news obituaries

R.I.P. Don Marshall of 'Land of the Giants' and 'Star Trek'

He was a trailblazing black actor in the sci-fi genre.

November 1, 2016, 4:30PM By MeTV Staff

Image: The Everett Collection

With Land of the Giants, visionary science-fiction creator Irwin Allen pushed the boundaries of small-screen special effects. The producer also helped to add diversity to the genre, casting Don Marshall in one of the lead roles as Dan Erickson. Marshall would become one of the earliest African-American actors in a recurring role in genre television, joining fellow barrier-breakers like Greg Morris (Barney on Mission: Impossible) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura on Star Trek).

Speaking of Star Trek, Marshall had his own ties to the worlds of Gene Roddenberry. One of the actor's earliest roles was on Roddenberry's The Lieutenant. Marshall portrayed a Marine engaged to be married to Nichelle Nichols in the episode "To Set It Right," which boldly confronted the topic of racism. Unfortunately, the network got cold feet and refused to air it (let alone pay for it) and it was never aired.

Marshall, a San Diego native, would get another chance to appear with Nichols a few years later on Star Trek, appearing in the early episode "The Galileo Seven" as Lt. Boma. He would go on to guest on The Bionic Woman, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and The Incredible Hulk.

On Sunday evening, October 30, Marshall passed away at Cedars Sinai Hospital, according to StarTrek.com. He was 80 years old.

You can watch Marshall each Saturday night on MeTV at 12AM | 11C as Land of the Giants airs as part of Red Eye Sci-Fi.

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