Malachi Throne, the character actor who became one of the more ubiquitous faces on television from the "Golden Age" of the 1950s through the 21st-century, was born in New York City on December 1, 1928, the son of Samuel and Rebecca (née Chaikin) Throne, who had immigrated to America from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He began performing at an early age.

During World War Two, he quit school to work in theater, though he later returned and got his high school diploma. He then set out upon a life as a "wandering player", as he describes it, playing in summer and winter stock companies while matriculating at Brooklyn College and Long Island University. Though he loved acting, he believed he would eventually wind up as an English teacher, which is why he doggedly kept at his studies between tours.

When he was 21 years old, the Korean conflict broke out, and Throne wound up in the infantry attached to an armored unit. When he returned to the New York theatrical scene, he found out that the revolution Marlon Brando had started in 1947 playing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) was now the status quo. Possessed of a deep, classically trained voice, Throne was cast in the parts of characters much older than his actual age. His clear enunciation also made him a natural for live television, and he went to work on the now-defunct DuMont TV network. He continued his acting studies in New York, tutored by such luminaries as Uta Hagen and William Hickey.

In addition to TV, he continued to work on the the stage, appearing in the landmark Off-Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh", in support of Jason Robards. He also played in the famous Off-Broadway revivals of "The Threepenny Opera" and Clifford Odets' "Rocket To The Moon", as well as appeared on Broadway in such top shows as Jean Anouilh's "Becket" in support of Laurence Olivier.

In 1958-59, he found himself in California, playing a season at San Diego's Old Globe Theater. After his stint with the Globe was over, he went to Hollywood, and established himself as a major character actor in guest spots on series television during the 1960s. He had memorable appearances as "Falseface" onBatman (1966) and the Arab-styled "Thief of Outer Space" on Lost in Space (1965). He also provided the voice of "The Keeper" for The Cage (1966), the pilot episode of Star Trek (1966). He turned down an offer to be a regular cast member on that show, rejecting the part of Dr. McCoy as he did not want to play third fiddle to William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

Producer Gene Roddenberry, who had offered him the role of Dr. McCoy ("Bones"), was not offended and cast Throne as "Commodore José Mendez" in the two-part episode "The Menagerie", which included most of the original pilot, although by then The Keeper's voice had been re-dubbed by another actor, Meg Wyllie. Many years later, Throne played "Senator Pardac" in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) two-part episode ,"Unification", appearing with Leonard Nimoy, whose role as Spock Throne had coveted a generation earlier. In 1968, two years after "Star Trek" debuted, Throne was cast as Robert Wagner's boss on It Takes a Thief (1968) while continuing to guest star on many other television shows.

Throne remained committed to the stage, appearing as a resident actor with a variety of regional theaters, including the San Francisco Actors' Workshop, the Los Angeles Inner City Repertory Co., the Mark Taper Forum and the Louisville Free Theatre.

Throne died of lung cancer on March 13, 2013 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, where he appeared in local theater. He also wrote historical novels. His two sons are also in show business: Zachary Throne is an actor/musician while Joshua Throne is a producer and unit production manager.