[11] He starred alongside Maria Montez and Jon Hall in three films for Universal Pictures: Arabian Nights (1942), White Savage (1943) and Cobra Woman (1944).

He flew several dozen missions with the 370th Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bomb Group in the Pacific, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor and bravery.

[15] On 19 October 1948, Sabu married little-known actress Marilyn Cooper (whose only film part, as Princess Tara in Song of India in 1949, was not credited), with whom he had two children.

A dancer with whom he had appeared in Black Narcissus, Brenda Marian Julier, alleged that he was the father of her daughter Michaela, born in 1948.

He agreed to defray Julier's costs, set up a trust fund, and pay monthly support until the child reached 21.

He revealed that he was asked to set the fire by Wall, Sabu's friend, who told him the actor needed the insurance money.

Sabu's insurer, Northwestern Mutual, had originally paid out his claim, but sued him in November 1952 after learning about the purported arson.

The chorus goes, "Hey look, Ma, here comes the elephant boy / Bundled all up in his corduroy / Headed down south towards Illinois / From the jungles of East St.

[citation needed] On 2 December 1963, Sabu died suddenly in Chatsworth, California, of a heart attack, age 39.

His wife said in a television interview that two days before his death, during a routine medical check, his doctor told him: "If all my patients were as healthy as you, I would be out of a job".