| Frank Marth | |
| Birth Date: | July 29, 1922 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1949 - 1987 |
Frank Marth (July 29, 1922 - January 12, 2014) was an American film and television actor. He may be best known as a cast-member of Cavalcade of Stars (1949; 1950–1957), especially segments of The Honeymooners, which later became a television series (1955–56).
Marth was born in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan to Mr. And Mrs. Frank Marth, Sr. He attended public schools graduating from Commerce High School. He initially worked in building construction, but after World War II he attended the Feagin School of Dramatic Art with plans to work in radio.
Early in his career, Marth worked in radio, including being announcer, commentator, and disc jockey on WOV in New York City and WWDX-FM[1] and WPAT in New Jersey.[2]
On stage, Marth acted in productions of local and regional theaters, including the Greenwood Playhouse in Maine and the Willimantic Playhouse in Connecticut.[2]
Marth's big screen credits included roles in films such as Madame X (1966), Madigan (1968), Pendulum (1969), The Lost Man (1969), Marooned (1969) and Telefon (1977).
On television, Marth appeared in two episodes of Perry Mason, five episodes of The Big Valley, one episode of The Wild, Wild West and Mannix, five episodes of Hogan's Heroes, three episodes of Barnaby Jones, two episodes of Mission: Impossible, as well as on Hawaii Five-O, The Fugitive, Cannon, The Invaders, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco, The Six Million Dollar Man, The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, Dallas and M*A*S*H. In 1970 Marth appeared as Rawlings in the western TV series The Virginian in the episode titled "The Gift." In 1976, he appeared in an episode of Sara and played the Commanding Officer of Ben Murphy's leading officer in the TV mini series version of The Dirty Dozen.[3] He also played Ben Fraser, Jr. in the NBC drama From These Roots (1958-1961) and was a regular on Jackie Gleason and His American Scene Magazine and The Jackie Gleason Show.
Tall and fair-haired, Marth, often in tandem with the short, dark-haired George O. Petrie, played various recurring and one-time roles on The Honeymooners; e.g., as one of the brutal hoods who hold the Kramdens and Ed Norton hostage after Ralph witnesses a bank robbery; as Harvey Walstatter, who hires Alice Kramden to babysit his son, Harvey, Jr.; and as the inquiring news photographer who lands Ralph Kramden in hot water after he quotes Kramden declaring that he is "head of the household".
Marth died of congestive heart failure and Alzheimer's disease on January 12, 2014, in Rancho Mirage, California, aged 91.[4]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Fright | George Morley | ||
| 1961 | Breakfast at Tiffany's | Party Guest | Uncredited | |
| 1963 | Love with the Proper Stranger | Carlos | Uncredited | |
| 1966 | Madame X | Det. Combs | ||
| 1968 | Madigan | Lt. James Price | ||
| 1969 | Pendulum | Lt. Smithson | ||
| 1969 | The Lost Man | Warren | ||
| 1969 | Marooned | Air Force Systems Director | ||
| 1977 | Telefon | Harley Sandburg | ||
| 1994 | Loving Deadly | John | (final film role) |
Season 3, Episode 7 "Operation Fly Trap" as a German Captain
Season 2, Episode 8 "The Great Brain Robbery" as Capt. Edward Prescott
Season 1, Episode 13 "Hogan's Hofbrau" as Capt. Milheiser
Season 2, Episode 19 "Praise the Fuhrer and Pass the Ammunition" as Colonel Deutsch
Season 4, Episode 30 "Run, Sheep, Run" as Lt. Vogler
Season 3, Episode 21 "War Takes A Holiday" as Inspector General Busse
Season 5, Episode 3 "The Klink Commandos" as Count von Waffenschmidt
Season 8, Episode 24 "The Gift" as Emmett Rawlings
Season 6, Episode 11 "Operation Tiger" as Capt. Steiger
Season 4, Episode 1 "Kelly's Song" as Captain Royce
Season 5, Episode 23 "Point After Death" as Eliott Strickland
Season 2, Episode 5 "Knockout" as Tall Man
Episode 20 "Greetings from Earth"
Season 3, Episode 18 "Road Games" as Jim Sullivan