Scott Marlowe (born Ronald Richard DeLeo; June 24, 1932 – January 6, 2001) was an American actor. He had starring roles in the teen exploitation film The Cool and the Crazy (1958, alongside Dick Bakalyan) and the May-December independent film, A Cold Wind in August (1961, opposite Lola Albright). He was a founding member of Theatre West.
Contents
Career
Film
Marlowe, born Ronald Richard DeLeo, the son of Emile and Concetta DeLeo, made his film debut with an uncredited role in Attila (1955). Over the next few years, he began accruing supporting parts in several films, co-starring opposite Leslie Caron in Gaby (1956); in Michael Curtiz’s film noir, The Scarlet Hour (1956); with Russ Tamblyn in The Young Guns (1956); opposite the Robert Ryan-led ensemble cast of Men in War (1957); and a young Anne Bancroft in The Restless Breed (1957).
However, in 1958, he garnered a pair of lead roles in teen exploitation films dealing with juvenile delinquency: Young and Wild and The Cool and the Crazy — the latter of which not only co-starred another rising star in the subgenre, Richard Bakalyan, but proved to be Marlowe's breakthrough role. He followed this up with Riot in Juvenile Prison (1959) and The Subterraneans (1960). The latter featured an all-star cast and was adapted from Jack Kerouac's novel, albeit severely diluted from its original beatnik content.
In 1961, he starred opposite Lola Albright in the May-December independent romantic drama, A Cold Wind in August. Despite only being eight years younger than her, Marlowe portrayed a character half of Albright's age who was seduced and fell in love, but complications arose when her burlesque stripper past interfered with his idealized perception. Subsequently, concentrating on television, his film roles dissipated after that. After Lonnie (1963), Marlowe would not appear in another feature film until Journey into Fear (1975), followed by Circle of Power (1981). In the 1990s, he had roles in one more theatrical film, Chasers (1994). The last two, Lightning in a Bottle (1998) and Counter Measures (1999), both went direct-to-video on VHS.
Television
Scott Marlowe appeared in over 100 credited acting roles during his career of 44 years on American television. He was frequently billed a guest star, and appeared on many popular drama, action, sci-fi and fantasy TV shows, including: Route 66, The Wild Wild West, The Time Tunnel, Hawaii Five-O, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Mission: Impossible, Marcus Welby, M.D., Wonder Woman, The Rockford Files, Fame, Beauty and the Beast, thirtysomething and Matlock.
In 1951 he was first cast in the Pulitzer Prize Playhouse episode "Hostage". This was the start of several roles he would take in various anthology series on television, primarily in 50’s and early 60’s, and occasionally thereafter into the 80's. In 1955, he appeared on Star Tonight which showcased young actors in adapted contemporary literary works. The next year in the episode "In Summer Promise" on General Electric Theater, he starred with Joan Fontaine as a young man who charms an older woman into love who doesn’t know he is to marry his childhood sweetheart. On Zane Grey Theatre, he starred with Ronald and Nancy Reagan in the 1961 episode "The Long Shadow". He would go on to star in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, One Step Beyond, Thriller, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Police Story and Freddy's Nightmares.
As his recognition from feature film roles grew, his television career took off and Marlowe began starring in Westerns. He excelled in playing the hotheaded, mean-spirited or misguided youth with little regard for custom or law. He would star in 18 episodes on Western themed shows from 1958 to 1966, making a significant contribution to the genre as he solidified his position into a prominent television actor.
In 1958, he played the son of the title character (played by James Whitmore) in the Wagon Train episode "The Gabe Carswell Story". In 1960, he starred opposite Clint Walker playing a white man raised by Apaches, married to a once-captive Mexican woman (Lisa Montell) reintegrating into his home town in the Cheyenne episode "Apache Blood". Also in 1960, he played a young man masquerading as Billy the Kid in "The Show Off" on Law of the Plainsman. In 1962, he guest-starred on Stoney Burke in "Point of Honor" as a troubled, would-be bull rider. The following year, he starred in "Legends Don't Sleep" as an aimless youth who venerates a newly released older ex-con (William Talman) who was once an infamous outlaw, in one of his four appearances on Gunsmoke. Marlowe had three notably sympathetic roles in Have Gun – Will Travel: as an innocent man about to be hanged in "The Hanging of Roy Carter" (1958), as an earnest and seemingly naive Native American appointed sheriff in "Charley Red Dog" (1959) and as an Austrian prince deceived by his advisor (Eduard Franz) in "Duke of Texas" (1961). In 1964, he was a special guest star playing an outlaw whose gang robs the Cartwrights with the sham help of Will Cartwright (Guy Madison) in "The Roper" on Bonanza.
Death
Marlowe died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 6, 2001, at age 68.
