(March 4) - Robert Quarry, a prolific actor best known for playing iconic B-movie vampires like the charming Count Yorga and the sinister Khorda during the 1970s, died Feb. 20 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in California, a hospital spokesperson said. He was 83.
The beloved actor had been in declining health in recent years after suffering from heart trouble.
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After decades of toiling in small roles all around Hollywood, Quarry landed the title role in 'Count Yorga, Vampire' in 1970. The actor played the séance-giving bloodsucker again a year later in the sequel, 'The Return of Count Yorga.' He then followed up Yorga by playing the vampire Khorda in 'The Deathmaster,' in 1972. Horror icons converged that same year when he starred opposite Vincent Price in 'Dr. Phibes Rises Again.'
Former LA Times film writer Kevin Thomas described Quarry as an actor "in the suavely sinister tradition of Bela Lugosi."
The studios billed Quarry as "Dashing, Dark and Deadly", and he relished in the description.
"Actors always wanted to play the good guys first," he once reflected. "I was different, and, boy, I did have a lot of fun drinking the blood of the lovely DJ Anderson. I always tried to play villains like the heroes. Vincent Price always over-egged the pudding. I played Count Yorga straight."
Quarry's TV credits include roles on 'The Rockford Files,' 'Perry Mason' and 'The Lone Ranger.'
His fortunes sunk, however, in 1980 when he was hit by an uninsured driver in a car accident, leaving him to foot the bill for his recovery. Facial injuries sidelined him from acting for around seven years. Later, he was mugged in Hollywood.
In 1987, Quarry returned to acting, mostly in B-movies such as 'Beverly Hills Vamp' and 'Teenage Exorcist,' playing mostly priests or doctors. According to IMDB, he was cast in the upcoming film 'The Tell-Tale Heart,' based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story.
