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IMDbPro

Richard Carlson(1912-1977)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Richard Carlson
Trailer for this western meets dinosaur thriller
Play trailer2:39
The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
14 Videos
99+ Photos
The son of an attorney, Richard Carlson had an introspective quality to his performances and looked every inch the academic he first aspired to be. Following his graduation from the University of Minnesota with a Master's Degree in English, the tall, dark-haired youth had a brief stint as a drama teacher at his alma mater. However, deciding on the performing arts instead, he invested his money in buying his own theatre in Minneapolis and featuring himself as the star. By the age of 23, he had gained sufficient acting credentials to perform on Broadway opposite Ethel Barrymore, Jimmy Durante and Ethel Merman. Sidelining as a writer, he enjoyed moderate success publishing a number of short stories, but his play "Western Waters" was a flop on Broadway, closing after just seven performances. Just when it seemed, Richard's fortunes were on the wane, he was offered a contract as actor/writer/director by the producer David O. Selznick.

After being encouraged by leading actress Janet Gaynor to make his screen bow in her motion picture Koko perhe hummaamassa (1938), Richard moved to California on a permanent basis. During the next few years, he made several films (primarily at RKO), invariably in the part of the diffident juvenile. Many of these were forgettable second features, such as the supernaturally-themed Beyond Tomorrow (1940), or commercial failures, like the nostalgic Anna Neagle musical No, No, Nanette (1940). There was, however, one stellar performance: his newspaperman David Hewitt in William Wyler''s brilliant adaptation of Lillian Hellman's southern melodrama Nainen ei armoa antanut (1941). This was followed by another decent role in the fruity (but highly enjoyable) melodrama Viettelijätär tropiikista (1942), and the lead in a cliched, run-of-the-mill crime picture, Highways by Night (1942). Then World War II intervened and Richard did his tour of duty. When he returned to the screen, it was without the intensity and vigour which had characterised his pre-war performances.

After several years of indifferent acting parts, Richard found renewed energy for his third-billed appearance in MGM's lavish Technicolor remake of Kuningas Salomon kaivokset (1950). Perhaps surprisingly, this did not lead to further roles in A-grade features. Instead, Richard Carlson found himself the unlikely star of several sci-fi features, which have attained cult status over the passing years. Pick of the bunch was Jack Arnold's seminal Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953) (based on a story by Ray Bradbury), with Richard in the role of a well-meaning, rather arcane astronomer, witness to an alien presence which turns out to be benign. The sincerity of his performance led to similar parts in The Magnetic Monster (1953) (with similar moralistic undertones) and the atmospheric Mustan laguunin hirviö (1954).

Though his original contract with Selznick had stipulated directing as well, Richard did not work behind the camera until 1954. Then, he unwisely accepted charge of a silly pseudo-scientific premise entitled Avaruuden sankarit (1954), a low-budget enterprise bogged down by verisimilitude and technobabble at the expense of drama. In the course of the next twelve years, he directed some better second features, including the westerns Vainottu lainsuojaton (1954) and Seikkailija Kid Rodelo (1966), as well as a number of television episodes. He also wrote the occasional TV script, as well as contributing articles on non-fiction subjects to several magazines.

During the early fifties -- with America in the grip of McCarthyist paranoia -- Richard gained a wider audience as the star of I Led 3 Lives (1953), playing the role of Herbert A. Philbrick (1915-1993) (on whose book by the same title the series was based), who infiltrated the Communist Party on behalf of the FBI. The show proved popular enough at the time to run for three years and 115 episodes. Richard had yet another recurring part, as stalwart Colonel Ranald Mackenzie, taming the south-western frontier in Mackenzie's Raiders (1958). For the remainder of his acting career, he guested in western and detective series, including Virginialainen (1962), Perry Mason yllättää (1957), FBI (1965) and Cannon (1971) . After his retirement in 1975, Richard lived the last two years of his life in Sherman Oaks, California.
BornApril 29, 1912
DiedNovember 25, 1977(65)
BornApril 29, 1912
DiedNovember 25, 1977(65)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos226

Julie Adams, Richard Carlson, and Ben Chapman in Mustan laguunin hirviö (1954)
Cary Grant, Irving Bacon, Richard Carlson, Richard Gaines, George Houston, J. Anthony Hughes, Claude King, Alan Marshal, and Emmett Vogan in Virginialaisia (1940)
Richard Carlson in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson and Charles Drake in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, Virginia Mullen, and Barbara Rush in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson, Russell Johnson, and Barbara Rush in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson and Joe Sawyer in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson, Russell Johnson, and Barbara Rush in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)

Known for:

Mustan laguunin hirviö (1954)
Mustan laguunin hirviö
6.9
  • Dr. David Reed
  • 1954
Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, and Barbara Rush in Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta (1953)
Vieraat ulkoavaruudesta
6.5
  • John Putnam
  • 1953
Bette Davis, Richard Carlson, and Teresa Wright in Nainen ei armoa antanut (1941)
Nainen ei armoa antanut
7.9
  • David Hewitt
  • 1941
Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard in Mustan saaren kummitus (1940)
Mustan saaren kummitus
7.0
  • Geoff Montgomery
  • 1940

