Sid Haig

American actor (1939–2019) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sidney Eddie Mosesian[1] (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019),[2][3] known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in horror films, most notably his role as Captain Spaulding in the Rob Zombie films House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and 3 from Hell. Haig's Captain Spaulding, and Haig himself, have been called icons of horror cinema.

Born
Sidney Eddie Mosesian

(1939-07-14)July 14, 1939
Fresno, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 21, 2019(2019-09-21) (aged 80)
Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
EducationPasadena Playhouse
OccupationActor
Quick facts Born, Died ...
Sid Haig
Haig in 2016
Born
Sidney Eddie Mosesian

(1939-07-14)July 14, 1939
Fresno, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 21, 2019(2019-09-21) (aged 80)
Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
EducationPasadena Playhouse
OccupationActor
Years active1960–2019
Spouse
Susan L. Oberg
​
(m. 2007)​
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Haig had a leading role on the television series Jason of Star Command as the villain Dragos. He appeared in many television programs, including The Untouchables; Batman; Gunsmoke; Mission: Impossible; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Star Trek; Get Smart; Mannix; The Rockford Files; Charlie's Angels; Fantasy Island; Buck Rogers in the 25th Century; The Dukes of Hazzard; The A-Team; MacGyver; and Emergency!. He also had roles in several of Jack Hill's exploitation films from the 1970s.

Early life

Haig was born in Fresno, California to Armenian parents[4] Roxy (Mooradian) and Haig Mosesian, an electrician.[5][6] As a young man, his rapid growth interfered with his motor coordination, prompting him to take dancing lessons.[7] At seven years old, he worked as a paid dancer in a children's Christmas show and later joined a vaudeville revival show.[8]

Haig was also a musician, playing a wide range of music styles on the drums, including swing, country, jazz, blues and rock and roll. Haig began to earn money from music, and signed a recording contract one year out of high school. Still a teenager, Haig went on to record the single "Full House" with the T-Birds in 1958, which reached No. 4 in the charts.[7][9][10]

The Pasadena Playhouse

While Haig was in high school, the head of the drama department was Alice Merrill, who encouraged him to pursue an acting career.[7] Merrill had been a Broadway actress who had maintained her contacts in the business. During his senior year, a play was produced in which Merrill double cast the show, to have one of her Hollywood friends assess the actors in order to select the final cast.[7]

Dennis Morgan, a musical comedy personality from the 1940s, saw Haig perform, and chose him for a prominent role in the play. Two weeks later, he returned to see the show and advised Haig to continue his education in the San Fernando Valley and to consider acting as a career. Two years later, Haig enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse,[8] the school that trained such noted actors as Robert Preston, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman.[11] He later moved to Hollywood with longtime friend and Pasadena Playhouse roommate Stuart Margolin.[8] Dorothy Arzner was one of Haig's instructors, who also introduced him to his oft-collaborator Jack Hill.[12]

Career

Haig's first acting role was in a 1960 short student film titled The Host, directed by Jack Hill at UCLA. This launched Haig's more-than-four-decade acting career in over fifty films and 350 television episodes.[7] Haig became a staple in Hill's films, such as Spider Baby, Coffy and Foxy Brown.[13][14] He played a henchman in the Lee Marvin-starring crime film Point Blank, and would later work with the actor again in Emperor of the North Pole. In 1971, Haig appeared in THX 1138, the feature film directorial debut of George Lucas, as well as the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.[15]

Haig's television debut was a role in a 1962 episode of The Untouchables.[16] He also appeared in a number of other television programs, including Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible,[17] Star Trek,[16] Get Smart,[14] The Flying Nun,[16] Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Emergency!, Charlie's Angels,[17] Jason of Star Command, Fantasy Island,[18] Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,[16] The Dukes of Hazzard,[17] The A-Team,[14] MacGyver, and Just the Ten of Us.[18] He had a leading role on the television series Jason of Star Command, playing the main villain Dragos.

