Ted de Corsia

Ted de Corsia
de Corsia in The Enforcer
Born	Edward Gildea De Corsia September 29, 1903 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	April 11, 1973 (aged 69) Encino, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Resting place	Donated to medical science
Occupation	Radio, film, television actor
Years active	1947–72
Spouse(s)	Mary Robertson (1934–35; divorced) Rachel Thurber (1939–19??; divorced); 2 children

Ted de Corsia (September 29, 1903 – April 11, 1973) was an American radio, film, and television actor best remembered for his role as a gangster who turned state's evidence in the film The Enforcer (1951).

Early years

Edward Gildea De Corsia was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Radio

He starred in the title role on Mike Hammer^[1] and played Sergeant Velie on The Adventures of Ellery Queen.^[2] He also voiced roles on Family Theater,^[1] The March of Time, Cavalcade of America, Gang Busters,^[3] and The Shadow.

Film

He made his movie debut in Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai and went on to make a career playing villains and gangsters in 1940s and 1950s films including The Naked City (1948), The Big Combo (1955), The Killing (1956), Baby Face Nelson, and Slightly Scarlet (1956), The Joker is Wild (1957).

In his last film, The Outside Man with Ann-Margret and Angie Dickinson, his character, the mobster Victor, is killed off early in the film, but he later appears as his embalmed corpse, posed in a chair, holding a cigar.

Television

In the late 1950s and 1960s, he appeared in a number of television series, mostly westerns. He was featured on three episodes of the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason, including the episodes "The Case of the Drifting Dropout" (1964), in which he played murder victim Mort Lynch, and "The Case of the Positive Negative" (1966), in the role of murder victim George Emory. Other television appearances included The Californians, Sugarfoot, Jefferson Drum, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Frontier Doctor, Mackenzie's Raiders, Riverboat, Tate, The Twilight Zone, Lawman, Stoney Burke, Rawhide, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, The Dakotas, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, Zane Grey Theater and The Outer Limits ("The Inheritors", 1964).

Death

He died at the age of 69 in Encino, California, from a heart attack. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1948	The Naked City	Willie Garzah
1949	The Life of Riley	Norman
	It Happens Every Spring	Jimmy Dolan
1951	Crazy Over Horses	Duke
	A Place In The Sun	Judge R.S. Oldendorff
1954	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea	Capt. Farragut
	Crime Wave	'Doc' Penny
1955	The Big Combo	Bettini
1956	Slightly Scarlet	Solly Caspar
	The Conqueror	Kumlek
	The Killing	Randy Kennan
	Mohawk	Indian Chief Kowanen
1957	Gunfight at the O.K. Corral	Shanghai Pierce
1957	The Joker is Wild	Georgie Parker,(Danny Cohen)
1964	The Quick Gun	Jud Spangler
1966	Nevada Smith	Hudson (bartender)

References

1. "Harry Wismer Off On Sports Trek". Brownwood Bulletin. November 25, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Whistling Clown Sunday Mystery". Harrisburg Telegraph. March 2, 1940. p. 18. Retrieved May 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Grunwald, Edgar A. (1938). Variety Radio Directory. Variety, Inc. p. 1284.

External links

• Ted de Corsia at the Internet Movie Database
• Ted de Corsia at Find a Grave