E. G. Marshall
Encyclopedia
E. G. Marshall was an American actor, best known for his television
roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
in the 1970s. Among his film roles, he is perhaps best known as the unflappable Juror #4 in Sidney Lumet
's courtroom drama 12 Angry Men (1957).
, the son of Hazel Irene (née
Cobb; 1892–1975) and Charles G. Grunz (1882–1959). Marshall attended both Carleton College
and the University of Minnesota
. During his life, he never divulged fully what 'E.G' stood for, telling most people it stood for "Everybody's Guess".
Although most familiar from his television and movie roles, E. G. Marshall came from a distinguished Broadway background, appearing in the original New York productions of The Skin of Our Teeth
, The Iceman Cometh
, and lead roles in The Crucible
and Waiting for Godot
. Marshall was the original host of the popular nightly radio drama The CBS Radio Mystery Theater
.
in Bedford, New York
, on August 24, 1998. His grave is in the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery, located in the hamlet of Banksville, a part of the town of North Castle, New York
.
As a member of the Committee for National Health Insurance, he was a long-time advocate for government provided health care in the United States. During the 1968 Presidential Campaign he filmed and narrated a political ad endorsing Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey
.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
roles as the lawyer Lawrence Preston on The Defenders in the 1960s, and as neurosurgeon David Craig on The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors is an American medical drama that lasted for four seasons on NBC, from 1969 to 1973.-Overview:The series focuses on the life of Dr. David Craig The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (also known as The New Doctors) is an American medical drama that lasted for four seasons on...
in the 1970s. Among his film roles, he is perhaps best known as the unflappable Juror #4 in Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
's courtroom drama 12 Angry Men (1957).
Early life and career
Marshall was born Everett Eugene Grunz in Owatonna, MinnesotaOwatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August....
, the son of Hazel Irene (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Cobb; 1892–1975) and Charles G. Grunz (1882–1959). Marshall attended both Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
and the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. During his life, he never divulged fully what 'E.G' stood for, telling most people it stood for "Everybody's Guess".
Although most familiar from his television and movie roles, E. G. Marshall came from a distinguished Broadway background, appearing in the original New York productions of The Skin of Our Teeth
The Skin of Our Teeth
The Skin of Our Teeth is a play by Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, 1942...
, The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh
The Iceman Cometh is a play written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1939. First published in 1940 the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 9 October 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling where it ran for 136 performances to close on 15 March 1947.-Characters:* Night Hawk-...
, and lead roles in The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
and Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
. Marshall was the original host of the popular nightly radio drama The CBS Radio Mystery Theater
CBS Radio Mystery Theater
CBS Radio Mystery Theater was a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS affiliates from 1974 to 1982....
.
Personal life and death
Marshall was married three times. He had seven children in all, whose names include Sam, Jed, Sarah, Jill, and Degen. He died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Bedford, New York
Bedford (town), New York
Bedford is a town in Westchester County, New York, USA. The population was 17,335 at the 2010 census.The Town of Bedford is located in the northeastern part of Westchester County, and contains the three hamlets of Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, and Katonah...
, on August 24, 1998. His grave is in the Middle Patent Rural Cemetery, located in the hamlet of Banksville, a part of the town of North Castle, New York
North Castle, New York
North Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 11,841 at the 2010 census. It has no villages.-Geography:...
.
As a member of the Committee for National Health Insurance, he was a long-time advocate for government provided health care in the United States. During the 1968 Presidential Campaign he filmed and narrated a political ad endorsing Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
.
Partial filmography
- The House on 92nd StreetThe House on 92nd StreetThe House on 92nd Street is a 1945 black-and-white spy film directed by Henry Hathaway. The film, shot mainly in New York City, was released shortly after the end of World War II. The House on 92nd Street was made with the full cooperation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation , and its head, J....
(1945) (uncredited) - 13 Rue Madeleine13 Rue Madeleine13 Rue Madeleine is a 1947 World War II spy film starring James Cagney, Annabella and Richard Conte.The title refers to the Le Havre address where a Gestapo headquarters is located.-Plot:...
(1947) (uncredited) - Call Northside 777Call Northside 777Call Northside 777 is a documentary-style film noir directed by Henry Hathaway. It is based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man, who had been in prison for murder, was wrongly convicted 11 years before....
