Biography
Janos Prohaska (October 10, 1919, Budapest, Hungary β March 13, 1974, Inyo County, California, United States) was a U.S.-based Hungarian actor and stunt performer on American television from the 1960s. He usually played the roles of animals or monsters (mostly bears and gorillas).
He is best remembered for his recurring comic role as The Cookie Bear on The Andy Williams Show from 1969 to 1971. Prohaska also appeared in multiple roles on such TV series as The Outer Limits, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Lost in Space, and a few episodes of Gilligan's Island, where he plays a gorilla. His only credited role on that series appears in the episode "Our Vines Have Tender Apes." He also played the title role in the 1965 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Grinning Gorilla".
In 1967 he appeared as a white gorilla in the "Fatal Cargo" episode of the ABC-TV sci-fi series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. On NBC-TV's Star Trek his turns in alien costumes of his own making as the Horta in Star Trek's "The Devil in the Dark", and the Mugato in "A Private Little War" are the best known of these.
He also stunt-doubled for both Arnold Stang and Peter Falk in the 1963 film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in which Stang, a small and lightweight man, wore shoulder pads under his costume so that his appearance would match the bulky appearance of Prohaska.
Prohaska made an appearance on an episode of What's My Line? in 1969, where he wore one of his ape costumes.
Filmography
all 18
TV Shows 13
Movies 5
self 1
Dusty's Trail (1973)
Temperatures Rising (1972)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970)
Mayberry R.F.D. (1968)
Here's Lucy (1968)
Land of the Giants (1968)
Man of Steel (1967)
Star Trek (1966)
Lost in Space (1965)
Star Trek: The Cage (1965)
Gilligan's Island (1964)
Bewitched (1964)
Bikini Beach (1964)
The Outer Limits (1963)
The Lucy Show (1962)
Perry Mason (1957)
The Andy Williams Show
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1919-10-10
Deathday1974-03-13 (54 years old)
Birth PlaceBudapest, Hungary
CitizenshipsKingdom of Hungary, United States of America
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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