E. G. Marshall

E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz; June 18, 1914 – August 24, 1998) 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, conscientious "Juror #4" in Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama 12 Angry Men (1957).[1][2][3] He played the President of the United States in Superman II (1980). Marshall was also known as the host of the radio drama series, CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974–82) but probably best known to Generation X-ers for his memorable role as Upson Pratt in the Stephen King horror classic "Creepshow" (1982).

For the American Union Army general with the same first initials, see Elisha Marshall.
E. G. Marshall
Marshall in 1970
Born
Everett Eugene Grunz

(1914-06-18)June 18, 1914
Owatonna, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedAugust 24, 1998(1998-08-24) (aged 84)
Bedford, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1945–1998
Spouse(s)Judith Coy (?-1998)
Emy de Haze Winkelman
Helen Wolf (1939-1953)

Biography

Early life

Marshall was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, the son of Hazel Irene (née Cobb; 1892–1975) and Charles G. Grunz (1882–1959). His paternal grandparents were German.[4] During his life, he chose not to reveal what "E. G." stood for, telling most people it stood for "Everybody's Guess," but it can be observed the initials match Everett (or Eugene) Grunz.[5] According to the Social Security Death Index, his Social Security card showed his full name as: "E G Marshall".[6] Marshall claimed in interviews to have attended both Carleton College and the University of Minnesota, but there is no evidence that he ever attended either institution or, indeed, to have gone to college at all.[7]

Career

Although most familiar for his later television and movie roles, Marshall also had a distinguished Broadway career. In 1948, having already appeared in the original New York productions of The Skin of Our Teeth and The Iceman Cometh, Marshall would join Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Julie Harris, Kim Stanley, and 45 others to make up the first group of actors granted membership in the newly formed Actors Studio.[8] In subsequent years, he landed the leading roles in The Crucible and Waiting for Godot.[9] In 1973, he returned to the live stage to play the title role in a highly praised production of Macbeth in Richmond, Virginia, under the direction of Keith Fowler.[10] From January 1974 until February 1982, Marshall was an occasional participant and the original host of the popular nightly radio drama, The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.[11]

Marshall was also a Fellow of the American Bar Association and an officer of the American Judicature Society, a national organization of judges, lawyers, and lay persons devoted to promoting the effective administration of justice.[12]

Personal life

Marshall was married three times. He had five children in all, including Jed, Sarah, Jill, Degen, and Sam.

As a member of the Committee for National Health Insurance, Marshall was a long-time advocate of government-provided health care in the United States.[13] During the 1968 United States presidential campaign, he filmed and narrated a political advertisement endorsing Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey.[14]

Death

He died of lung cancer 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.

Filmography

References
  1. Norwegian American Actor E. G. Marshall
  2. E. G. Marshall (livetvcenter.com)
  3. Everett Eugene Grunz (Minnesota Birth Index) Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Everett Eugene Grunz Marshall (rootsweb.com)
  5. Irving Wallace, David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace and Sylvia Wallace, The Book of Lists 2 (1980): Famous Initials
  6. "Social Security Death Master File info for E G Marshall #354-05-6094". 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. "E.G. Marshall's Invented Past". 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  8. Dick Kleiner: "The Actors Studio: Making Stars Out of the Unknown," The Sarasota Journal (Friday, December 21, 1956), p. 26. "That first year, they interviewed around 700 actors and picked 50. In that first group were people like Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Tom Ewell, John Forsythe, Julie Harris, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden, E.G. Marshall, Margaret Phillips, Maureen Stapleton, Kim Stanley, Jo Van Fleet, Eli Wallach, Ray Walston and David Wayne."
  9. E. G. Marshall (ibdb.com)
    1. ^ Stage - Fowler 'Macbeth' - A Vigorous Production Staged in Richmond The Cast - Article - NYTimes.com
  11. E. G. Marshall (Norwegian Hall of Fame)
  12. .Welsh, James M. and Whaley, Donald M. (2013). The Oliver Stone Encyclopedia. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, pg 132.
  13. (Committee for National Health Insurance)
  14. Humphrey campaign ad
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