Sid Haig with his wife, Susan L. Oberg, at the 2007 Scream Awards

Haig temporarily retired from acting in 1992, feeling typecast: "I just didn't want to play stupid heavies anymore. They just kept giving me the same parts but just putting different clothes on me. It was stupid, and I resented it, and I wouldn't have anything to do with it".[7] Haig did not work in acting for five years, instead training and becoming a certified hypnotherapist.[7] During this time, he was offered the role of Marsellus Wallace (later to be played by Ving Rhames) in Pulp Fiction, the second feature film directed by Quentin Tarantino.[19][20] At the time, Haig was concerned that low-budget television had been detrimental to his career and, at seeing the shooting script and the short number of days dedicated for each locale, he reportedly passed on the project; he is said to have later regretted this decision.[21][22][17] Haig later appeared as a judge in Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown (starring Haig's oft-costar Pam Grier in the title role), a part written specifically for Haig by Tarantino.[7][23]

In 2003, Haig starred in Rob Zombie's debut film House of 1000 Corpses, as a psychotic clown named Captain Spaulding.[24] The role revived Haig's acting career, earning him a "Best Supporting Actor" award in the 13th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and an induction into Fangoria's Horror Hall of Fame.[25][26] Haig reprised his role as Spaulding in the 2005 film The Devil's Rejects, a continuation of House of 1000 Corpses, in which Spaulding is portrayed as the patriarch of the murderous Firefly family.[25] Captain Spaulding has since been considered a modern icon of horror cinema, and Haig himself has been called a "horror icon".[15][16][24][27] For his reprisal of the role in The Devil's Rejects, he received the award for "Best Actor" in the 15th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, and shared the award for "Most Vile Villain" at the First Annual Spike TV Scream Awards with Leslie Easterbrook, Sheri Moon, and Bill Moseley as the Firefly family.[25][28] Haig was also nominated as "Best Butcher" in the Fuse/Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, but lost to Tobin Bell's Jigsaw from Saw II.[29]

Haig reunited with Rob Zombie for the director's 2007 Halloween remake, with Haig playing the role of cemetery caretaker Chester Chesterfield.[30] He again reprised his role as Captain Spaulding for Zombie's 2009 animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto,[31] and appeared in Zombie's 2013 film The Lords of Salem, as well as in the films Hatchet III and Devil in My Ride.[32]

In 2019, Haig appeared as Captain Spaulding for the final time in the Rob Zombie film 3 from Hell, a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects.[33] He posthumously appeared in the 2020 slasher film Hanukkah,[34][35] as well as the 2023 film Abruptio.[27][36]

Honors

Sid Haig was honored with the 3rd Annual Vincent Price Award on August 10, 2019, at Hollywood Horrorfest. Created by festival founder Miles Flanagan and Vincent’s daughter Victoria Price, the award “celebrates Vincent Price’s unique artistic and iconic legacy by honoring an artist whose work has achieved equally iconic status in the horror/fantasy genres.”[37]

Later on Instagram, Haig posted, "On Saturday night August 10th I had the greatest night of my career. I was presented with the Vincent Price Award for Excellence in the Horror Genre. And to make it even more special it was presented to me by Victoria Price, Vincent Price's daughter."[38]

During the event Haig surprised everyone by disclosing he'd actually met Vincent Price in 1962 when a girlfriend invited him on set. "The film she was working on was Tales of Terror. I spent the day with Vincent Price. He was so charming and generous with the time we spent together. He gave me much more of his time than anyone could imagine. We talked about music, art and food, he was a master chef. To be able to spend that much time with him meant the world to me."[39]

The ceremony was a private, invitation-only event and fundraised for the Vincent Price Art Museum. Other award recipients include Joe Dante, Cassandra Peterson, John Landis and Rick Baker.[40]

Personal life

Haig was Roman Catholic.[41] On November 2, 2007, Haig married Susan L. Oberg.

