Janos Prohaska (October 10, 1919, Budapest, Hungary – 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).

Janos Prohaska
Publicity Photo of Janos Prohaska
Born(1919-10-10)October 10, 1919
Budapest, Hungary
DiedMarch 13, 1974(1974-03-13) (aged 54)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • Stunt performer
Spouse
Irene M. Knoke
(m. 1969)

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.[1]

Personal life and death

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He was married to Irene M. Knoke from June 29, 1969, until his death on March 13, 1974. He and his son Robert were killed along with 34 others on March 13, 1974, at 8:28 p.m. in the crash of a chartered Sierra Airlines Convair CV-440 aircraft near Bishop, California, while filming the ABC/Wolper Productions television series Primal Man.[2] The plane flew into a mountain ridge in darkness, but the exact cause of the crash was never determined.[3] His ashes were interred in the Mausoleum at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica.

During the late 1980s revamp of the DC Comics character Blackhawk by Howard Chaykin, the leader of the eponymous group of World War II fighters was revealed to be named Janos Prohaska, in tribute to the actor.[citation needed] Ensign Janos, a mugato Starfleet officer in the Star Trek New Frontier novel series was also named for him.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1962 Billy Rose's Jumbo Circus Performer #14
1963 The Outer Limits Allen as Thetan Episode: "The Architects of Fear" (Uncredited)
1963 The Outer Limits Darwin the Chimpanzee Episode: "The Sixth Finger" (Uncredited)
1964 Advance to the Rear Flagpole Sitter Uncredited
1964 Bikini Beach Clyde the Chimp
1965 The Outer Limits The Mikie Episode: "The Probe"
1965 Perry Mason The Gorilla Episode: "The Case of the Grinning Gorilla"
1966 The Lucy Show The Gorilla Episode: "Lucy and The Monkey"
1967 Man of Steel
1967 Star Trek Horta Episode: "The Devil in the Dark" (Uncredited)
1968 Star Trek The Mugato Episode: "A Private Little War"
1969 Star Trek Yarnek Episode: "The Savage Curtain" (Uncredited)
1969 Land of the Giants Gorilla Episode: "Comeback"
1970 Land of the Giants Bobo the Gorilla Episode: "The Marionettes"
1970 Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You Gorilla
1971 Escape from the Planet of the Apes Heloise Uncredited
1974 Zandy's Bride Bear Uncredited
1986 Star Trek Anthropoid Ape / Humanoid Bird Episode: "The Cage" (Uncredited); First pilot (1965) not released until 1986

References

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  1. ^ "This is the man behind the mask of all those '60s and '70s TV creatures". H&I.
  2. ^ "The 'Primal Man' Crash". Check-Six.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  3. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-440 N4819C Bishop Airport, CA (BIH)". aviation-safety.net.
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