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Sid Haig

Highest Rated: 100% The Big Bird Cage (1972)

Lowest Rated: 11% Creature (2011)

Birthday: Jul 14, 1939

Birthplace: Fresno, California, USA

A memorable and often menacing figure in films and on television for more than a half-century, character actor Sid Haig rose to fame in the 1970s as hotwired villains in drive-in fare like "Coffy" (1973) before enjoying a second round of fame as a horror antihero in "The Devil's Rejects" (2003) and other low-budget features. Born Sidney Eddie Mosesian on July 14, 1938 in Fresno, California, he began performing at the age of seven years: dance lessons intended to correct a coordination problem instead revealed a remarkable aptitude for movement, which led to paying jobs in children's theater and in vaudeville revival. Haig's gift for rhythm also translated into a second career as a drummer on pop, swing and jazz recording sessions while still in high school. During this period, Haig also began acting in school productions, and at the advice of actor Dennis Morgan - a friend of his drama teacher - he trained at the famed Pasadena Playhouse before heading to Hollywood. There, he landed his first role in a UCLA student project directed by aspiring filmmaker Jack Hill, who would cast Haig in many of his subsequent features, including "Spider Baby" (1967), a macabre horror-comedy with Lon Chaney, Jr. as the caretaker of a deranged family that included a feeble-minded but still dangerous Haig. The film went largely unseen, but by the time of its release, Haig was already working steadily in features and on television, where his 6'4" frame and baleful visage made him ideal for antagonists of all stripes in series like "Batman"(ABC, 1965-1968), "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" (NBC, 1964-1968) and "Star Trek" (NBC, 1966-1969). He also enjoyed minor roles in features like John Boorman's "Point Blank" (1967), George Lucas's "THX 1138" (1971), and the James Bond thriller "Diamonds are Forever" (1971), but his film career took off a few years later when Hill began directing for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. Hill made exciting, often violent genre films - women in prison pictures like "The Big Doll House" (1971), black action titles like "Coffy" (1973), both starring Pam Grier - with thematic and story elements that betrayed their base premises, and frequently tapped Haig to star as either diabolical thugs or hard-living rogues. The box office success of these and other Corman productions led to supporting roles in studio efforts for Haig, including Robert Aldrich's grim "Emperor of the North" (1973) and Richard Fleischer's Mafia drama "The Don is Dead" (1973), as well turns as hoods and hustlers on countless episodes of television series like "The Six Million Dollar Man" (ABC, 1973-1978) and "The Rockford Files" (NBC, 1974-1980). In 1978, he made his debut as a series regular on the CBS children's science fiction series "Jason of Star Command" (1978-1981), playing a megalomanical space pirate, and while film and television work remained steadily through the 1980s, Haig had grown tired of playing heavies and henchmen. He retired from acting in 1992 and worked as a licensed hypnotherapist until 1997, when diehard fan Quentin Tarantino lured him back to screen work with a minor role as a judge in "Jackie Brown" (1997), starring his old screen partner, Pam Grier. In 2003, rocker Rob Zombie tapped Haig to play a psychotic killer masquerading as a clown in "House of 1000 Corpses." Though only a modest hit, Haig's performance, which was equally amusing and terrifying, won him a legion of new fans among the horror faithful, and for the next decade, Haig was again a menacing and occasionally heroic presence in countless horror films. The majority of these were low-budget efforts, with Haig's presence among their sole notable elements, though he reprised his killer clown, Captain Spaulding, in Zombie's grindhouse tribute "The Devil's Rejects" (2003) and appeared briefly in the director's revamp of "Halloween" (2007). Between these efforts were minor roles in Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" (2003) and S. Craig Zahler's grueling western "Bone Tomahawk" (2015), but horror films, and convention appearances for fans kept Haig exceptionally busy until 2019. Failing health had prevented Haig from making more than a brief return as Spaulding in Zombie's "3 from Hell" (2019), and after completing his scenes, he suffered a fall in his Los Angeles home that required hospitalization. While there, he suffered a lung infection that would eventually claim the 80-year-old Haig's life on September 21, 2019.

