Guy Doleman
Guy Doleman | |
---|---|
![]() Doleman in The Prisoner (1967) | |
Born | (1923-11-22)22 November 1923 Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand |
Died | 30 January 1996(1996-01-30) (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Years active | 1948–1992 |
Guy Doleman (22 November 1923 – 30 January 1996) was a New Zealand born actor, active in Australia, Britain and the United States. He is possibly best remembered for being the first actor to play Number Two in the classic cult series The Prisoner.
Early life
Doleman was born in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand, later moving to Australia.
Career
During the 1940s and 1950s, Doleman was one of the busiest actors in Australia, appearing in the majority of films made there at the time, and being busy on radio, particularly in the drama Hagen's Circus, which made him a radio star in Australia.[1] Radio historian Peter Philp grouped Doleman with Peter Finch, Grant Taylor, Rod Taylor and Lloyd Berrell as part of "a wild but very colourful group of actors... who in their own way helped forge a wonderful ambience which was unique to Sydney radio."[2]
In 1952 he won a £300 Actor's Choice Award for his performance in the radio drama The Coward.[3] He used this money to go to Hollywood for a film in September 1953, where he tested for some films.[4]
He was cast in Long John Silver (1954) but passed on the role because it meant he had to wear contact lenses – Rod Taylor took the part instead.[5] He had moved to London by the early 1960s. Later he returned to Australia.
He is perhaps best known for his role as "Count Lippe" in the James Bond film Thunderball (1965) and as "Colonel Ross" in the three film adaptations of Len Deighton's Harry Palmer novels, starring Michael Caine, released between 1965 and 1967. He also played Number Two in the TV series The Prisoner (1967). Doleman's was the first of a pair of Number Twos who appeared in the first episode, "Arrival"; the second being played by George Baker.
Death
Doleman died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on 30 January 1996, aged 72.
Filmography
- Always Another Dawn (1948) – Warren Melville
- Strong Is the Seed (1949) – William Farrer
- The Kangaroo Kid (1950) – Sgt. Jim Penrose
- Kangaroo (1952) – Pleader (uncredited)
- The Phantom Stockman (1953) – Mr. Stapleton
- His Majesty O'Keefe (1954) – Herr Weber
- Dial M for Murder (1954) – Detective (uncredited)[6]
- Smiley (1956) – Bill McVitty
- The Adventures of Long John Silver (1957, TV Series) – Dr. Stanhope
- The Shiralee (1957) – Son O'Neill
- Smiley Gets a Gun (1958) – Quirk
- On the Beach (1959) – Lt. Cmdr. Farrel
- The Grey Nurse Said Nothing (1960, TV Movie)[7]
- The Square Ring (1960, TV Movie)
- Whiplash (1961, TV Series) – Sundowner / Raike Dartner / Norris
- Follow the Sun (1961, TV Series) – Alex Cooper
- ITV Play of the Week (1962-1963, TV Series) – Walter Ramsden / Captain Lee
- No Hiding Place (1962-1964, TV Series) – Melvyn Kerry / Felix Seymour / James Conway
- The Avengers (1963, TV Series) – Oliver Waldner
- Jezebel ex UK (1963, TV Series) – Robin Coleridge
- Captain Sindbad (1963)
- The Dickie Henderson Show (1963, TV Series)
- BBC Sunday-Night Play (1963, TV Series) – Managing Editor
- The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre, "The Partner" (1963, TV Series) – Wayne Douglas
- The Hidden Truth (1964, TV Series) – Charles Medwin
- The System (1964) (aka: The Girl Getters) – Philip
- Boy with a Flute (1965, Short)
- Young Cassidy (1965) – Officer
- The Ipcress File (1965) – Colonel Ross
- Thunderball (1965) – Count Lippe
- The Idol (1966) – Martin Livesey
- The Power Game (1966, TV Series) – Stephen Gray
- Funeral in Berlin (1966) – Colonel Ross
- The Deadly Bees (1967) – Ralph Hargrove
- The Prisoner (1967, Episode: "Arrival") – Number Two
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1967, Episode: "The Tape Recorder")
- Billion Dollar Brain (1967) – Colonel Ross
- A Twist of Sand (1968) – Patrol Boat Commander
- Strange Report (1969, TV Series) – Glyn Crowley
- Chilling (1974)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1977, TV Series) – Henry Bulman
- Enigma (1977) – Maurice Mockcastle
- The Greatest Battle (1978) – General Whitmore
- A Dangerous Summer (1981) – Julian Fane
- Early Frost (1982) – Mike Hayes
- Goodbye Paradise (1983) – Quiney
- Matt Houston (1984, TV Series) – Richard / Rudy Bezmer (Episode: Eyewitness)
- The Colbys (1986, TV Series) – Peter Hackford
- The Shiralee (1987)
- Hell Raiders (1988)
- Tagget (1991, TV Movie) – Commander Arthur Green
- Murder, She Wrote (1992, TV Series) – Corsair (final appearance)
Theatre Credits
- Little Lambs Eat Ivy, Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, May 1949
- Edward, My Son, Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW, 16 September 1949
- All for Mary national tour 1956-57
- The Piccadilly Bushman national tour Sept 1959 – Feb 1960
Select Radio Credits
- The Coward (1952)[8]
- Chips (1954)[9]
- The Orchard Walls (1954)[10]
References
- ^ Philp, Peter. Drama in Silent Rooms: A History of Radio Drama in Australia from the 1920s to the 1970s. Eureka Media. pp. 260–261.
- ^ Philp p339
- ^ "TODAY'S RADIO PROGRAMMES Sydneyman wins £300in 'Actors Choice'". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 August 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 22 March 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Australian to Test. Los Angeles Times 2 Sep 1953: P32.
- ^ "LIMELIGHT". The Sun-Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1953 – 1954). Sydney. 2 May 1954. p. 71. Retrieved 22 March 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Australian actor gets Lucky break". Brisbane Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 24 September 1953. p. 24 (LAST RACE). Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020). "Forgotten Australian TV Plays: The Grey Nurse Said Nothing". Filmink.
- ^ "TODAY'S RADIO PROGRAMMES Sydneyman wins £300in 'Actors Choice'". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 33, 056. Victoria, Australia. 14 August 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Chips Stars in DB Serial". The Age. No. 30, 903. Victoria, Australia. 20 May 1954. p. 1 ("THE AGE" RADIO SUPPLEMENT). Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Has Lead in New Play". Illawarra Daily Mercury. New South Wales, Australia. 17 March 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 14 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
- Guy Doleman at IMDb
- Guy Doleman Australian theatre credits at AusStage
- Guy Doleman at National Film and Sound Archive