Arthur Tovey (14 November 1904 – 20 October 2000; age 95) was an actor who appeared as a Vulcan civilian in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Born in Douglas, Arizona, Tovey started to work as an "Extra" in the early 1920s. For over seventy years, he was one of the recurring background actors in both, film and television productions. Tovey was represented through Central Casting and also appeared in the 2000 documentary Central Casting which used footage of James Cromwell. [1] Besides his countless on-screen appearances, he also worked as stand-in and photo double such as for actor Leslie Howard on Intermezzo (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939, with Phyllis Douglas, photographed by Ernest Haller). [2] Tovey also served in the US Army during WWII. [3]
Acting career[]
1920s – 1950s[]
Among his first documented projects in the 1920s and 1930s are Yolanda (1924) and The Mummy (1932, with Leonard Mudie). Further film work includes background roles in Underground (1941), Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942), The Hoodlum Saint (1946), A Night in Casablanca (1946), Night and Day (1946), Angel on My Shoulder (1946), Nocturne (1946, with Paul Stader), Magic Town (1947, with Vic Perrin), The Lady from Shanghai (1947, with Paul Baxley and Mary Mascari), Homecoming (1948, with Jeff Corey), The Babe Ruth Story (1948, with Charles Drake), Tulsa (1949), The Woman on Pier 13 (1949), Adam's Rib (1949), Young Man with a Horn (1950, with Keye Luke), Three Came Home (1950), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950, with Kenneth Tobey and Benjie Bancroft), Call Me Mister (1951, with Jeffrey Hunter and Robert Easton), A Place in the Sun (1951, with Charles Dayton and Ian Wolfe), Million Dollar Mermaid (1952, with Gail Bonney), The War of the Worlds (1953, with Reginald Lal Singh, Joel Marston, and David Sharpe), Young Bess (1953, with Jean Simmons, Carl Saxe, and Ian Wolfe), The Vanquished (1953, with Pete Kellett), South Sea Woman (1953, with Keye Luke), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953, with Chuck Hicks), The Robe (1953, with Jean Simmons, Jay Robinson, Torin Thatcher, Michael Ansara, and Ralph Moratz), Calamity Jane (1953), Blackboard Jungle (1955, with John Hoyt, Richard Kiley, Chuck Hicks, and Willard Sage), The McConnell Story (1955, with Ralph Moratz), The Birds and the Bees (1956), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, with Reggie Nalder and Walter Gotell), The Proud Ones (1956, with Jeffrey Hunter and Whit Bissell), Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Bachelor Party (1957), Monkey on My Back (1957), Band of Angels (1957, with Torin Thatcher and William Schallert), The Long, Hot Summer (1958, with Sarah Marshall), Party Girl (1958, with David Opatoshu and Corey Allen), The Lost Missile (1958, with Lawrence Dobkin), Some Like It Hot (1959, with Nehemiah Persoff and Grace Lee Whitney), North by Northwest (1959, with Robert Ellenstein, Stanley Adams, and Lawrence Dobkin), and The Blue Angel (1959, with Theodore Bikel and Barbara Luna).
Tovey also had background parts in episodes of Beulah (1952), Dangerous Assignment (1952), Screen Directors Playhouse (1955), The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1956), Four Star Playhouse (1956, with Harry Landers), Have Gun – Will Travel (1958, with Jack Lord and Theo Marcuse), The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1958, with William Schallert), Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1958, with Harry Landers), The Californians (1958, with Keye Luke, John Anderson, and Hal Needham), Yancy Derringer (1958-1959, with Jack Perkins), Playhouse 90 (1957 and 1959, with Torin Thatcher and Celia Lovsky), Maverick (1959), Riverboat (1959), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957 and 1959, with Georgann Johnson), and Bat Masterson (1959-1960, with Paul Lambert).
1960s[]
In the 1960s, he appeared in Can-Can (1960, with Benjie Bancroft and Wilda Taylor), Pollyanna (1960, with Ian Wolfe and Jon Lormer), Sex Kittens Go to College (1960, with Noél De Souza), Midnight Lace (1960, with Paul Collins), Cimarron (1960, with David Opatoshu, Jimmie Booth, Phyllis Douglas, and Clegg Hoyt), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961, with Gregg Palmer), Pocketful of Miracles (1961, with Grace Lee Whitney), Moon Pilot (1962, with Brian Keith and Bert Remsen), The Notorious Landlady (1962, with Dick Crockett and David Hillary Hughes), The Manchurian Candidate (1962, with James Gregory, Leslie Parrish, Whit Bissell, and Reggie Nalder), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, with John Megna, Frank Overton, Brock Peters, Paul Fix, William Windom, and Kim Hamilton), Bye Bye Birdie (1963, with Kim Darby), My Fair Lady (1964, with Theodore Bikel and John McLiam), The Hallelujah Trail (1965, with Brian Keith, John Anderson, Whit Bissell, Jim Burk, and Bill Borzage), The Great Race (1965, with Bill Borzage, Bill Catching, Robert Herron, Chuck Hicks, Clegg Hoyt, Carey Loftin, Hal Needham, Gil Perkins, Jack Perkins, Tom Steele, and Jesse Wayne), Do Not Disturb (1965), Torn Curtain (1966, with David Opatoshu and William Glover), Batman (1966, with Lee Meriwether, Frank Gorshin, Gil Perkins, Dick Crockett, George Sawaya, Lou Elias, Eddie Hice, Ed McCready, and Charles Picerni), Way...Way Out (1966, with Brian Keith and William O'Connell), Enter Laughing (1967, with David Opatoshu, Michael J. Pollard, and Peter Brocco), Don't Make Waves (1967), The Graduate (1967, with Kevin Tighe), Funny Girl (1968, with Fletcher Bryant, Sherry Lansing, and John Warburton), More Dead Than Alive (1969, with George Sawaya, Fred Carson, and Al Cavens), How to Commit Marriage (1969), Some Kind of a Nut (1969, with Rosemary Forsyth, Peter Brocco, Booker Bradshaw, and Tania Lemani), The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969, with William Schallert, Frank Welker, Ed Begley, Jr., Gail Bonney, and Byron Morrow).
