Roland Culver

Roland Culver OBE
Born	Roland Joseph Culver 31 August 1900 Highgate, London, England, UK
Died	1 March 1984 (aged 83) Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Occupation	Actor

Roland Joseph Culver, OBE (31 August 1900 – 1 March 1984^[1]) was an English stage, film, and television actor.^[2]

Life and career

After Highgate School, he joined the Royal Air Force and served as a pilot from 1918 to 1919. After considering other careers, he turned to acting, graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.^[3] He debuted on the stage in 1924 at Hull Repertory Theatre and, by 1931, was appearing in films in which he was known for his portrayals of impeccable English gentlemen not given to displays of emotion. In the 1960s, he branched out into television before finally retiring in 1982. In 1960 he appeared in Five Finger Exercise at the Music Box Theatre in New York City. He was nominated for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for Ivanov.^[4] In 1974, he played the irascible Duke of Omnium and Gatherum in the popular BBC adaptation of 'The Pallisers'.

Health

He lost half a lung to tuberculosis.

Personal life

He was married twice, first to actress, director, and casting agent Daphne Rye between 1932 and 1946, then to Nan Hopkins from 1947 until his death from a heart attack in 1984. With his first wife, he had two children: actor Michael Culver and Robin Culver.^[5]

Culver was awarded an OBE in the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to drama.

Writer

Culver wrote the play A River Breeze, and his autobiography is called Not Quite a Gentleman.^{[6] [7]}

Partial filmography

• Love on Wheels (1932)
• Marry Me (1932)
• C.O.D. (1932)
• Puppets of Fate (1933)
• Mayfair Girl (1933)
• Her Imaginary Lover (1933)
• Borrow a Million (1934)
• Lucky Loser (1934)
• Two Hearts in Waltz Time (1934)
• Accused (1936)
• Paradise for Two (1937)
• French Without Tears (1940)
• Blind Folly (1940)
• Night Train to Munich (1940)
• Old Bill and Son (1941)
• Quiet Wedding (1941)
• This England (1941)
• The Day Will Dawn (1942)
• One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
• Unpublished Story (1942)
• The First of the Few (1942)
• Secret Mission (1942)
• Talk About Jacqueline (1942)
• Dear Octopus (1943)
• The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
• On Approval (1944)
• English Without Tears (1944)
• Dead of Night (1945)
• Perfect Strangers (1945)
• To Each His Own (1946)
• Wanted for Murder (1946)
• Down to Earth (1947)
• Singapore (1947)
• The Emperor Waltz (1948)
• The Great Lover (1949) as Grand Duke Maximillian
• Trio (1950) as Mr. Ashenden
• The Late Edwina Black (1951) as Inspector Martin
• The Magic Box (1951) as 1st Company promoter
• Encore (1951)
• Hotel Sahara (1951)
• The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
• Folly to Be Wise (1953)
• Betrayed (1954)
• The Teckman Mystery (1954)
• The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
• The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
• Touch and Go (1955)
• An Alligator Named Daisy (1955)
• Safari (1955)
• Rockets Galore! (1957)
• The Truth About Women (1957)
• The Vicious Circle (1957)
• Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
• A Pair of Briefs (1962)
• Term of Trial (1962)
• The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
• Thunderball (1965) as Foreign Secretary
• A Man Could Get Killed (1966)
• In Search of Gregory (1969)
• The Magic Christian (1969)
• Fragment of Fear (1970)
• The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970)
• Bequest to the Nation (1973)
• The Legend of Hell House (1973)
• The Mackintosh Man (1973)
• The Uncanny (1977)
• The Greek Tycoon (1978)
• Rough Cut (1980)
• Never Never Land (1980)
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982)
• Britannia Hospital (1982)
• The Missionary (1982)

References

1. The Times obituary 3 March 1984
2. "Roland Culver". BFI.
3. "Roland Culver movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography - AllMovie". AllMovie.
4. "ROLAND CULVER IS DEAD AT 83 - A CHARACTER ACTOR 55 YEARS - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com. 3 March 1984.
5. "Roland Joseph Culver (1900 - 1984) - Find A Grave Memorial". findagrave.com.
6. "A RIVER BREEZE. By Roland Culver. (Phtenix.) THE savagery with". The Spectator Archive.
7. "BFI Screenonline: Culver, Roland (1900-1984) Biography". screenonline.org.uk.

External links

• Roland Culver at the Internet Movie Database
• Roland Culver at AllMovie
• Roland Culver at the Internet Broadway Database
• Roland Culver at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Roland Culver at Find a Grave