Biography
John Marley's craggy face, cement-mixer voice and shock of white hair were familiar to stagegoers from the 1930s onward. Marley started out as one-half of a comedy team, but soon found that his true metier was drama. In films on an infrequent basis since 1941, Marley stepped up his moviemaking activities in the mid-1960s, playing such sizeable roles as
Jane Fonda's father in
Cat Ballou (1965). He won a Venice Film Festival award for his performance as a miserable middle-aged husband in
John Cassavetes'
Faces (1968), and was Oscar-nominated for his portrayal of
Ali MacGraw's blue-collar dad in
Love Story. Arguably Marley's most unforgettable assignment was
The Godfather (1972), in which, as movie mogul Lou Woltz, he wakes up to find himself sharing his bed with a horse's head. John Marley's television work included a regular role on the obscure NBC daytime drama
Three Steps to Heaven. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide