Kenneth Tobey (March 23, 1917 – December 22, 2002) was a prolific and rugged American actor, a familiar face in hundreds of films and television shows, best known for his iconic role as the stalwart, no-nonsense hero in the classic science-fiction horror film, The Thing from Another World (1951).
With his military bearing and authoritative voice, Tobey was the quintessential leading man of 1950s sci-fi. He cemented his genre-icon status as the heroic pilot who battles a giant octopus in It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) and starred as a test pilot in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). His signature role, however, was as the determined Captain Patrick Hendry, the man who leads the fight against the alien creature in The Thing from Another World.
Beyond science-fiction, Tobey was a versatile and hard-working actor. He starred for three seasons as the helicopter pilot Chuck Martin in the popular syndicated adventure series Whirlybirds (1957-1960). He continued to work for decades, with memorable late-career appearances in comedies like Airplane! (1980), where he spoofed his serious persona as an air traffic controller, and in the horror film The Howling (1981).
