Don Castle
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Don Castle | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1917 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 1966 (aged 48) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Chapel Of The Pines Crematory |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1938-1957 |
Don Castle (Born Marion Goodman, Jr. September 29, 1917 – May 26, 1966) was an American film actor of the 1930s, 40s & 50s.
Son of Marion Emanuel Goodman Sr. and Lucille Jeantelle-Viterbo, Castle was born in Beaumont, Texas. He went to the University of Texas where he was roommates with Jack Wrather.[1]
Castle’s resemblance to Clark Gable[2] started his acting career as a stage actor.
He then moved to films, ultimately signing with Paramount Pictures howeverWorld War II stalled his career.[1] Castle was drafted into the Army Air Force, during which he made training films for the First Motion Picture Unit.[3]
Upon returning to Hollywood, Castle found many of his fans had turned to Alan Ladd.[1] He bumped into Wrather again who had become bored with the oil business.
Wrather decided to set up as a movie producer, making The Guilty (1947) starring Castle and Wrather's new wife Bonita Granville.[1] Around this time Castle also starred in a series of noir-esque B films notably ‘Roses are Red,’ ‘Lighthouse,’ ‘The Invisible Wall’ & ‘I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes.’
In the 1950s Castle & his wife Zetta Castle opened a celebrity hideaway boarding house called ‘Castle’s Red Barn’ in Palm Springs, California.[4]
Wrather tapped Castle again later in the 1960s to become a television producer for his beloved Lassie television program.
In May 1966, Castle was found in his North Hollywood, CA. apartment dead of an apparent medication overdose aged 48.[5]
