Glenn Corbett - Actor Glenn Corbett

Glenn Corbett (August 17, 1933 â€" January 16, 1993) was an American actor, best known for his roles as the original Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive, on the original Star Trek series and co-starring as Lincoln Case on the CBS adventure drama Route 66.

Early years

An American lead actor and supporting actor, the ruggedly handsome Corbett was born Glenn Edwin Rothenburg on August 17, 1933, the son of a garage mechanic. After serving in the United States Navy as a Seabee, he met his wife Judy at Occidental College, and with her encouragement, he began acting in campus theater plays. He was seen by a talent scout and was signed to a contract with Columbia Pictures.

Film and television career

Corbett's film debut was in The Crimson Kimono (1959); it was followed with supporting roles in The Mountain Road (1960) and Man on a String (1960). He took the lead role in William Castle's suspense thriller, Homicidal in (1961).

In 1963, Corbett replaced George Maharis (who played Buz Murdock) on the wildly popular CBS television series Route 66. Corbett, playing Lincoln Case, co-starred with Martin Milner during part of the third season and the fourth, and final, season of the series (1963â€"1964). In 1964 and 1965, he had a role on Twelve O'Clock High as Lt. Tom Lockridge for two episodes.

Corbett's other television roles in the early-to late-1960s were as Wes Macauley on It's a Man's World (1962â€"1963), with co-stars Ted Bessell, Randy Boone and Michael Burns in the role of Wes's younger brother, Howie. He was featured in 1964 as "Dan Collins" in an episode of Gunsmoke titled "Chicken", in which a man gets an undeserved reputation as a gunman when he's found at a way station with four dead outlaws at his feet. In the 1965â€"1966 season, Corbett guest starred on the ABC western The Legend of Jesse James. Glenn also guest starred in an episode of The Virginian entitled "The Awakening", in which his character, David Henderson, was a destitute former Minister who has had a crisis of faith and comes to Medicine Bow just as a dispute breaks out at a local mine over safety issues. Corbett also appeared as "Chance Reynolds", a regular cast member on the NBC-TV western The Road West (1966â€"1967), with co-stars Barry Sullivan, Kathryn Hays, Andr ew Prine, Brenda Scott, and Kelly Corcoran.

Corbett is probably best remembered by science fiction fans for his guest starring role in the second season Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis" (1967) as Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive. In 1971, Corbett had a guest appearance with Mariette Hartley on Gunsmoke in an episode titled "Phoenix".

In film, Corbett starred with John Wayne in Chisum (1970), as sheriff Pat Garrett, opposite Wayne in the role of Lincoln County rancher John Chisum. He again starred with the Duke in the film Big Jake (1971), as a half Apache outlaw named O'Brien, opposite Wayne's character as rancher Jacob McCandles. Later, in the 1970s, he had the lead role in Nashville Girl (1976) and in Universal's war epic Midway (1976).

During the 1970s, Glenn had guest starring roles on the television shows The Mod Squad, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Police Woman, The Rockford Files, and Barnaby Jones.

In 1977, Glenn joined the cast of the NBC daytime soap opera, The Doctors, playing alongside four-time Emmy winning actress Kim Zimmer, as newlyweds Jason and Nola Aldrich. Glenn stayed with The Doctors until 1981. Throughout the 1980s, Corbett stayed busy being a cast regular in the long-running television series Dallas. Corbett played Paul Morgan on the television series from 1983â€"1984 and then from 1986â€"1988. After his character was written off the show, he stayed with the Lorimar Television production company for three more years as its dialogue director.

Death

In January 1993, Corbett, a native of El Monte, California and a veteran of the Navy, died of lung cancer at the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in San Antonio, Texas, at the age of 59. He was buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio. He was survived by his two children, Jason and Jocelyn and his widow, Judy Daniels.

Selected TV and filmography

• Operation Petticoat (1959) as a seamann
• The Crimson Kimono (1959) as Det. Sgt. Charlie Bancroft
• Man on a String (1960) as Frank Sanford
• The Mountain Road (1960) as Collins
• All the Young Men (1960) as Pvt. Wade, Medic
• Homicidal (1961) as Karl Anderson
• The Pirates of Blood River (1962) as Henry
• It's a Man's World (TV series, 1962â€"1963) as Wes Macauley / Wes Macaulay
• Route 66 (TV series, 1963â€"1964) as Linc Case
• Twelve O'clock High (TV series, 1964-1965) Two episodes as Lt. Tom Lockridge
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV series, 1965) as Bernie Oren
• Shenandoah (1965) as Jacob
• The Virginian (TV series, 1965) Episode 106 as David Henderson in "The Awakening Series"
• The Road West (TV series, 1966â€"1967) as Chance Reynolds
• Star Trek (TV series, 1967) as Zefram Cochrane
• Land of the Giants (TV series, 1968) as Major Kagan
• Guns in the Heather (1969) as Tom
• Chisum (1970) as Pat Garrett
• Gunsmoke (1971) Phoenix Session 17-2 Aired Sept 1971 Plays an ex-con who starts hiring himself out as a killer
• Bonanza (1971) as Howie Landis
• Big Jake (1971) as O'Brien
• The Stranger (TV series pilot, 1973) as Neil Stryker
• Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street (1973) lead role, originally German TV Series Tatort episode "Tote Taube in der Beethovenstraße"
• Ride in a Pink Car (1974) as Gid Barker
• Movin' On (1974) in the episode "Cowhands" as Tommy Trueblood
• Nashville Girl (1976) as Jeb
• Midway (1976) as Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron
• The Doctors (TV series 1976â€"1982) as Jason Aldrich
• The Rockford Files (TV series, 1979) in the episode "The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar" as FBI Agent Spelling
• The Fall Guy (TV series, 1983) one episode as Steve Kruger
• Dallas (1983â€"1984, 1986â€"1990) as Paul Morgan
• Shadow Force (1992) as Al Finch Sr. (final film role)

References

External links

• Glenn Corbett at the Internet Movie Database
• Glenn Corbett at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Glenn Corbett at Find a Grave