Maurice Cass
Maurice Cass (October 12, 1884 – June 8, 1954) was a character actor on stage and in films and television shows. Born in Vilna, Russian Empire (modern day Vilnius, Lithuania) he moved to America at one year of age. When he was 17, he toured the southern United States with a repertory company. His slight build, frizzy hair and pince-nez glasses cast him as the "absent minded professor" or eccentric scientist type in many of his films, such as the character who discovers the element kryptonite in "Adventures of Superman". He is best remembered for his role as  Professor Newton in the 1954 TV science fiction show "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger". Cass's Broadway credits included "The Sky's the Limit" (1934), "Broadway Boy" (1932), "Wild Waves" (1932), "Wonder Boy" (1931), "Overture" (1930), "The Violet and One, Two, Three" (1930), "The Novice and the Duke" (1929), "The Broken Chain" (1929), and "Faust" (1928). He died of a heart attack at age 69 while the Rocky Jones show was still in production; his Professor Newton character was replaced by a new character, Professor Mayberry.