Blast From the Past: Nicholas Cortland

Nicholas Cortland's career began on soaps in the early 50's, and in the next twenty years, he had only a handful of roles before maybe his most famous, in the 1972 horror film The Frogs.  I think I have a memory of watching The Frogs on TV when I was a kid, I can't say for sure, but when I found a copy to watch for this piece, there was something it about that seemed oddly familiar.  It may have been the Southern Swam location, and actor Ray Milland, in yet another low budget campy classic.  I didn't however, have any memories of Cortland in the film..

When searching for info on the actor, Frogs seems to be the project mentioned the most.  Although Cortland appears shirtless in the promotional image below, I actually couldn't find a shirtless scene in the copy I found, not sure if anyone remembers one.

Frogs (1972)

Although Cortland's television and film career may not be that memorable, he does seem to have made a mark in the theatre. Legendary playwright Tennessee Williams wrote dual roles in his 1976 play 'This Is' with Cortland in mind. Although Cortland never appeared nude on film, (not that I could find) the actor did a few memorable photo shoots for Playgirl, and for the cover of After Dark.

Playgirl, November 1973

After Frogs, Cortland went on to do another handful of roles, most guest spots on network television, ending four years before his death in 1988. Below is a section of his obituary from the New York Times.

'Nicholas Cortland, a stage, film and television actor, died of AIDS on Aug. 21 at his home in Manhattan. He was 47 years old.

Mr. Cortland was born in Rockville Centre, L.I., and was a graduate of Hofstra University. In 1976, he performed lead roles in each of the three productions in the American Conservatory Theater's 10th-anniversary season in San Francisco. At that time, Tennessee Williams wrote ''This Is (An Entertainment)'' for Mr. Cortland, who also starred there in Michael McClure's ''General Gorgeous'' and Edward Albee's ''Tiny Alice.''  Mr. Cortland's longtime companion was Peter R. Kruzan/.