Barry Atwater
Barry Atwater (born in Denver, Colorado on 16 May 1918, died in Los Angeles, California on 24 May 1978) was an American character actor who appeared frequently on TV in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early career
The son of a renowned landscape painter of the same name, Atwater served as head of the UCLA Sound Department before he began his acting career. His work teaching audio techniques led to a role in the student film A Time Out Of War, a Civil War allegory that won the Oscar as best short film of 1954. He began appearing often in TV episodes, often as a featured player but occasionally as a primary guest star. He also appeared in the occasional theatrical film and performed regularly on stage. In the middle-60s Atwater spent three years on the soap opera General Hospital while also working-in prime-time appearances, sometimes as G.B. Atwater.
Sci-fi legacy
Atwater’s famous role as vampire Janos Skorzeny in the acclaimed TV thriller The Night Stalker (1972) made him a popular attraction in 1970s fan gatherings that capitalized on the resurgence of classic horror during that decade. Also, his role as Vulcan philosopher Surak in the original Star Trek series has ensured his immortality among sci-fi fans, who also recall that Atwater appeared in the 1960 Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and played deranged madmen on fantasy-themed shows ranging from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea to Kung Fu (pictured).
Steroid use and death
Atwater died of a stroke in 1978, most likely caused by heavy steroid use during his early career, when he tried to bulk up to fit his 6-foot-one-inch frame. (However, he was also suffering from terminal cancer.) Fans also notice that toward the end of the 1960s, his eyes became more sunken and his jaw line and forehead changed in appearance (his nose already having been altered by apparent rhinoplasty). At least two sources who were close to the actor believe this also resulted from steroid overuse. Atwater became even more suited for the sinister roles he often played.