John Marley
Encyclopedia
John Marley was an American
actor
who was known for his role as Phil Cavalleri in Love Story
and as Jack Woltz
— the defiant film mogul who awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed—in The Godfather
(1972). He starred in John Cassavetes
' breakthrough feature Faces
(1968) and appeared in The Glitter Dome (1984).
, appearing in nearly 150 films and television series, including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Johnny Staccato
, and CBS's anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show
throughout a career that spanned forty-five years.
In 1960, he portrayed the Oglala Lakota
Chief Crazy Horse
on the episode "Escort Detail" of NBC
's Overland Trail
western
series, starring William Bendix
and Doug McClure
. In 1961, he guest starred as Josiah Brady in the episode "Hand of Vengeance", along with Denver Pyle
, on the syndicated
western Two Faces West
.
Marley was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor in a Supporting Role
for his role in Love Story
but lost to John Mills
, who won for Ryan's Daughter
. One of his most notable roles was that of film producer Jack Woltz in the film The Godfather, albeit a short role. He played the role of 'Max', a film producer who was a caring father figure to Burt Reynolds in the stuntman tribute, Hooper (1978).
He appeared in the popular television series, The Incredible Hulk as the father of the main character, David Banner, as D.W. Banner.
His son is actor Ben Marley, who has appeared in many films, including Jaws 2
.
On stage, Marley appeared in the world premiere production of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry drama "Conversation At Minight," in 1961 in Los Angeles, in an ensemble cast which included James Coburn, Jack Albertson and Eduard Franz. The production was directed by Robert Gist and produced by Worley Thorne and Susan Davis.
, in Emerson, New Jersey
. He died within a year of coming in contact with The Hands Resist Him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who was known for his role as Phil Cavalleri in Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
and as Jack Woltz
Jack Woltz
Jack Woltz is a fictional character from the Mario Puzo novel The Godfather and the 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he is portrayed by John Marley.-In the film:...
— the defiant film mogul who awakens to find the severed head of his prized horse in his bed—in The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
(1972). He starred in John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
' breakthrough feature Faces
Faces (film)
Faces is a 1968 drama film, directed by John Cassavetes and starring John Marley, Cassavetes' wife Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin, who both received Academy Award nominations for this film....
(1968) and appeared in The Glitter Dome (1984).
Career
Marley was a prolific character actorCharacter actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
, appearing in nearly 150 films and television series, including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Johnny Staccato
Johnny Staccato
Johnny Staccato is an American private detective series which ran for 27 episodes on NBC from September 10, 1959 through March 24, 1960.-Synopsis:...
, and CBS's anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show is an American anthology drama series produced by Aaron Spelling, which aired on CBS from September 11, 1962 to May 28, 1963, starring and hosted by Lloyd Bridges.-Synopsis:...
throughout a career that spanned forty-five years.
In 1960, he portrayed the Oglala Lakota
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
Chief Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
on the episode "Escort Detail" of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Overland Trail
Overland Trail (TV series)
Overland Trail is a short-lived American Western series which aired on NBC from February 7 to June 6, 1960. The series starred William Bendix and Doug McClure,-Synopsis:...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series, starring William Bendix
William Bendix
William Bendix was an American film, radio, and television actor, best remembered in movies for the title role in the movie The Babe Ruth Story and for portraying clumsily earnest aircraft plant worker Chester A. Riley in radio and television's The Life of Riley...
and Doug McClure
Doug McClure
Douglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
. In 1961, he guest starred as Josiah Brady in the episode "Hand of Vengeance", along with Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
, on the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western Two Faces West
Two Faces West
Two Faces West is a 39-episode half-hour syndicated television western series set in Gunnison in southwestern Colorado, which aired from October 17, 1960, to July 31, 1961. It stars Scottish native Charles Bateman in the dual roles of twin brothers, Rick January, M.D., and Marshal Ben January...
.
Marley was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his role in Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
but lost to John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, who won for Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter
Ryan's Daughter is a 1970 film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during World War I, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours...
. One of his most notable roles was that of film producer Jack Woltz in the film The Godfather, albeit a short role. He played the role of 'Max', a film producer who was a caring father figure to Burt Reynolds in the stuntman tribute, Hooper (1978).
He appeared in the popular television series, The Incredible Hulk as the father of the main character, David Banner, as D.W. Banner.
