Don Castle

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Don Castle (born Marion Goodman Jr., September 29, 1917 – May 26, 1966) was an American film actor active in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. He was born in Beaumont, Texas, to Marion Emanuel Goodman Sr. and Lucille Jeantelle-Viterbo. He studied at the University of Texas, where he was roommates with Jack Wrather. His resemblance to Clark Gable helped him start as a stage actor, then move into films. He signed with Paramount Pictures, but World War II paused his acting career. He served in the Army Air Forces and made training films for the First Motion Picture Unit.

When he returned to Hollywood, fan interest had shifted to Alan Ladd. Wrather, who had become a movie producer, cast Castle in The Guilty (1947) with Bonita Granville. Castle also appeared in several noir-style B films, including Roses Are Red, Lighthouse, The Invisible Wall, and I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes.

In the 1950s, Castle and his wife Zetta opened a celebrity boarding house in Palm Springs called Castle’s Red Barn. Wrather later brought Castle back as a television producer for Lassie.

Don Castle died in May 1966 in North Hollywood, California, from an apparent medication overdose, at age 48.