William Horace Marshall

William Horace Marshall (b. August 19, 1924 – d. June 11, 2003) – A tall African American actor with a strong bass voice, Marshall was classically trained in theater (with Shakespearean experience) as well as in operatic singing. Nonetheless, he enjoyed a long acting career (1952 to 1996) and was best known for playing tribal chiefs in multiple Tarzan movies of the 1950s and for playing the title role in Blacula (1972), a Black exploitation movie. In addition to his film career, Marshall had notable television roles, such as King of Cartoons on Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Appropriately, he was even cast as a traveling opera singer on Bonanza.