Tovey also appeared in Wagon Train (1960, with Charles Seel), Bronco (1961, with Kathie Browne, Ken Lynch, and Fred Carson), Cain's Hundred (1961-1962, with Peter Mark Richman, Booth Colman, Ray Walston, Eddie Hice, Robert Ellenstein, and Ian Wolfe), Cheyenne (1962), Combat! (1962, with Felix Locher and Walt Davis), The Twilight Zone (1959-1963, with Liam Sullivan, Felix Locher, Stanley Adams, and Don Keefer), Dr. Kildare (1961 and 1963, with John Anderson), The Fugitive (1964, with Parley Baer), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961 and 1964, with John Fiedler, David Frankham, and William Boyett), The Rogues (1964-1965, with James Gregory, Booth Colman, Pete Kellett, Reggie Nalder, Ricardo Montalban, and Barry Russo), McHale's Navy (1965, with Bill Quinn), Burke's Law (1963-1965, with Benjie Bancroft), Branded (1965, with Jon Lormer), Laredo (1965, with Rex Holman and K.L. Smith), The Lucy Show (1965, with Lucille Ball), Perry Mason (1958-1966), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1966), I Dream of Jeannie (1966), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1967, with Warren Stevens, Bob Hoy, John Copage, James Doohan, Jerry Catron, Carey Loftin, Regis Parton, Jack Palance, Elisha Cook, Sharyn Hillyer, and Al Cavens), Batman (1967, with Yvonne Craig, Frank Gorshin, Joan Collins, and Gil Perkins), Bewitched (1964 and 1967, with Paul Sorensen and John A. Alonzo), The Invaders (1967, with William Windom, Troy Melton, Byron Morrow, Hal Baylor, and Mark Russell), The Andy Griffith Show (1967-1968, with Keith Andes, Paul Fix, and Alan Oppenheimer), The Big Valley (1968, with Rex Holman, Jon Lormer, Byron Morrow, and Bill Quinn), The Wild Wild West (1966 and 1969, with Bill Zuckert, Jon Lormer, Robert Ellenstein, Vic Perrin, and Tom Huff), Petticoat Junction (1969), It Takes a Thief (1969, with Malachi Throne, Michael Forest, Anthony Caruso, and Benjie Bancroft), and Mission: Impossible (1967 and 1970, with Joseph Campanella, John Colicos, Michael Forest, Felix Locher, Judy Levitt, Leonard Nimoy, Lee Meriwether, Frank da Vinci, and Jack Donner).
1970s[]
In the 1970s, Tovey was featured in The Out-of-Towners (1970, with Graham Jarvis, Thalmus Rasulala, and Paul Dooley), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970, with Jason Wingreen, Hal Baylor, Walt Davis, and Bill Borzage), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970, with Keith Andes, William Schallert, Ken Lynch, Charlie Picerni, and Bill Zuckert), Swing Out, Sweet Land (1970, with Lucille Ball, William Shatner, and Kay E. Kuter), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971, with William Windom, Ricardo Montalban, Karl Bruck, Walker Edmiston, Janos Prohaska, and James B. Sikking), Skin Game (1971, with Parley Baer, Jason Wingreen, Fred Carson, and Regis Parton), What's Up, Doc? (1972, with Kenneth Mars, Stefan Gierasch, Graham Jarvis, Carl Saxe, Jack Perkins, Gil Perkins, and Jerry Summers), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972, with William Windom, Frank Welker, and Ed Begley, Jr.), The Outfit (1973, with Joanna Cassidy and Elisha Cook), The Sting (1973, with Ray Walston, James Sloyan, Charles Dierkop, Ed Bakey, Susan French, and Byron Morrow), Earthquake (1974, with Geneviève Bujold, John S. Ragin, George Murdock, Gene Dynarski, Benjie Bancroft, Kenny Endoso, Jerry Hardin, Jimmy Nickerson, Charlie Picerni, George Sawaya, and Dick Warlock), Young Frankenstein (1974, with Terri Garr, Kenneth Mars, Ian Abercrombie, Benjie Bancroft, and Clement von Franckenstein), Shampoo (1975, with Jay Robinson, Joan Marshall, and Michelle Phillips), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976, with Teri Garr, Ricardo Montalban, Dean Stockwell, Keye Luke, and Morgan Farley), Rocky (1976, with Michael Dorn, Jeri McBride, and Lavelle Roby), New York, New York (1977, with Dick Miller), Pete's Dragon (1977, with Gary Morgan, Jeff Conaway, Robert Easton, and Debra Dilley), Capricorn One (1977, with David Huddleston, James B. Sikking, Barbara Bosson, and Allan Graf), California Suite (1978), and Meteor (1979, with Brian Keith, Joseph Campanella, Michael Zaslow, Bibi Besch, Clyde Kusatsu, Christine Anne Baur, Bill Couch, Sr., John Moio, and Jesse Wayne).