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Highest rated movies

100% 63% The Big Bird Cage
Watchlist
100% 93% To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Watchlist
100% 51% The Big Doll House
Watchlist
93% 76% Spider Baby
Watchlist
91% 74% Bone Tomahawk Watchlist
86% 73% THX-1138
Watchlist
84% 89% Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Watchlist
83% Abruptio
Watchlist
83% 75% Coffy
Watchlist
61% 66% Foxy Brown
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
83% No Score Yet Abruptio Unknown (Voice) - 2023
No Score Yet 79% Suicide for Beginners Barry (Character) - 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hanukkah: Uncut Judah Lazarus (Character) - 2019
58% 55% 3 From Hell Captain Spaulding (Character) - 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet High on the Hog Big Daddy (Character),
Producer
$45.6K 2019
No Score Yet 44% Cynthia Detective Edwards (Character) $57.9K 2018
100% 93% To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Self - 2017
33% 38% Death House Icicle Killer (Character) $22.0K 2017
No Score Yet No Score Yet Razor Bartender Sam (Character) - 2016
91% 74% Bone Tomahawk Buddy (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 16% Zombex The Commander (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 88% Devil in My Ride Iggy (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 41% Penny Dreadful Unknown (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 17% The Inflicted Dr. Gardner (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sacred The Stranger (Character) - 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mimesis Alfonso Betz (Character) - 2011
11% 17% Creature Chopper (Character) $327.0K 2011
No Score Yet 11% Wolf Moon Crazy Louis (Character) - 2009
No Score Yet 9% Brotherhood of Blood Pashek (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet 21% Dead Man's Hand Roy "The Word" Donahue (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet 22% A Dead Calling George (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 71% Little Big Top Seymour (Character) - 2006
40% 18% Night of the Living Dead Gerald Tovar Jr. (Character) - 2006
54% 78% The Devil's Rejects J.T. Spaulding (Character) $16.9M 2005
84% 89% Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Jay (Character) $66.2M 2004
21% 65% House of 1000 Corpses Captain Spaulding (Character) $12.6M 2003
25% 77% The Forbidden Dance Joa (Character) $1.4M 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Genuine Risk Curly (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet 5% Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II Donar (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet No Score Yet Warlords The Warlord (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet 12% The Aftermath Cutter (Character) - 1982
27% 28% Galaxy of Terror Quuhod (Character) - 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chu Chu and the Philly Flash Vince (Character) - 1981
40% 56% Swashbuckler Bald Pirate (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Return of the World's Greatest Detective Vince Cooley (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet Savage Sisters Malavasi (Character) - 1974
61% 66% Foxy Brown Hays (Character) - 1974
83% 75% Coffy Omar (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 9% Wonder Women Gregorious (Character) - 1973
No Score Yet 20% Beyond Atlantis East Eddie (Character) - 1973
100% 63% The Big Bird Cage Django (Character) - 1972
No Score Yet 38% Black Mama, White Mama Ruben (Character) - 1972
100% 51% The Big Doll House Harry (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alias Smith and Jones Griffin (Character) - 1971
86% 73% THX-1138 NCH (Character) - 1971
No Score Yet 22% C.C. and Company Crow (Character) - 1970
No Score Yet 68% Pit Stop Hawk Sidney (Character) - 1969
93% 76% Spider Baby Ralph (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet 21% Track of the Vampire Abdul the Arab (Character) - 1966

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Nightmareathon Unknown (Character) 2024
87% 98% Mystery Science Theater 3000 Unknown (Character) 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Halloween Wars Unknown (Character) 2016
No Score Yet 70% MacGyver Unknown (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet 78% Amazing Stories Unknown (Character) 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fall Guy Unknown (Guest Star) 1981-1982 1984-1985
No Score Yet 71% The A-Team Unknown (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fantasy Island Unknown (Guest Star) 1978 1981 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Dukes of Hazzard Slocum (Guest Star) 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hart to Hart Unknown (Guest Star) 1980
No Score Yet No Score Yet Jason of Star Command Dragos (Character) 1978-1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charlie's Angels Unknown (Guest Star) 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Six Million Dollar Man Unknown (Guest Star) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Police Story Dell (Character) 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mannix Harry Kellaway (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Here Come the Brides Peter Savage (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet 84% Get Smart Unknown (Guest Star) 1967 1969-1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Wade Hansen (Guest Star) 1966 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet Here's Lucy Unknown (Guest Star) 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Flying Nun Unknown (Guest Star) 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Iron Horse Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
100% No Score Yet The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Unknown (Guest Star) 1967
80% 89% Star Trek First Lawgiver (Guest Star) 1967
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Lucy Show Unknown (Guest Star) 1965