(1948) (uncredited) - The Caine MutinyThe Caine Mutiny (film)The Caine Mutiny is a 1954 American drama film set during World War II, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Stanley Kramer. It stars Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, and is based on the 1951 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk The Caine Mutiny. The film...
(1954) - Broken LanceBroken LanceBroken Lance is a 1954 Western film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Sol C. Siegel. The movie stars Spencer Tracy and features Katy Jurado, Richard Widmark, Robert Wagner, Jean Peters, Eduard Franz, Hugh O'Brian and Earl Holliman.Shot in color and...
(1954) - PushoverPushover (film)Pushover is a film noir notable for being the first film to feature Kim Novak in a starring role. Directed by Richard Quine, the Columbia Pictures film also stars Fred MacMurray. It was adapted from two novels, The Night Watch by Thomas Walsh and Rafferty by William S...
(1954) - The Silver ChaliceThe Silver Chalice (film)The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic film from Warner Bros., based on Thomas B. Costain's 1952 novel of the same name.-Plot:A Greek artisan is commissioned to cast the cup of Christ in silver and sculpt around its rim the faces of the disciples and Jesus himself. He travels to Jerusalem and...
(1954) - The Left Hand of GodThe Left Hand of GodThe Left Hand of God is a 1955 drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and produced by Buddy Adler, from a screenplay by Alfred Hayes, based on the novel The Left Hand of God by William Edmund Barrett. It stars Humphrey Bogart and Gene Tierney, with a supporting cast...
(1955) - The MountainThe Mountain (1956 film)The Mountain is a 1956 dramatic film starring Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner. The supporting cast included Claire Trevor, Richard Arlen, William Demarest, and Anna Kashfi...
(1956) - The Bachelor PartyThe Bachelor PartyThe Bachelor Party is a 1953 teleplay by Paddy Chayefsky which was adapted by Chayefsky for a 1957 film.-Television:Chayefsky's teleplay was produced by Fred Coe for The Philco Television Playhouse on October 11, 1953...
(1957) - Man on FireMan on FireMan on Fire is a 1981 thriller novel by the English novelist Philip Nicholson, writing as A. J. Quinnell. The plot features his popular character Creasy, an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion, in his first appearance.-Plot:...
(1957) - 12 Angry Men (1957)
- The BuccaneerThe Buccaneer (1958 film)The Buccaneer is a 1958 War film, made by Paramount Pictures like the 1938 version and shot in Technicolor and VistaVision. It takes place during the War of 1812, and tells a heavily fictionalized version of how the pirate Jean Lafitte helped in the Battle of New Orleans and how he had to choose...
(1958) - The JourneyThe Journey (1959 film)The Journey is a 1959 American drama film directed by Anatole Litvak. A group of Westerners tries to flee Hungary after the Soviet Union moves to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It stars Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards. Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner were paired again since they...
(1959) - CompulsionCompulsion (film)Compulsion, directed by Richard Fleischer, was a film made in 1959, based on the 1956 novel Compulsion by Meyer Levin, which in turn was based on the Leopold and Loeb trial. It was the first film Richard D. Zanuck produced.- Plot :...
(1959) - Cash McCallCash McCallCash McCall is a 1960 movie starring James Garner and Natalie Wood, based upon the novel of the same name by Cameron Hawley about a man who buys businesses in order to sell them at a profit...
(1960) - Town Without PityTown Without PityTown Without Pity is a 1961 American, Austrian and West German international co-production film drama starring Kirk Douglas, directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. It was made by Mirisch Productions for United Artists....
(1961) - The ChaseThe Chase (1966 film)The Chase is a 1966 American drama film directed by Arthur Penn, about a series of events set into motion by a prison break. Since one of the two escapees is Charlie "Bubber" Reeves , the escape causes a stir in a nearby town where Bubber is a well-known figure.The film deals with themes of racism...
(1966) - The Poppy Is Also a FlowerThe Poppy Is Also a FlowerThe Poppy Is Also a Flower is an ABC made-for-television spy and anti-drug film. The film was directed by Terence Young and stars Senta Berger, Stephen Boyd, Trevor Howard, Rita Hayworth, Angie Dickinson, Yul Brynner, and Marcello Mastroianni...
(1966) - Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning?Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:...
