Frank Gorshin

Francis John "Frank" Gorshin, Jr. was an impressionist, comedian, and actor who played Bele in the third season episode . He filmed his scenes between Friday and Friday at Desilu Stage 9.
He is best remembered for his portrayal of the Riddler in the 1960s television series (1966-68), for which he received his first Emmy nomination (the only one for the series). Other Star Trek alumni he worked with on the series are Roy Jenson, Sherry Jackson, Theo Marcuse, Yvonne Craig, Joan Collins, Gil Perkins, and director Robert Butler. Gorshin also played the Riddler in the 1966 Batman movie produced to capitalize on the TV show's success. The film also featured Lee Meriwether, Gil Perkins, Dick Crockett, and George Sawaya. The character of the Riddler was subsequently voiced by Michael Bell on the 1970s series Challenge of the Super Friends and by John Glover in the 1990s' . 
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Gorshin had a role in the 1957 film The True Story of Jesse James, starring Jeffrey Hunter and featuring Frank Overton and Clegg Hoyt. In 1959, he made an uncredited appearance in the western Warlock, as did Paul Comi. Original Series regular DeForest Kelley and guest actor Whit Bissell had larger, credited roles in this film. Gorshin's first substantial role was (1960, with Original Series guest actor Roy Jenson).
Early in his career, Gorshin performed his impressionist/comedy act many times on The Ed Sullivan Show. He, Charlie Brill, and Georgia Brown were among Sullivan's guests on the legendary 9 February 1964 show which featured the American debut of The Beatles. In 1965, Gorshin had a supporting role in , which also featured Christopher Held and Liam Sullivan.
Gorshin also had a role in the 1978 mini-series Greatest Heroes of the Bible. Other Star Trek alumni featured on this series include Ted Cassidy, Jeff Corey, Nehemiah Persoff, John Schuck, and Dean Stockwell. Gorshin's other television work up to this point had included guest appearances on The Defenders (with Frank Overton), The Untouchables (in an episode with Stefan Gierasch, Gilbert Green, and Jason Wingreen), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (with Nancy Kovack), The High Chaparral (starring Henry Darrow), The Interns (with Stephen Brooks, Skip Homeier, and Sandra Smith), Ironside (with Joan Pringle, Kenneth Tobey, and Jason Wingreen), and (starring Kate Jackson, with Meg Wyllie).
In 1979, Gorshin appeared in a two-part episode of , on which Tim O'Connor was a regular cast member. He had roles in several films and made-for-TV movies during the 1980s, in addition to guest-starring in a 1988 episode of with regular René Auberjonois and guest actor Matt McCoy.
In 1993, Gorshin appeared in the film Amore!, which also starred Original Series actor James Doohan. That same year, he was seen in the film The Meteor Man, featuring Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr., Wallace Shawn, and Deborah Lacey. In 1995, he made an appearance in , co-starring actor Christopher Plummer. Gorshin and Plummer had previously worked together in 1987's The Gnomes' Great Adventure.
In later years, Gorshin portrayed classic cartoon characters like Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam in various animated shorts. This talent for mimicry would lead to his masterful portrayal of legendary comedian George Burns in his one-man play Say Goodnight, Gracie. He also played the role of Burns in his final film, 2005's Angels with Angles, with Amy Wieczorek as Burns' wife and partner, Gracie Allen. Another of Gorshin's last films was (2002, co-starring Louise Fletcher and Seymour Cassel).
In 2003, Gorshin reunited with most of the surviving Batman cast members, including TV Catwoman Julie Newmar and movie Catwoman Lee Meriwether, in the TV special Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt. Brett Rickaby portrayed a young Gorshin in flashbacks to his Batman days. Also appearing were Jason Marsden, Julia Rose, James W. Jansen, Ray Buktenica, Steve Vinovich, Joel Swetow, Christopher Darga, Ivar Brogger, and Todd Merrill.
Soon thereafter, he voiced a completely different DC Comics villain, Dr. Hugo Strange, for the next Batman series, simply called The Batman.
Gorshin died in Burbank, California, on 17 May 2005 following bouts with lung cancer, emphysema, and pneumonia. He was 72 years old.
== Other Trek connections ==
Additional projects in which Gorshin appeared with other Star Trek performers include:
* Torpedo Run (1958, with Don Keefer)
* Studs Lonigan (1960, with Stanley Adams)
* Where the Boys Are (1960, with Jon Lormer)
* Sail a Crooked Ship (1961, with Guy Raymond)
* The George Raft Story (1961, with Seamon Glass and Roy Jenson)
* The Great Imposter (1961, with Willard Sage)
* Sky Heist (1975 TV movie, with Arch Whiting, Al Wyatt, Ed McCready, Stan Barrett, Bill Catching, James Daris, Steve Marlo, and Joseph Campanella)
* Record City (1978, with Wendy Schaal, Ed Begley, Jr., and Alan Oppenheimer)
* Legends of the Superheroes (1979 TV movie, with William Schallert and Mickey Morton) as the Riddler
* Death Car on the Freeway (1979 TV movie, with Roger Aaron Brown)
* Goliath Awaits (1981 TV movie, with Duncan Regehr)
* The Edge of Night (TV series, 1981-82, with James Horan)
* A Masterpiece of Murder (1986, with Clive Revill, Jason Wingreen, and Louise Sorel)
* Hollywood Vice Squad (1986, with Emilia Crow and Ronny Cox)
* Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989, with Brooke Bundy, Keone Young, and Victor Tayback)
* Sweet Justice (1992, with Marjean Holden, Chuck Hicks, Scott Leva, Jeff Pruitt, Michael Canavan, and Marty Rackham)
* Body Double (1992, with Marty Rackham)
* Midnight (1989, with Robert Miano and Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.)
* Buford's Got a Gun (1995 short subject, with Dan Gauthier)
* Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997, with Alice Krige)
* After the Game (1997, with Mike Genovese, Sam Anderson, and Richard Lineback)
* The Phantom Eye (1999 TV mini-series, with Michael John Anderson)
* Luck of the Draw (2000, with Patrick Kilpatrick, Chris Doyle, Andy Milder, and Erik Cord)
* (2005, starring Paul Guilfoyle and Wallace Langham,with Conor O'Farrell and Andrew Prine)
== External links ==
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* – pictures and trivia
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