UCLA researchers have uncovered new clues that may explain why Graves' disease attacks the muscle tissue behind the eyes, often causing … ... "I looked like the old actor Marty Feldman." Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman (8 July 1934 - 2 December 1982) was an English writer, comedian and BAFTA award winning actor, notable for his … Marty Feldman also had Graves’, but actually used his symptomatic bulging eyes for comedic effect – the ultimate embracing of the disease. Thyroid eye disease, which is related to Graves' disease, is the main medical cause of excessively protruding eyes. Marty Feldman – was an English writer, comedian and BAFTA award winning actor, notable for his bulging eyes, which were the result of a thyroid condition known as Graves Disease.