Kenneth Tobey

Infobox actor


caption =
birthdate = March 23 1917
birthplace = Oakland, California
deathdate = December 22, 2002
deathplace = Rancho Mirage, California

Kenneth Tobey (March 23 1917 - December 22, 2002) was an American stage, television, and film actor.

Early years

Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater. That experience led to a year-and-a-half of study at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, where his classmates included Gregory Peck, Eli Wallach and Tony Randall. Throughout the 1940s, Tobey acted on Broadway and in stock; he made his film debut in a 1943 short, "The Man of the Ferry". He made his Hollywood film debut in a Hopalong Cassidy Western, and went on to appear in scores of features and on numerous television series. A sentry guard dressed down by the General (Peck) in "Twelve O' Clock High". A brief comedy bit in I Was A Male War Bride caught the attention of director Howard Hawks, who promised to use Tobey in something more substantial.

The Thing From Another World

In 1951, Tobey was cast in Hawks' production The Thing from Another World, playing Captain Patrick Hendry, a USAF pilot and leader of the arctic polar station's dogged defense against the movie's title character, as portrayed by James Arness. That role led to other sci-fi film roles in the 1950s, usually cast in the role of a military man, particularly The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953), and It Came From Beneath The Sea (1956).

Other movies and Broadway

In 1957, he co-starred with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in John Ford's Wings of Eagles. That same year, he had his own TV series Whirlybirds, a syndicated adventure produced by Desilu, in which he played a helicopter pilot. In 1964, he began a long run on Broadway opposite Sammy Davis, Jr. in the musical version of Clifford Odets' play Golden Boy. He became a semi-regular on the NBC series I Spy as the field boss of agents Robinson and Scott. Chris Nyby, director of The Thing, was often director of these episodes. Tobey continued to work in features and television through the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in such movies as Billy Jack, Walking Tall and Airplane!.

He also co-starred in such horror films as The Howling, the war movie MacArthur, and the comedies Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, and .

Later years

In his retirement years, he frequently received acting jobs from people who had grown up on his 50s sci-fi films, particularly Joe Dante, who considered Tobey a good-luck charm. Two appearances on the sit-com Night Court came the same way, through fans of his work. Along with other character actors who had been in 1950s sci-fi and horror movies (John Agar, Robert O. Cornthwaite, Gloria Talbott, etc.), Tobey starred in a spoof originally titled Attack Of The B Movie Monster. In 2006 Anthem Pictures released the completed feature version on DVD under the new title, The Naked Monster. Tobey's scenes were actually shot in 1985, but this posthumously became his final released film credit. Tobey made a memorable appearance in the 1994 episode "Shadowplay" as Rurigan, an alien who recreated his dead friends as holograms, and frequent appearances on L.A. Law as a judge.

Tobey died of natural causes in 2002 at Rancho Mirage, California, aged 85.

Partial filmography

* Walking Tall - (2004)
* Honey, I Blew Up the Kid - (1992)
* Single White Female - (1992)
* - (1990)
* The Howling - (1981)
* Airplane! - (1980)
* Hero at Large - (1980)
* MacArthur - (1977)
* Baby Blue Marine - (1976)
* Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry - (1974)
* Ben - (1972)
* The Candidate - (1972)
* Billy Jack - (1971)
* The Long Ride Home - (1967)
* X-15 - (1961)
* Cry Terror! - (1958)
* Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - (1957)
* The Wings of Eagles - (1957)
* The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit - (1956)
* The Search For Bridey Murphy - (1956)
* Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier - (1955)
* It Came From Beneath The Sea - (1955)
* Rage at Dawn - (1955)
* Down Three Dark Streets - (1954)
* Angel Face - (1952)
* The Thing From Another World - (1951)
* Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye - (1950)
* I Was a Male War Bride - (1949)
* Twelve O'Clock High - (1949)

External links

*
* [http://www.filmbuffonline.com/InRemembrance/KennethTobey.htm Kenneth Tobey at Film Buff Online.com]