His son is actor Ben Marley, who has appeared in many films, including Jaws 2
Jaws 2
Jaws 2 is a 1978 thriller film and the first sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws , which is based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name...
.
On stage, Marley appeared in the world premiere production of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry drama "Conversation At Minight," in 1961 in Los Angeles, in an ensemble cast which included James Coburn, Jack Albertson and Eduard Franz. The production was directed by Robert Gist and produced by Worley Thorne and Susan Davis.
Death
In 1984, Marley died at age 76 following open-heart surgery. He is interred at Cedar Park CemeteryCedar Park Cemetery, Emerson, New Jersey
Cedar Park Cemetery is a cemetery located in Emerson, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.- Noted interments :*Martin Balsam won an Academy Award in 1965 for best supporting actor in A Thousand Clowns...
, in Emerson, New Jersey
Emerson, New Jersey
Emerson is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,401....
. He died within a year of coming in contact with The Hands Resist Him.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Native Land Native Land Native Land is a 1942 documentary film directed by Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand.A combination of a documentary format and staged reenactments, the film depicted the struggle of trade unions against union-busting corporations, their spies and contractors... |
Thug With Crowbar | credited as John Marlieb |
| 1958 | I Want to Live! I Want to Live! I Want to Live! is a 1958 film noir produced by Walter Wanger and directed by Robert Wise which tells the heavily fictionalized story of a woman, Barbara Graham, convicted of murder and facing execution. It stars Susan Hayward as Graham, and also features Simon Oakland, Stafford Repp, and Theodore... |
Father Devers | |
| 1963 | A Child is Waiting A Child Is Waiting A Child Is Waiting is a 1963 American drama film written by Abby Mann and directed by John Cassavetes. Burt Lancaster portrays the director of a state institution for mentally handicapped and emotionally disturbed children, and Judy Garland is a new teacher who challenges his methods.-Plot:Jean... |
Holland | |
| America, America America, America America, America is a 1963 American dramatic film directed, produced and written by Elia Kazan, from his own book.-Plot:... |
Garabet | ||
| The Wheeler Dealers The Wheeler Dealers The Wheeler Dealers is a 1963 comedy film starring James Garner and Lee Remick and featuring Chill Wills and Jim Backus... |
Achilles Dimitros | ||
| 1965 | Cat Ballou Cat Ballou Cat Ballou is a 1965 comedy/Western film which tells the story of a woman who hires a famous gunman to protect her father's ranch, and later to avenge his murder, but finds that the man she hires is not what she expected... |
Frankie Ballou | |
| 1968 | Faces Faces (film) Faces is a 1968 drama film, directed by John Cassavetes and starring John Marley, Cassavetes' wife Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel and Lynn Carlin, who both received Academy Award nominations for this film.... |
Richard Forst | |
| 1970 | Love Story Love Story (1970 film) Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story... |
Phil Cavalleri | |
| 1972 | The Godfather The Godfather The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard... |
Jack Woltz Jack Woltz Jack Woltz is a fictional character from the Mario Puzo novel The Godfather and the 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he is portrayed by John Marley.-In the film:... |
|
| 1974 | Deathdream Deathdream Deathdream is a 1972 Canadian horror film, directed by Bob Clark and written by Alan Ormsby. It was inspired by the W.W. Jacobs short story The Monkey's Paw.-Plot summary:... |
Charles Brooks | |
| 1976 | W.C. Fields and Me W.C. Fields and Me W.C. Fields and Me is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine. The screenplay by Bob Merrill is based on a memoir by Carlotta Monti, mistress of W.C. Fields for the last 14 years of his life.... |
Studio Head Bannerman | |
| 1978 | Hooper Hooper (film) Hooper is a 1978 action-comedy motion picture starring Burt Reynolds, based loosely on the experiences of director Hal Needham, a one-time stuntman in his own right... |
Producer Max Berns | |
| 1978 | Greatest Heroes of the Bible | Moses Moses Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed... |
|
| 1980 | Tribute Tribute (film) Tribute is a play by Bernard Slade.The plot focuses on Scottie Templeton, a popular actor who has spent his life shirking responsibility. When he discovers he is terminally ill with leukemia, he attempts to reconnect with his long-estranged son.... |
Lou Daniels | |
| 1981 | The Amateur | Molton | |
| 1982 | Mother Lode | Elijah | |
| 1986 | On the Edge | Elmo Glidden |