Robert Walter Quarry (November 3, 1925 – February 20, 2009) was an American actor, known for several prominent
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
roles.
Life and career
Quarry was born in
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...
, the son of Mable (née Shoemaker) and Paul Quarry, a doctor. His grandmother was an actress. He left school at the age of 14 to pursue a career in radio.
During World War II in November 1943, Quarry joined the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, where he formed a theatrical troupe. After the war he acted again, first for RKO and then for MGM.
[
His films include '']Count Yorga, Vampire
''Count Yorga, Vampire'' (also known as ''The Loves Of Count Iorga, Vampire'') is a 1970 American vampire horror film written and directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry and Michael Murphy. It was followed by a sequel, ''Th ...
'' (1970), its sequel ''The Return of Count Yorga
''The Return of Count Yorga'' (originally titled ''Yorga Returns'') is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, and Craig T. Ne ...
'' (1971), and '' Dr. Phibes Rises Again'' (1972), in which he played alchemist Dr. Biederbeck pitted against Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...
's Phibes in a race to find the mythical elixir of eternal life. Price reportedly did not care for his co-star — once, when Quarry was singing in his dressing room during the making of ''Dr Phibes Rises Again'', he said to Price, "You didn't know I could sing did you?" and Price replied: "Well I knew you couldn't act." However, Quarry related later that while it was difficult to act opposite Price (who was acting with expressions rather than his voice, provided offscreen), he stated that he dodged blowing many takes by simply relating to a person he hated and look at his ear (which earned him the praise of doing the scenes better than Price's previous co-star Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and ''Sabr ...
); a publicity event had resulted in Price hearing about the plan to replace him because of a question posed to him, and while a rift did occur between the two actors, it did not affect the production of the film, which was also noted by producer Louis M. Heyward. The duo would later be paired in '' Madhouse'' (1974), the last film to feature Price at AIP.
American International Pictures had plans for Quarry to succeed Price, signing him to a long-term contract, but a variety of factors affected his career at the studio: the departure of AIP co-founder James H. Nicholson
James Harvey Nicholson (September 14, 1916 – December 10, 1972) was an American movie producer, film producer. He is best known as the co-founder, with Samuel Z. Arkoff, of American International Pictures.
Early life
Nicholson was born on ...
and business manager Paul Zimmerman, the decline in the company's fortunes that forced cheaper productions, and the subsequent degradation of popularity in old-style horror films. Quarry did make further horror film appearances, as the hippy guru vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
Khorda in 1973's '' The Deathmaster'', and as a gangster in the 1974 zombie
A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...
movie '' Sugar Hill''.
Quarry made several guest appearances on TV shows, including two in 1965 on ''Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...
''. He appeared on an episode of ''The Rockford Files
''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...
''. He played disfigured gunrunner Commander Corliss in the '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' episode "Return of the Fighting 69th". He played in two episodes of ''The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
''.
In 1980 he was in an automobile accident, in which he was struck by a drunk driver. It resulted in serious facial injuries. He was also mugged in Hollywood shortly thereafter.
In 1987, Quarry returned to film with ''Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
'' directed by Fred Olen Ray
Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget feature films in many genres, including Horror film, horror, science fiction, action film, action/adventure f ...
. Quarry would be cast in over 20 of Ray's films in the remainder of his career.[
]
Death
Quarry died on February 20, 2009 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...
in Woodland Hills, California
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...
, aged 83.Vampire Legend Dies
radaronline.com, February 2009; accessed July 17, 2015.
Filmography
*''Shadow of a Doubt
''Shadow of a Doubt'' is a 1943 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy ...
'' (1943) – Santa Rosa Teenager (uncredited)
*'' Soldier of Fortune'' (1955)[ – Frank Stewart – U.S. Consulate (uncredited)
*'']House of Bamboo
''House of Bamboo'' is a 1955 American film noir shot in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color, directed and co-written by Samuel Fuller, and starring Robert Ryan. The other co-screenwriter was Harry Kleiner. The cinematographer was Joseph MacDonald.
Plot ...
'' (1955) – Phil (uncredited)
*'' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1956)[ – Dwight Powell
*'']Crime of Passion
A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...
'' (1957)[ – Reporter
*'']Official Detective
''Official Detective'' is an American anthology television series which aired in syndication from 1957 to March 19, 1958. The series was hosted by veteran film actor Everett Sloane.McNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television'' (4th ed.). New York: P ...