Despite his prominence in horror films and portrayal of villainous characters, Haig was described by his peers as being a gentle soul.[41]

Death

In early September 2019, Haig was hospitalised after falling at his home in Thousand Oaks, California.[42] While recovering, he contracted Aspergillus pneumonia after aspirating vomit in his sleep.[42] He died on September 21, 2019, at the age of 80.[43][2][44]

Selected filmography

Film

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Director Notes Ref(s)
1960 The Host The Fugitive Jack Hill Short film [45]
1962 The Firebrand Diego Maury Dexter [46][47]
1965 Beach Ball Drummer for Righteous Brothers Lennie Weinrib Uncredited [47]
1966 Blood Bath Abdul the Arab Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman [48]
1967 It's a Bikini World Daddy Stephanie Rothman [47]
Point Blank First Penthouse Lobby Guard John Boorman [14][49]
1968 Spider Baby Ralph Merrye Jack Hill [50]
The Hell with Heroes Crespin Joseph Sargent [47]
1969 Pit Stop Hawk Sidney Jack Hill [13]
Che! Antonio Richard Fleischer [51]
1970 C.C. and Company Crow Seymour Robbie [52]
1971 THX 1138 NCH George Lucas [14][53]
The Big Doll House Harry Jack Hill [54]
Diamonds Are Forever Slumber Inc. Attendant Guy Hamilton [14]
1972 The Big Bird Cage Django Jack Hill [54]
The Woman Hunt Silas Eddie Romero [55]
Beware! The Blob Deputy Ted Sims Larry Hagman
1973 Black Mama, White Mama Ruben Jack Hill [56]
The No Mercy Man Pill Box Daniel Vance [18]
Emperor of the North Pole Grease Tail Robert Aldrich [49]
Coffy Omar Jack Hill [14]
Beyond Atlantis East Eddie Eddie Romero [14][57]
The Don Is Dead The Arab Richard Fleischer [18]
1974 Busting Rizzo's Bouncer Peter Hyams [58]
Foxy Brown Hays Jack Hill [14]
Savage Sisters Malavael Eddie Romero [59]
1976 Swashbuckler Bald Pirate James Goldstone [18]
1978 Loose Shoes Lone Stranger Ira Miller [18]
1981 Underground Aces Faoud Robert Butler [60]
Chu Chu and the Philly Flash Vince David Lowell Rich [61]
Galaxy of Terror Quuhod Bruce D. Clark [62]
1982 The Aftermath Cutter Steve Barkett [63]
Forty Days of Musa Dagh Turkish General Sarky Mouradian [18]
1987 Commando Squad Iggy Fred Olen Ray [64]
1988 Warlords The Warlord [18]
1989 Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II Donar Charles B. Griffith [18]
1990 The Forbidden Dance Joa Greydon Clark [18]
Genuine Risk Curly Kurt Voss [18]
1997 Jackie Brown Judge Quentin Tarantino [65]
2003 House of 1000 Corpses Captain Spaulding Rob Zombie [citation needed]
2004 Kill Bill: Volume 2 Jay Quentin Tarantino [66]
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Jay Quentin Tarantino
2005 The Devil's Rejects Captain Spaulding / "Cutter" Rob Zombie [67]
House of the Dead 2 Professor Roy Curien Michael Hurst [68][69]
2006 Little Big Top Seymour Ward Roberts [18]
Vampira: The Movie Himself Kevin Sean Michaels Documentary film [70][71]
Night of the Living Dead 3D Gerald Tovar Jr. Jeff Broadstreet [14]
2007 Dead Man's Hand Roy 'The Word' Donahue Charles Band [18][72]
Halloween Chester Chesterfield Rob Zombie [73]
Brotherhood of Blood Pashek Michael Roesch and Peter Scheerer [73]
2009
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto Captain Spaulding Rob Zombie Voice role [68]
Dark Moon Rising Crazy Louis Dana Mennie [3]
2010 The Black Box Radio Evangelist Jonathan Lewis and David Sherbrook Voice role [74]
2011 Creature Chopper Fred M. Andrews [73]
2012 The Lords of Salem Dean Magnus Rob Zombie [75]
2013 Hatchet III Abbott McMullen BJ McDonnell [73]
Devil in My Ride Iggy Gary Michael Schultz [76]
The Penny Dreadful Picture Show Shopkeeper Eliza Swenson [77]
Zombex The Commander Jesse Dayton [34]
2015 Bone Tomahawk Buddy S. Craig Zahler [78]
2017 Death House Icicle Killer B. Harrison Smith [34][73]
To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Himself Derek Dennis Herbert Documentary film [79]
2018 Suicide for Beginners Barry Craig Thieman [80]
Cynthia Detective Edwards Devon Downs and Kenny Gage [81][82]
2019 High on the Hog Big Daddy Tony Wash [3]
3 from Hell Captain Spaulding Rob Zombie [3]
Hanukkah Judah Lazarus Eben McGarr Posthumous release [34][35]
2022 Suicide for Beginners Barry Craig Thieman Posthumous release
2023 Abruptio Sal Evan Marlowe Posthumous release; Final film role [27][36]
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Television

