Arthur Marks, a writer, producer and director best known for his work on CBS series Perry Mason and for directing blaxploitation films, has died at age 92, his family confirmed to Deadline.
Marks was born August 2, 1927 in Los Angeles. His grandparents acted in silent pictures and his father Dave Marks was an assistant director and production manager at MGM.
Arthur Marks began his film career as a background actor and in bit parts on such films in the 1930s and ‘40s as Boys Town, The Good Earth and the Andy Hardy series.
Marks left Hollywood to join the United States Merchant Marines during World War II and served in the Navy during the Korean War.
He briefly attended Santa Monica College and the University of Southern California, before landing a job in the production department at MGM Studios. His career took off in the 1950s as an assistant director at Columbia. He worked on various television shows including Casablanca, Broken Arrow, and the popular Perry Mason, directing more than 80 episodes and serving as a producer on the series.
Marks made his feature directorial debut with the 1970 movie Togetherness. He would then move into blaxploitation films with the crime thriller Detroit 9000, the Pam Grier vehicle Friday Foster, the Fred Williamson and Pam Grier action flick Bucktown, and the comedy The Monkey Hustle.
Marks was a member of The DGA as well as the WGA. He also directed numerous television shows such as I Spy, Starsky & Hutch, Mannix and The Dukes of Hazard.
Marks and his wife of 62 years Phyllis Marie Lehman (deceased 3/15/16) had four children — two daughters and his sons Beau and Paul Marks, who are both successful producers.