'' (1957, TV Series) – Ed Platt
*''Sea Hunt
''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as ...
'' (1959, TV Series) – Bill Hill
*'' Agent for H.A.R.M.'' (1966) – Borg
*''Winning
Winning may refer to:
* Victory
Film
* ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman
* '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams
Music
* ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...
'' (1969)[ – Sam Jagin (uncredited)
*'' Colossus: The Forbin Project'' (1970) – Scientist (uncredited)
*'']Count Yorga, Vampire
''Count Yorga, Vampire'' (also known as ''The Loves Of Count Iorga, Vampire'') is a 1970 American vampire horror film written and directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry and Michael Murphy. It was followed by a sequel, ''Th ...
'' (1970) – Count Yorga
*'' WUSA'' (1970)[ – Noonan
*'']The Return of Count Yorga
''The Return of Count Yorga'' (originally titled ''Yorga Returns'') is a 1971 American vampire horror film directed by Bob Kelljan and starring Robert Quarry, Roger Perry, Yvonne Wilder, George Macready, Rudy De Luca, Edward Walsh, and Craig T. Ne ...
'' (1971) – Count Yorga
*'' Dr. Phibes Rises Again'' (1972) – Darrus Biederbeck
*''The Deathmaster'' (1973) – Khorda
*'' Sugar Hill'' (1974) – Morgan
*'' The Midnight Man'' (1974) – Dr. Prichette
*'' Madhouse'' (1974) – Oliver Quayle
*''Rollercoaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
'' (1977) – Mayor
*''Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...
'' (1987)[ – Knowles
*''Commando Squad'' (1987) – Milo
*'']Moon in Scorpio
''Moon in Scorpio'' is a 1987 American horror film directed by Gary Graver; and starring Britt Ekland, John Phillip Law and William Smith.
Plot
Newly married couple Linda and Allen plan to take a trip to Acapulco for their honeymoon. Joinin ...
'' (1987) – Dr. Khorda
*''Warlords'' (1988) – Dr. Mathers
*'' L.A. Bounty'' (1989) – Jimmy
*''Beverly Hills Vamp
''Beverly Hills Vamp'' is a 1989 direct to video comedy horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Eddie Deezen and Britt Ekland.
Plot summary
Three nerds, Kyle (Eddie Deezen), Brock ( Tim Conway Jr.) & Russell (Tom Shell), want to make ...
'' (1989) – Father Ferraro
*''Sexbomb'' (1989) – King Faraday
*''Alienator
''Alienator'' is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray, produced by Jeffrey C. Hogue, and starring Jan-Michael Vincent.
The film was described by Leonard Maltin and confirmed by Fred Olen Ray to be a "semi- remake" of the 1957 ...
'' (1990) – Doc Burnside
*''Haunting Fear'' (1990) – Visconti
*''Mob Boss
A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization.
Description
A crime boss typically has absolute or near ...
'' (1990) – Dr. Jones
*''Spirits'' (1990) – Dr. Richard Wicks
*''Evil Spirits'' (1990) – Doctor
*'' Teenage Exorcist'' (1991) – Father McFerrin
*''Evil Toons
''Evil Toons'' is a 1992 American live-action/adult animated comedy horror B-movie written and directed by Fred Olen Ray. The film is a light spoof of traditional haunted-house films.
Plot
In the past, Gideon Fisk hangs himself in the basement ...
'' (1992) – Demon (voice, uncredited)
*''Angel Eyes'' (1993) – Murray
*''Mind Twister
''Mind Twister'' is a 1994 American erotic thriller film directed by Fred Olen Ray, written by Mark Thomas McGee, and produced by Luigi Cingolani and Smart Egg Pictures.
After the profitable release of his previous erotic thriller '' Inner Sanct ...
'' (1993)[ – Bob
*''Inner Sanctum II'' (1994) – Steve Warren
*''Droid Gunner'' (1995) – Chew'Bah
*'' The Shooter'' (1997) – Examiner
*'' Jungle Boy'' (1998) – Bono (voice)
*'' Dear Santa'' (1998) – Mr. Ambrose
*'' Mom's Outta Sight'' (1998) – Robert Secord
*''The Prophet'' (1999)][ – Agent Betts
]
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quarry, Robert
1925 births
2009 deaths
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Santa Rosa, California
20th-century American male actors