Whether you remember him as Hays in Foxy Brown or Captain Spaulding in House of 1000 Corpses,
one can’t deny Sid Haig’s incredible range as an actor.
But, do you know the real reason Sid Haig quit acting for years?
Between his cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s film Jackie Brown and his career-changing
role in Rob Zombie’s debut film, he had a gap of 6 years – which is often suicidal
for many actors.
And yet he insisted on taking a break.
He clearly wasn’t happy with his roles and he wanted to make a change in his career.
Often, actors fail at this but Sid Haig was persistent and managed to have a resurgence
in his career at a later stage in his life.
Join FactsVerse to learn about Sid Haig’s life and career, and the real reason he quit
acting for years…
SID HAIG’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Sid Haig was born on as Sidney Eddie Mosesian on July 14, 1939, in Fresno, California.
He came from an Armenian-American family and his father was an electrician.
While he didn’t have anyone in his family who came from a show business background he
was intrigued by entertainment from a young age and wanted to perform in front of others.
He started as a dancer who performed in local productions and variety shows at the age of
7.
Due to his height and quick growth spurt, he often had difficulties with his motor skills
but this didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams.
While in his teens, he began to be drawn toward music and learned how to play the drums.
He became an accomplished drummer and learned how to play songs in a variety of genres such
as swing, country, jazz, and rock and roll.
He became so good at playing music that he even landed a record deal after finishing
high school and went on to play music with several bands – most notably the T-Birds.
But despite the fact that he was a talented dancer and drummer, he knew his calling was
elsewhere.
He dreamt of becoming an actor.
He joined the Pasadena Playhouse which is where he honed his craft and learned how to
perform on stage and in front of a camera.
In fact, during his stint at the Pasadena Playhouse, he trained alongside future legends
Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman.
He also couldn’t have joined the industry at a better time.
Upon finishing his studies at the Pasadena Playhouse, he moved to Hollywood to pursue
a full-time acting career.
He made his acting debut in a short film in 1960 called The Host.
This was a student film made by an aspiring director at UCLA named Jack Hill.
Jack Hill would go on to become one of the most prominent directors of the exploitation
and later blaxploitation genres and Sid – now known as Sid Haig – would become a staple
in Jack Hill’s films.
In fact, while a short student film might not have gotten him much attention the relationship
with Jack Hill is what got Sid Haig his start though eventually, it would be what made him
get tired of working as an actor altogether…
SID HAIG’S ACTING CAREER – THE FIRST PHASE
After becoming friends with Jack Hill, Sid Haig acted in his film Blood Bath where he
played the small role of Abdul the Arab.
He also appeared in a small role in the Western film The Firebrand.
This was followed up by a few small roles in other B-movies such as It’s a Bikini
World and Point Blank.
But the film that brought Sid Haig to mainstream attention was when he played one of the members
of an oddball family in Jack Hill’s film Spider Baby.
This is a rather strange film and has since become a cult film – his performance as
the hunchback Ralph was unique performance and it's what got him more notice from directors
and producers alike.
The same year he had a supporting role in the film To Hell With Heroes.
This film followed US Air Force pilots in Africa following the end of the Second World
War.
This drama film showed that Sid Haig had incredible range as an actor and that he was interested
in taking different types of roles.
He also had a notable role as Antonio in the film Che!
as well a small role in THX-1138 which was George Lucas’ first film.
He also had a small role in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever.
But it was his role in the 1970s female exploitation films that made him the most well-known.
He gained a reputation for playing a cruel villain in films about women fighting against
tyranny.
These films include The Big Doll House and The Big Bird Cage – two women in prison-style
films.
These films were directed by his friend Jack Hill who helped Sid Haig craft this new on-screen
persona that would make him a star.
Jack Hill soon transitioned into the blaxploitation genre which was gaining steam in the 1970s.
Jack Hill began working with Pam Grier and was responsible for helping her launch her
career.
Both Pam Grier and Sid Haig would work together in the films Black Mama White Mama, Coffy,
and Foxy Brown.
