Chris Gullo presents Robert Quarry with his book on the life and career of Peter Cushing.
By Christopher Gullo
The late Robert Quarry was one of the last remaining horror
“stars†– a category of actor that has seemed to disappear in modern cinema.
Quarry’s career stretched back to the 1940s with bit parts in films before he
formed a theatrical group when joining the army. Following World War II, Quarry
won a contract with RKO, and then later with MGM. He appeared in a number of
films at MGM including “A Kiss Before Dying†(1956) and “Crime of Passionâ€
(1957).  Quarry’s claim to fame was not
to come with MGM but later in his career when he took on the role of a modern
day vampire in “Count Yorga, Vampire†(1970). Originally intended as a
soft-core porn flick, Quarry convinced the producers to shoot the film as a straight
horror film which became a great success. The film was a breakthrough in
updated the classic vampire genre, something Hammer Studios would later catch
on with “Dracula A.D. 1972â€. Quarry brought his own version to the title role –
a manipulative, cunning, and deadly vampire count. American International
Pictures distributed the film and recognized Quarry as a new leading face in
the horror genre.
Quarry’s next role was the Charles Manson-like guru Khorda
in the film “The Deathmasterâ€, followed by the sequel to the first Yorga film, the
excellent “The Return of Count Yorgaâ€. By this point, AIP was grooming Quarry
to take over for the aging Vincent Price. More horror films followed including
a team up with Price in “Dr. Phibes Rises Againâ€, the zombie film “Sugar Hillâ€,
and a triple star bill of Price, Peter Cushing, and Quarry in “Madhouseâ€.
Unfortunately for Quarry, following the release of “Madhouse†in 1974, the
market for the horror film genre had begun to dwindle down and he returned to
appearances in television shows. By the
1980’s Quarry career was winding down when  he was“rediscovered†by filmmaker and fan Fred
Olen Ray who began casting Quarry in his films starting with “Cyclone†(1987).
Late in his career Quarry began to appear at film conventions where he met many
of his thousands of fans and in 2004 the American Cinematheque hosted a special
double-bill of the Count Yorga films hosted by Fred Olen Ray and Frank Darabont,
who both interviewed Robert Quarry for the fans in-between the showings.
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I had the good opportunity to have met Robert Quarry in
person back in 2004. Quarry had very kindly provided an interview for my 2004
book on Peter Cushing entitled, “In All Sincerity…Peter Cushingâ€. His memories
of working with Cushing on “Madhouse†were amazing, honest, and sometimes quite
funny. When it came time to have the launch for my Peter Cushing book at the
second Monster Mania convention in Cherry
Hill, New Jersey, I
was delighted to know that Quarry would also be attending the show so I could
thank him in person. My wife came with me to the convention and while she was
busy selling books I got the chance to walk over and chat with Robert Quarry. I
gave him a copy of my Cushing book and he signed a still from “Court Yorga†for
me before we posed for a photo together. He actually thanked me for including
him in my book and we got to chat for a little while – I learned that Quarry’s
birthday was the same day as my wedding anniversary – November 3rd.
Quarry was funny and pulled no punches, a genuine delight to meet. Not long
after the convention ended I was fortunate enough to have found a “lost†Robert
Quarry performance on 16mm – a 1960 TV pilot called “The Little Terrorâ€. Quarry
played the father of the title girl in the fantasy storyline that was never released
to VHS or DVD. I had the 16mm reel converted to DVD and sent Quarry a copy as a
‘thank you’ for his interview in my Cushing book. I was sad to hear that Robert
Quarry passed away on February 20, 2009 but thankful for the memorable
performance that he left us with and the memories I had of our meeting.