Zebedy Colt
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Edward Earle Marsh (December 20, 1929 – May 29, 2004) was a Broadway actor, musician, an adult film director and star best known under the name Zebedy Colt.
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[edit] Early years
Born in California, Marsh began his career as a child actor in Hollywood, in the late sixties he became an innovator of ‘queer cabaret’ when he recorded the early gay album “I’ll sing for you” with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This was the first time he used the ‘Zebedy Colt’ name. Controversial in its day, the album consisted of original gay themed compositions (credited to his real name) and songs originally meant to be sung by women (eg George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love”), but given a homosexual twist by being covered by a man.[1]
[edit] Career
Marsh entered the pornographic film world in his middle-age, primarily as a way of financially supporting himself. He choose to resurrect the ‘Zebedy Colt’ name from his I’ll Sing for You album for his porn directing/acting work both to conceal his true identity and as a way of separating this from his Broadway work.[1] On one occasion however Marsh’s double life was uncovered when the Broadway company he was with went to see The Story of Joanna, and were surprised to see their co-star playing a bi-sexual butler, Marsh later humorously recalled one of them telling him “Darling, you can be my butler anytime”. A similar situation occurred when Marsh was appearing in an off-Broadway play with Sandy Dennis. Dennis thought she recognized Marsh from an adult film she had been to see with her mother, and was delighted to have this confirmed when she asked him “are you Zebedy Colt".[2]
His films as a director include the infamous The Farmer's Daughter (1973 film) (which starred a young Spalding Gray), the sadistic The Devil Inside Her (which was shot at Marsh’s home in Lambertville, New Jersey), Unwilling Lovers and Terri's Revenge. As an actor in adult films, he starred in such films as Barbara Broadcast, Gerard Damiano's The Story of Joanna, Manhold, a 3D pornographic film and the Death Wish pornographic rip-off Sex Wish. His Broadway acting work included appearing as Anthony Newley’s understudy in The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd as well as performances in The Royal Family, Dog at the Top of the Stairs and an award winning 1976 production of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties.
Marsh retired from adult films in the early 1980s, due to concerns over the criminal element (citing the murder of Dutch businessman Navred Reef who directed him in the film ‘Sharon’) as well as the drop in quality due to the change from film to video. He spent his final years in Las Vegas, entertaining friends and neighbors with scrapbooks that documented his long career.
