Ted Cassidy portrayed Lurch on The Addams family

Ted Cassidy was a unique actor

Ted Cassidy was born Theodore Crawford Cassidy on July 31, 1932, and was noted for his height of 6 ft 9 in. He had a deep base voice and capitalized on his height and speech by portraying a number of unusual characters in television series such as Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. He was the narrator for The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) but was best known for his portrayal of Lurch on The Addams Family ( 1964-1966).

Cassidy portrayed Injun Joe on the NBC series The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He played a henchman in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and also appeared on The Beverly Hillbillies, Daniel Boone, Lost in Space, Genesis II Bonanza, The Six Million Dollar Man and Planet Earth. He did voice work in the animated series Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, The Impossibles, Super Friends, Spaceghost, and Frankistein Jr.

The Addams Family years

During the two-year run of The Adams Family, nothing was ever said about how Lurch was connected to the clan. He may have been a relative or simply the hired help. He seemed to have the role of a butler as he answered the door and did whatever was asked of him by the family. When he was called he would walk into a room and in that deep base voice would say in question form "You rang"?

Ellen Corby who portrayed the grandmother on The Waltons appeared on The Adams Family as mam Lurch and referred to Cassidy's character as Sonny which seems to imply they were mother and son. People who came to the house were often frightened out of their wits by the gentle giant who never spoke in complete sentences and was always loyal. In remakes of this classic television show it has been stated that Lurch is a relative of the Adamses.

Lurch had a music career

In 1965, Capitol Records released a released a seven-inch vinyl record by Cassidy with two songs on it: "The Lurch", (written by Gary S. Paxton), and "Wesley", (written by Cliffie Stone and Scott Turner). On September 11, 1965 the actor introduced the dance and performed the song "The Lurch." ,on Shivaree! a Los Angeles-based variety show that aired on ABC. He performed it again on Halloween of that same year on Shindig! a musical variety show that also aired on ABC.

Ted Cassidy movie roles and reprising Lurch

Cassidy's movie roles include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Mackenna's Gold in 1969 and Charcoal Black and The Limit in 1972. In 1973 he was in The Slams and also The Harrad Experiment, which he co-wrote with Michael Werner. For the next five years, Cassidy appeared in one movie year beginning with Thunder County (1974), Poor Pretty Eddie (1975), Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), and Goin' Coconuts (1978).

During that period of time, he also worked with Noel Marshall, who was the executive producer of Harrad Experiment, on the adventure-comedy film Roar. It was not released until which was two years after the actor passed away. Some actors fear being typecast and shy away from the kind of roles that gave them their notoriety.

Cassidy chose to capitalize on his unique strong points which were his height and his voice and had a pretty impressive career. He reprised his role of Lurch in a 1966 episode of Batman and in the animated series The New Scooby Doo Movies (1972) and The Adams Family (1973).

Ted Cassidy personal life

Cassidy was a gifted child who entered the third grade at age six and his first year of high school at eleven. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and transferred to Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he graduated with a degree in speech and drama. He married Margaret Helen Jesse in 1956 and they had two children but divorced in 1975.

The man who portrayed Lurch suffered from acromegaly, a condition that was responsible for his facial structure, deep voice, and extreme height. A tumor formed in his heart as a result of the long-term effects of the condition and Cassidy underwent surgery. Complications sent him back to Saint Vincent Medical Hospital a few days later and he died on January 16, 1979, at age 45.