Sid Haig

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Sid Haig,Սիտ Հայկ (born Sidney Eddie Mosesian,Սիտնի Էտի Մոսեսիան July 14, 1939) is an American film actor. He is best known for his work in Jack Hill's exploitation films of the 1970's as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects. He is of Armenian descent.

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[edit] The Early Years

Sid Haig
Sid Haig

His early career was come upon somewhat by accident. Haig grew so fast that he had trouble with motor coordination, which prompted him to take dancing lessons. At the age of seven, he was dancing for pay in a children’s Christmas Show, then a revival of a vaudeville show.

Haig also showed a musical inclination, particularly for the drums, so his parents bought him a drum set, which he took to immediately. He initially started playing swing, then country, then jazz, blues and Rock and Roll. He found it easy to make money with his music, and did very well. One year out of high school he had signed a recording contract. Haig went on to record the single "Full House" with the T-Birds in 1958.

[edit] The Pasadena Playhouse

When Sid was in High School, Alice Merrill was the head of the drama department and encouraged him to pursue an acting career. During his senior year a play was produced in which Alice would double cast the show, then have one of her friends from Hollywood come up and pick the final cast.

Merrill was famous as an actress on Broadway and kept up her contacts in the business. When the appointed day came the friend that showed up was Dennis Morgan, a big musical comedy star from the 1940’s, who picked Sid for the role. Two weeks later he came back to see the show and told Sid that he should continue his education farther south in the San Fernando Valley and consider acting as a career path. Two years later, Sid enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse, the school that trained such actors as Robert Preston, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.

After two years of "actor’s hell" - non-stop 7am to 11pm with homework - Haig moved on to Hollywood. He did so with long time friend and Pasadena Playhouse roommate Stuart Margolin.

[edit] Getting Into the Acting Business

Sid’s first acting job was in Jack Hill’s student film at UCLA titled, "The Host." That role launched a 40+ year acting career during which Haig appeared in over 50 films and 350 television shows. He became a regular for such filmmakers as producer Roger Corman. He also became a staple in the pictures of Jack Hill, appearing in Spider Baby, Coffy, and Foxy Brown. Haig's other memorable credits include George Lucas' THX-1138, and the 1970 James Bond opus Diamonds Are Forever.

Among his television credits are appearances on such landmark programs as Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Charlie's Angels and MacGuyver.

[edit] Post 1990s and Today

After forty years of playing gun-toting tough guys, his dreams of being recognized as a more than competent actor were fading. In 1992 Haig said, "I’ll never play another stupid 'heavy' again, and I don’t care if that means that I never work, ever." Haig did not work in acting for the next five years, instead training and becoming a certified Hypnotherapist. Then in 1997 Quentin Tarantino wrote the part of the judge in Jackie Brown specifically for Haig.

After this the roles being offered started to improve. In 2000, Sid starred in Rob Zombie's debut film House of 1000 Corpses, as Captain Spaulding. This role revived Haig's acting career and earned him an award for Best Supporting Actor in the 13th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, as well as an induction into the Horror Hall of Fame. Sid's face as Captain Spaulding has since become the icon for the new horror genre, being used to promote everything from Horror conventions to Film Fests. Sid has recently enjoyed success as Captain Spaulding once again in Rob Zombie’s follow-up to House of 1000 Corpses, entitled, The Devil's Rejects. For this film, Sid received the award for best Actor in the 15th Annual Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, as well as sharing the award for "Most Vile Villain" at the First Annual Spike TV Scream Awards with Leslie Easterbrook, Sheri Moon and Bill Moseley as The Firefly Family.

As of the end of 2006, Sid has several projects in various stages of production, and continues to enjoy his renewed success as an actor.

[edit] Notes

- Haig's first noteworthy role was in the Lon Chaney Jr. feature Spider Baby, which was filmed in 1964.

-In 1997, Haig again starred alongside Grier in the Quentin Tarantino movie Jackie Brown. Pam Grier reportedly laughed out loud when she realized that Haig, who had played thugs opposite her in the blaxploitation films they had made together in the 1970s, was now playing a judge. Pam had not been told her old castmate would be playing the judge, so she was a bit shocked!

- Aside from films, Haig appeared in over 350 television episodes, one of them being A-Team as motorcycle gang leader.

- In one of his latest movies, Brotherhood of Blood, Haig plays the role of vampire leader Pashek. After almost 45 years in horror films, it was the first time he had ever played a vampire.

- Haig is a certified hypnotherapist and practices in Simi Valley, California.

- As of 2006, Sid Haig has pledged to donate 10% of his convention/appearance income to two charities: Habitat for Humanity and the North Shore Animal League of America.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] External links

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