These films made them both huge stars and they made them two of the most recognized
faces in the blaxploitation genre.
It's no surprise that, years later, when Pam Grier was cast in Quentin Tarantino’s film
Jackie Brown – Tarantino had to find a way to cast Sid Haig in there somewhere.
Sid Haig played a Judge in one scene and neither he or Pam Grier knew that they would be in
the same scene together.
They both laughed as they had their reunion on film together, after twenty years.
But after Jackie Brown, Sid Haig wanted to take a break from cinema.
He had grown tired of it.
He had gained a reputation for playing tough characters in blaxploitation films as well
as horror films such as Galaxy of Terror.
He felt that he wasn’t been given roles that truly allowed him to exploit his talents.
He decided, after 1997, to call it quits.
SID HAIG’S ACTING CAREER – THE SECOND
PHASE
The real reason Sid Haig quit acting for years is that he was tired of the type of roles
he was playing.
He quit acting in 1992 and only returned to play the cameo role as a Judge in Jackie Brown.
During this time when he took a hiatus from acting he had actually become a certified
hypnotherapist and pursued this as a career!
He had actually first been given a chance to work with Quentin Tarantino in the 1994
film Pulp Fiction and he was the original choice to play Marcellus Wallace – a role
that eventually went to Ving Rhames.
He later regretted this decision – thinking that Pulp Fiction wouldn’t be such a huge
hit.
It seemd that it might have been over for Sid Haig.
He was in his 50s and it seemed that being a hypnotherapist was his fate.
But, just as Quentin Tarantino gave him a shot in Jackie Brown, there was another director
who was also a fan of Sid Haig’s and wanted to work with him.
This other director was a rockstar who know wanted to try his hand at cinema.
He was making a horror film and he had a role created specifically for Sid Haig.
In 2003, Sid Haig returned to acting when he was cast as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s
film House of 1000 Corpses.
The film was a huge hit and it was Sid Haig’s comeback – making him a star among a new
legion of fans – many of whom weren’t aware of his previous roles in exploitation
films.
The character became iconic and he reprised the role in the sequel to the film called
The Devil’s Rejects.
He played the role for a final time in the third film in the trilogy called 3 From Hell.
These roles made him a staple in independent horror films and among independent filmmakers
in general.
He began working regularly again and had a variety of roles in a slew of great films
including Kill Bill Vol 2, Night of the Living Dead 3D, Halloween, Brotherhood of Blood,
Dark Moon Rising, The Lords of Salem, Death House, High on the Hog, and Cynthia.
His role in 3 From Hell was the final film released during his life.
He has 3 films that are to be released posthumously – Hannukah, Suicide for Beginners, and Abruptio.
THE LEGEND OF SID HAIG
Sid Haig died on September 21, 2019, in Thousand Oaks, California.
He had been hospitalized after a fall in his home and while hospitalized he had contracted
pneumonia during his sleep.
He was 80 years old.
He was married once to Susan from 2007 to his death in 2019.
The second phase of his acting career last for only 16 years – from 2003 to his death
in 2019.
Yet in these 16 years he once again became a star and perhaps became an even bigger star
than he was before.
For long-time fans, they were glad to see him back.
For new fans, they had a new hero.
He seemed to really enjoy his newfound success and his work in independent horror films especially
with Rob Zombie.
He would often make appearances at conventions to discuss his career and would donate his
earnings from these conventions to charity.
He had taken a break because he was sick of playing ‘stupid heavies’ as he put it.
But these roles were loved by his fans and two of his biggest fans, Quentin Tarantino
and Rob Zombie became huge filmmakers and helped him revive his career.
He was a great and versatile actor and one who has entertained us throughout the decades
in exploitation films and horror films.
He will be sorely missed.
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Sid Haig’s?
Did you know about why he wanted to step away from acting?
And now, here’s what we want to know from you:
Do you think that there’s an actor today who has had an interesting career trajectory
like Sid Haig?
Or has his career truly been one of a kind and there’s no comparison whatsoever?