Tovey was featured in episodes of My Three Sons (1966-1970, with Leslie Parrish, Paul Sorensen, and Susan Oliver), Here Come the Brides (1970, with David Soul, Mark Lenard, David Oppenheimer, and Carolyne Barry), Dragnet (1979), McCloud (1970, with Marj Dusay, Diana Muldaur, and Mark Russell), Family Affair (1970, with Brian Keith), The Virginian (1970, with William Windom, Diana Muldaur, and Byron Morrow), Ironside (1968 and 1972, with Barbara Anderson, Parley Baer, Hal Needham, Paul Winfield, and George Sawaya), Bonanza (1960-1973, with Perry Lopez, Steve Ihnat, Walker Edmiston, and Jimmie Booth), The Magician (1973, with Keene Curtis, Julian Christopher, Robert Mandan, Bill Quinn, Johnny Haymer, and Bruce Watson), Banacek (1974, with George Murdock), Hawkins (1973-1974, with David Huddleston, Antoinette Bower, Benjie Bancroft, Andrew Prine, Gregory Sierra, and Ian Wolfe), Rhoda (1974), Gunsmoke (1972-1975, with Richard Kiley, Ed Bakey, Gail Bonney, Bill Borzage, David Huddleston, Don Keefer, Pete Kellett, Louis Elias, and Benjie Bancroft), Columbo (1972-1975, with John Fiedler and Benjie Bancroft), Barbary Coast (1975, with William Shatner, Rosemary Forsyth, David Spielberg, Lance LeGault, and Jimmie Booth), The Rockford Files (1975, with Bill Mumy and Noble Willingham), Kojak (1976, with David Opatoshu and Mark Russell), Starsky & Hutch (1976, with David Soul and Liam Sullivan), Phyllis (1976), The Love Boat (1977, with Richard Mulligan), Charlie's Angels (1978, with Kenneth Tigar), and Roots: The Next Generations (1979, with Don Keefer).
1980s – 1990s[]
In his last years, Tovey had background roles in episodes of Bret Maverick (1982, with Darleen Carr, Cliff Potts, and Sid Haig), Quincy, M.E. (1978-1983, with Garry Walberg, John S. Ragin, Robert Ito, John Colicos, and Warren Munson), Simon & Simon (1983, with Elisha Cook, Robert Lansing, Bobby Bass, Charlie Picerni, and Louis Elias), The Duck Factory (1984), Murder, She Wrote (1985-1986, with John Beck, Gary Lockwood, Allan Miller, Judy Geeson, and Richard Herd), The Paper Chase (1983-1986, with Penny Johnson, Norman Lloyd, Steve Vinovich, and Todd Jeffries), Hotel (1987, with Cliff Potts and Barry Jenner), The Golden Girls (1988, with Terrence Evans), Cheers (1988, with Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Joseph Paz, Lee Allen, Mark Reilly, Lemuel Perry, Dawn Grisheau, Walter Smith, Rebecca Soladay, and Jay Crimp), Married... With Children, and ER.
Tovey's later film work include Death Ray 2000 (1981, with Richard Lineback and Clive Revill), Micki & Maude (1984, with Richard Mulligan, Wallace Shawn, Robert Symonds, George Coe, Gene LeBell, and Joe Davis), Back to the Future (1985, starring Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson, with Ivy Bethune, Jeff O'Haco and Sachi Parker), Tough Guys (1986, with Matthew Faison, Graham Jarvis, Jeanne Mori, Hilary Shepard Turner, Dick Hancock, Phil Culotta, Michele Marsh, Ellen Albertini Dow, Skip Stellrecht, Denver Mattson, and Rick Sawaya), Who's That Girl? (1987, with Bibi Besch, Cecile Callan, Ron Taylor, Mike Starr, Laura Drake, Roy Brocksmith, Faith Minton, Darwyn Carson, Pat Romano, Lloyd Kino, and Cristian Letelier), The Nutty Professor (1996, with Eddie Murphy, Nichole McAuley, Tony Carlin, John Prosky, Michael Rothhaar, Julianne Christie, and Athena Massey), and To The Ends of Time (1996, with Wayne Thomas Yorke, Glenn Harris, Cully Fredricksen, Gary Kasper, and Richard Tanner).
Tovey passed away at his home in Van Nuys on 20 October 2000 at the age of 95. (Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000, p. 221)