(1966) (uncredited) - The Bridge at RemagenThe Bridge at RemagenThe Bridge at Remagen is a 1969 war film starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by John Guillermin and was shot on location in Czechoslovakia....
(1969) - The Learning TreeThe Learning TreeThe Learning Tree is a 1969 drama film which tells the story of a young African American growing up in rural Kansas during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when racial discrimination was a social norm, legally sanctioned in parts of the United States. Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film...
(1969) - Tora! Tora! Tora!Tora! Tora! Tora!is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
(1970) - The Pursuit of HappinessThe Pursuit of Happiness (1971 film)The Pursuit of Happiness is a 1971 American drama film about a student who goes on the run to avoid serving his full prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter. The film was directed by Robert Mulligan. The producer was David Susskind and the associate producer, Alan Shayne. The screenplay was...
(1971) - The Incredible MachineThe Incredible Machine (film)The Incredible Machine is a 1975 documentary film directed by Irwin Rosten and Ed Spiegel. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. E. G. Marshall narrated the film, which was produced by Rosten, together with Dennis B...
(1975) (narrator) - Billy Jack Goes to WashingtonBilly Jack Goes to WashingtonBilly Jack Goes to Washington is a 1977 film starring Tom Laughlin, the fourth film in the Billy Jack series, and although the earlier films saw enormous success, this film did not. The film only had limited screenings upon its release and never saw a general theatrical release, but has since...
(1977) - InteriorsInteriorsInteriors is a 1978 drama film written and directed by Woody Allen. Featured performers are Kristin Griffith, Mary Beth Hurt, Richard Jordan, Diane Keaton, E. G. Marshall, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton and Sam Waterston....
(1978) - Superman IISuperman IISuperman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
(1980) - CreepshowCreepshowCreepshow is a 1982 American horror anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King. The film's ensemble cast included Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Hal Holbrook, E.G...
(1982) - KennedyKennedy (TV Miniseries)Kennedy is a five-hour miniseries written by Reg Gadney and directed by Jim Goddard. The miniseries was produced by Central Independent Television and originally aired in the United States starting on 20 November 1983 around the time of the twentieth anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.The...
(1983 TV miniseries) - La Gran FiestaLa Gran FiestaLa Gran Fiesta is a 1985 Puerto Rican film, written and directed by Marcos Zurinaga, based on a story by Ana Lydia Vega....
(1984) - My ChauffeurMy ChauffeurMy Chauffeur is an American comedy film starring E. G. Marshall, Deborah Foreman, and Howard Hesseman. It was written and directed by David Beaird. The original music score was composed by Paul Hertzog. The film was released on January 24, 1986, and was marketed with the tagline "Some women will,...
(1986) - Power (1986)
- War and Remembrance (1988-89 TV miniseries)
- National Lampoon's Christmas VacationNational Lampoon's Christmas VacationChristmas Vacation is a 1989 Christmas comedy film directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik. It is the third installment in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, and was written by John Hughes, based on his short story in National Lampoon Magazine, Christmas ‘59...
(1989) - Two Evil EyesTwo Evil EyesTwo Evil Eyes is a 1990 double feature horror film written and directed by the Italian Dario Argento and the American George A. Romero. The two had previously worked together on the immensely popular Dawn of the Dead in 1978.-Overview:...
(1990) - Consenting Adults (1992)
- Chicago HopeChicago HopeChicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
(1994–1995, eight episodes) - The TommyknockersThe Tommyknockers (TV miniseries)The Tommyknockers is a 1993 television miniseries based on the novel The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It was directed by John Power, and starred Marg Helgenberger and Jimmy Smits in the two lead roles.-Part One:...
(1993 TV miniseries) - NixonNixon (film)Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....
(1995) - Absolute PowerAbsolute Power (film)Absolute Power is a 1997 American political thriller produced, directed by, and starring Clint Eastwood as a thief who witnesses a murder. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel of the same name written by David Baldacci...
(1997) - Miss Evers' BoysMiss Evers' BoysMiss Evers' Boys is a 1997 HBO television film starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne, based on the true story of the decades-long Tuskegee experiment. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted from the 1992 stage play written by David Feldshuh...
(1997 TV movie)
External links
- E.G. Marshall Radio History
- E.G. Marshall at Internet off-Broadway Database