nicholson, Robin Williams, James Dean, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda, James Coburn, Leonard Nimoy, Cher, Barbra Streisand and Rob Reiner. He returned to film and television work in the 1960s, playing many character roles.
Early life and education
Corey was born Arthur Zwerling in Brooklyn, New York to working-class Jewish immigrant parents. His father, Nathan Zwerling, was from Austria-Hungary, and his mother, Mary (nee Peskin), was from Russia. He attended New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn and was active in the school's Dramatic Society. He received a scholarship to the Feagin School of Dramatic Art, where he furthered his studies. Prior to his acting career, he worked as a salesman of sewing machines.
Blacklisted and teacher
Corey's career was again interrupted in the early 1950s, when he was summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He refused to give names of alleged Communists and subversives in the entertainment industry and went so far as to ridicule the panel by offering critiques of the testimony of the previous witnesses. That led to his being blacklisted for 12 years. "Most of us were retired Reds. We had left it, at least I had, years before," Corey told Patrick McGilligan, the co-author of Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist, who teaches film at Marquette University. "The only issue was, did you want to just give them their token names so you could continue your career, or not? I had no impulse to defend a political point of view that no longer interested me particularly... They just wanted two new names so they could hand out more subpoenas."
Back to work in the 1960s
In 1962, Corey began working in films again, and remained active into the 1990s. He played Hoban in The Cincinnati Kid (1965); Tom Chaney, the principal villain in True Grit (1969); and Sheriff Bledsoe in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (also 1969), who says to the title characters, "I never met a soul more affable than you, Butch, or faster than the Kid, but you're still nothing but two-bit outlaws on the dodge.
Television
Corey made guest appearances on many television series. He appeared as murder victim Carl Bascom in the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Reckless Rockhound" (1964). He was featured on science-fiction series, too, including an episode of The Outer Limits ("O.B.I.T.", 1963) in which he played Byron Lomax; Star Trek ("The Cloud Minders", 1969) in which he played High Advisor Plasus; as Caspay in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and Babylon 5 ("Z'ha'dum", 1996) in which he played Justin.
Personal life
Corey married his wife Hope (nee Victorson) in 1938. They had three children.
Death
Corey died on August 16, 2002, aged 88, after a fall. CLR
as Silverman (voice)
as Vernon Stanley(1 ep)
as Collector(1 ep)
as Council Member(1 ep)
as The Judge(1 ep)
as Albert Smith
as Arthur(1 ep)
as Silvermane (voice)(5 eps)
as Ashland
as Hank
as Justin(1 ep)
as Janitor
as Poneras
as Joe Dick
as Don Anzia
as Travis
as Lou Baird
as James Buchanan
as Judge Harvey W. Sherman
as The Servant
as Francis Flannery(1 ep)
as Willis Beecham
as Colonel Frazier
as Winston Burke(1 ep)
as Dr. Harry Benjamin
as Derelict
as Dean Harrington
as Lawyer Sam(15 eps)
as Lawyer Sam
as Grand Vizier
as Judge Hirsch(1 ep)
as Santa(1 ep)
as A.J. Bancroft(1 ep)
as Judge Drayton(1 ep)
as Father(1 ep)
as (in "The Killers") (archive footage)
as Craccus
as Riley
as George
as Zed
as Peter Mackenzie(1 ep)
as Ray Bledsoe
as Bagshaw
as Mr Martin
as Luke Baylor
as Salters
as Prince Feiyad(2 eps)
as Rabbi Silverstone
as Larry Hill(1 ep)
as Aspa Soldado
as Hagen
as Kink
as Doctor
as Hassan(1 ep)
as Detective Denver
as Judge Janeway
as Mr. King
as Andrew Mello(1 ep)
as A.J. Gunther(2 eps)
as Caleb Webber(1 ep)
as Ralph Timmons(1 ep)
as Judge Parker(2 eps)
as Head of Posse
as Orin Thatcher(1 ep)
as Frank Raynor(1 ep)
as Julian Maynard(1 ep)
as Walter Stafford
as Ralph Bowen, U.S. Senator(1 ep)
as Dr. Scott Rivers(1 ep)
as Gehrmann
as Merridew
as Clinic Doctor
as Trooper
as Wild Bill Hickok
as Dr. Miles Talmadge (segment "The Dead Man")(1 ep)
as Paul Rogers
as Captain Marden
as Dr. Edward Willhunt
as Caspay
as Beiseker
as Sheik Kampal(1 ep)
as Collier Landis
as Sheriff Bledsoe
as Jack Mitgang(1 ep)
as Tom Chaney
as Dr. William Hanson(1 ep)
as Duncan(1 ep)
as Wombat
as John Asgeirsson
as Mr. Hickock
as Cacopardo
as Paul Sorenson(1 ep)
as Mr. Ruby
as Plasus(1 ep)
as Hoban
as Fryer
as Col. Tacitus Mosely(1 ep)
as Captain Ansel Coffin(1 ep)
as Abe Lincoln(1 ep)
as Fred Morrissey(1 ep)
as Lieutenant Kebner
as Abraham Lincoln
as Abraham Lincoln
as Sergeant in 'A Southern Yankee' (archive footage) (uncredited)
as George L. Brady Jr. aka Repent
as Reverend Mr. Mansard(1 ep)
as Byron Lomax(1 ep)
as Joe Pyle
as Bishop
as Doctor
as Max Frimmel(1 ep)
as Tuck Dowling(1 ep)
as Frank Brennan(1 ep)
as Morgan Kane(1 ep)
as Carl Bascom(1 ep)
as Judge Procter(1 ep)
as Gen. McClellan(2 eps)
as Luke Benson(2 eps)
as Luke Benson
as Sgt. Skee
as Lou Brecker
as Feisal (uncredited)
as Coyote
as Emir Mokar
as Joe Harmony
as Police Sgt. Farley
as Luke Davis
as Freddie Dibson
as John Barton
as Abraham Lincoln
as Keeley
as Richards
as Bart
as Mohammed Jao
as Police Sgt. Art Collins
as Doctor
as Jed Graham
as Police Lieutenant Louie Macon
as Beecham
as Mr. Loring
as Joan's prison guard
as Shaun
as Schwartzmiller
as Immigration Officer
as Bartender
as Joshua Hill
as Zu
as Karty's Brother-in-Law (uncredited)
as Jed
as 'Freshman' Stack
as Reporter (uncredited)
as Clem (uncredited)
as Stenographer (uncredited)
as Blinky Franklin (uncredited)
as Howard (uncredited)
as Bank Teller
as Tim Murphy
as Flight Crew Member (uncredited)
as Albert (uncredited)
as Llanwelly Cemetery Keeper (uncredited)
as Captain (uncredited)
as Mr. Mooney (uncredited)
as Harwood Green
as Tim Larsen
as Medical Examiner
as Orderly (uncredited)
as Benoit's Secretary (uncredited)
as Mr. Greener (uncredited)
as Tom Sharp (uncredited)
as The Cook
as Reporter
as Mr. Corey (uncredited)
as Second Man on Stairs (uncredited)
as Johann (uncredited)
as Man in Crowd at Fire (uncredited)
as Thug (uncredited)
