Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence (February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005) was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Lawrence was born as Max Goldsmith in the Bronx to a Polish Jewish mother, Minerva Norma (née Sugarman), and a Russian Jewish father, Israel Simon Goldsmith. He participated in plays in school, then attended the City College of New York. Lawrence died of heart failure on November 28, 2005 at the age of 95. He was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. His daughter, actress Toni Lawrence, was once married to actor Billy Bob Thornton. In 1930, Lawrence befriended another young actor, John Garfield. The two appeared in a number of plays before Lawrence was given a film contract with Columbia Pictures. Lawrence appeared in films beginning in 1931, Garfield followed starting his film acting in 1938. Lawrence's pock-marked complexion and brooding appearance made him a natural for heavies, and he played scores of gangsters and mob bosses over the next six decades. Later, Lawrence found himself under scrutiny for his political leanings. When called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he admitted he had once been a member of the Communist Party. He was blacklisted and departed for Europe, where he continued to make films. Following the demise of the blacklist, he returned to America and resumed his position as a familiar and talented purveyor of gangland types.

One of his last roles was as Mr. Zeemo in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang". Notably, he played the elderly Gatherer Volnoth in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Vengeance Factor".

In 1991, Lawrence's autobiography was published entitled "Long Time No See : Confessions of a Hollywood Gangster" (ISBN 0-9636700-0-X). Lawrence was also the subject of a novel, The Beautiful and the Profane (published in 2002).