He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Philippi, West Virginia. Ted Cassidy was a well respected actor who portrayed many different characters during his film career. His most notable role was Lurch, the faithful butler on "The Addams Family" TV series. His most memorable dialogue as Lurch would be, "You rang?", whenever someone summoned him. Due to his large size, (6ft. 9in.) he portrayed larger than life characters. His deep voice, was used for narrations and for dubbing certain character's voices. His acting career spanned three decades. Ted Cassidy died in 1979 from complications following open-heart surgery. His live-in girlfriend had his remains cremated, then buried in the backyard of their Woodland Hills home.
Worked as a staff announcer for WFAA radio in Dallas prior to his acting career and was part of WFAA's ongoing coverage of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Among the first to interview assassination eyewitnesses W.E. Newman Jr. and Gayle Newman. Played one season of college basketball at Stetson University in the 1960s and averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds a game. Lurch was supposed to be silent, as in the Charles Addams cartoons, but during the shooting of the pilot, when Ted made his very first appearance at the sounding of the gong, he ad libbed the now famous line, "You rang?" in his trademark sonorous voice, and everyone was so impressed that Lurch became a speaking role. Married immediately after graduating from Stetson and worked at a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida, and then at a radio station in Pensacola, Florida (where his children were born), before taking a job at WFAA in Dallas Texas. Contacts made at WFAA led to his audition for The Addams family. Two children, a boy (Sean) born in 1957 and a girl (Cameron) born in 1960. Both children are now lawyers. Brother-in-law of actor Dan Jesse. He was married to Jesse's sister from 1956 to 1976. Was the uncredited Narrator of TV's The Incredible Hulk.