Mark Damon, ‘House of Usher’ & Spaghetti Westerns Actor, Dies at 91

Martin Holmes May 13, 2024, 8:00 am

Veteran actor and film producer Mark Damon, perhaps best known for starring in Roger Corman‘s 1960 gothic horror film House of Usher, has died. He was 91.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Damon passed away on Sunday (May 12) from natural causes in Los Angeles, California, according to his daughter, Alexis Damon Ribaut.

Born on April 22, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, Damon’s acting career started with minor roles in the classic 1950s television series Gang Busters, Meet Corliss Archer, and I Led 3 Lives. He signed with 20th Century Fox in 1956 and continued his TV work, appearing in Cavalcade of America, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Tales of Wells Fargo.

His big break came in the 1960 horror film House of Usher, where he starred alongside Vincent Price, Myrna Fahey, and Harry Ellerbe. Damon won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance as Philip Winthrop. The film was directed by Roger Corman, who died on Thursday (May 10).

Mark Damon in House of Usher; The Everett Collection

After a few more bit parts in TV series such as National Velvet, Zorro, and Lock Up, Damon moved to Italy where he was a familiar in Spaghetti Westerns and stared in films including The Reluctant Saint (1962), The Young Racers (1963), The Shortest Day (1963), Black Sabbath (1963), 100 Horseman (1964), Secret Agent 777 (1965), Dio, Come Ti Amo! (1966), and Johnny Oro (1966).

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Damon transitioned away from acting by the late 1970s and entered the world of independent sales and production. He founded the Producers Sales Organization to sell American films to international distributors and helped give greater exposure to independent movies.

As a producer, Damon worked on films such as Das Boot, The NeverEnding Story, Nine 1/2 Weeks, 8 Million Ways to Die, Short Circuit, The Lost Boys, The Jungle Book, Lone Survivor, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, and many more. He also won an Academy Award in 2005 for his work on the Charlize Theron-starring serial killer movie Monster.

More recently, Damon served as executive producer on the 2023 films Fast Charlie and Rumble Through the Dark. His last on-screen acting role came in the 1997 movie Liar.