More information Year, Title ...
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1962 The Untouchables Augie the Hood Episode: "The Case Against Eliot Ness" [16]
1965 The Lucy Show The Mummy Episode: "Lucy and the Monsters" [83]
1966 Batman Royal Apothecary 2 episodes [17][47][84]
1966–69 Gunsmoke Eli Crawford / Buffalo Hunter / Cawkins / Wade Hansen 4 episodes [14][17][58]
1966–70 Mission: Impossible Various roles 9 episodes [17][58]
1967 Star Trek First Lawgiver Episode: "The Return of the Archons" [16][18]
1967–70 Get Smart Guard / Bruce / Turk 3 episodes [14][47]
1968 The Flying Nun Señor Quesada Episode: "The Return of Father Lundigan" [16][47]
1974 The Rockford Files B.J. Episode: Caledonia, it's worth a fortune!
1975 Who Is the Black Dahlia? Tattoo Artist Television film [18]
1975 Emergency! Spike 1 episode [18]
1976 The Return of the World's Greatest Detective Vince Cooley Television film [18]
1976 ElectraWoman and DynaGirl The Genie Season One

Episode 4 : "Ali Baba"
1976–77 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Texas 55 episodes [17]
1978 Charlie's Angels Reza Episode: "Diamond in the Rough" [17][18]
Evening in Byzantium Asied Television miniseries [18]
1978–79 Jason of Star Command Dragos 28 episodes [18]
1978–83 Fantasy Island Otto / Harlen / Hakeem 3 episodes [18]
1979 Death Car on the Freeway Maurie Television film [18]
1980 Hart to Hart Gunther Mattox Episode: "Murder, Murder On The Wall"
1980–81 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Pratt / Spirot 2 episodes [16]
1981–85 The Fall Guy Yusef / Arnie / Mr. Fick / Biker 4 episodes [18]
1982 T.J. Hooker Mountain Episode: "Hooker's War"
1982 The Dukes of Hazzard Slocum Episode: "Miz Tisdale on the Lam" [17]
1983 The A-Team Sonny Jenko Episode: "Black Day at Bad Rock" [14][18]
Automan 1st Gang Member Episode: "Pilot" [18]
1985 Amazing Stories Thug Episode: "Remote Control Man" [18]
1985–86 MacGyver Khalil / Khan 2 episodes [18]
1988 Goddess of Love Hephaestus Television film [85]
1989–90 Just the Ten of Us Bob 3 episodes [18]
1992 Boris and Natasha: The Movie Colonel Gorda Television film [86]
2018 Tigtone Lord Festus Voice
Episode: "Tigtone and the Pilot"		 [87]
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References

Further reading

External links

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