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Jackie Cooper in Mobile One (1975)
    Mobile One
    6.2
    TV Series
    • Bill Quinton
    • 1975
  • Khan! (1975)
    Khan!
    5.4
    TV Series
    • 1975
  • Freedom 2000 (1974)
    Freedom 2000
    Short
    • (voice)
    • 1974
  • Arthur Hill in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971)
    Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Al Downes
    • Elliot Cord
    • 1973
  • Cannon (1971)
    Cannon
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Mr. Archibald
    • Owen McMahon
    • 1972–1973
  • Lancer (1968)
    Lancer
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Judah Abbott
    • 1969
  • Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore in Change of Habit (1969)
    Change of Habit
    5.9
    • Bishop Finley
    • 1969
  • The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
    The Valley of Gwangi
    6.2
    • Champ Connors
    • 1969
  • FBI (1965)
    FBI
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Harold David Dewitt
    • 1969
  • Itse teossa (1968)
    Itse teossa
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Daniel K. Ryder
    • 1969
  • George Hamilton, Richard Carlson, Arthur O'Connell, and Suzanne Pleshette in Aivojen sota (1968)
    Aivojen sota
    5.9
    • N. E. Van Zandt
    • 1968
  • Bonanza (1959)
    Bonanza
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Arch Hollinbeck
    • 1968
  • The Doomsday Flight (1966)
    The Doomsday Flight
    6.5
    TV Movie
    • Chief Pilot Bob Shea
    • 1966
  • Raymond Burr in Perry Mason yllättää (1957)
    Perry Mason yllättää
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Clete Hawley
    • Anthony Fry
    • 1964–1966
  • Janet Leigh and Don Murray in Seikkailija Kid Rodelo (1966)
    Seikkailija Kid Rodelo
    5.7
    • Link
    • 1966

Director

  • Janet Leigh and Don Murray in Seikkailija Kid Rodelo (1966)
    Seikkailija Kid Rodelo
    5.7
    • Director
    • 1966
  • Etsivät (1959)
    Etsivät
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1961–1962
  • Fred Astaire in Fred Astaire esittää (1961)
    Fred Astaire esittää
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1961
  • Loretta Young in Letter to Loretta (1953)
    Letter to Loretta
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1960–1961
  • Thriller (1960)
    Thriller
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1961
  • This Man Dawson (1959)
    This Man Dawson
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1959–1960
  • The Aquanauts (1960)
    The Aquanauts
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1960
  • Ihminen avaruudessa (1959)
    Ihminen avaruudessa
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1959
  • Kiehtova vaara (1959)
    Kiehtova vaara
    8.5
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1959
  • Richard Carlson in Mackenzie's Raiders (1958)
    Mackenzie's Raiders
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1959
  • Rory Calhoun and Beverly Garland in Viimeiseen luotiin (1958)
    Viimeiseen luotiin
    6.1
    • Director
    • 1958
  • Hemo the Magnificent (1957)
    The Unchained Goddess
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 1958
  • Joanna Moore and George Nader in Vaarallinen varjo (1957)
    Vaarallinen varjo
    6.5
    • Director
    • 1957
  • Rory Calhoun, John McIntire, Colleen Miller, George Nader, and Jay Silverheels in Vainottu lainsuojaton (1954)
    Vainottu lainsuojaton
    6.0
    • Director
    • 1954
  • Herbert Marshall, Dawn Addams, Richard Carlson, Martha Hyer, and William Lundigan in Avaruuden sankarit (1954)
    Avaruuden sankarit
    5.4
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1954

Writer

  • Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)
    Mannix
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Writer
    • 1974
  • Arthur Hill in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971)
    Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
    7.0
    TV Series
    • written by
    • 1972
  • O'Hara (1971)
    O'Hara
    7.4
    TV Series
    • writer
    • 1971–1972
  • Island of the Lost (1967)
    Island of the Lost
    4.2
    • screenplay
    • story
    • 1967
  • Off to See the Wizard (1967)
    Off to See the Wizard
    7.0
    TV Series
    • screenplay
    • story by
    • 1967
  • Viidakkotohtori (1966)
    Viidakkotohtori
    7.0
    TV Series
    • writer
    • 1966–1967
  • Kiehtova vaara (1959)
    Kiehtova vaara
    8.5
    TV Series
    • written by
    • 1959
  • Richard Carlson in Mackenzie's Raiders (1958)
    Mackenzie's Raiders
    7.5
    TV Series
    • written by
    • 1959
  • Richard Eyer, Coleen Gray, and Stephen McNally in Johnny Rocco (1958)
    Johnny Rocco
    6.4
    • story
    • 1958
  • Kraft Television Theatre (1947)
    Kraft Television Theatre
    8.1
    TV Series
    • story
    • 1955
  • Hal Baylor, Hans Conried, and Chuck Hicks in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
    7.6
    TV Series
    • teleplay
    • 1952

Videos14

Trailer
Trailer 1:45
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:30
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:14
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:40
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:20
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:03
Trailer
Too Many Girls
Trailer 1:23
Too Many Girls
The Helen Morgan Story
Trailer 2:44
The Helen Morgan Story
The Valley of Gwangi
Trailer 2:39
The Valley of Gwangi
The Little Foxes
Trailer 1:24
The Little Foxes
King Solomon's Mines (1950)
Trailer 3:30
King Solomon's Mines (1950)
Presenting Lily Mars
Trailer 2:12
Presenting Lily Mars

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 1.83 m
  • Born
    • April 29, 1912
    • Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA
  • Died
    • November 25, 1977
    • Encino, California, USA(cerebral hemorrhage)
  • Spouse
    • Mona CarlsonJune 10, 1939 - November 25, 1977 (his death, 2 children)
  • Parents
      Henry Clay Carlson
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 6 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Mr. Carlson's acting experience was utilized by the U.S. military as he made several service training films. In one of these, produced for the U.S. Army, entitled :"For God and Country" he appeared with Ronald Reagan.
  • Nickname
    • Dick

FAQ13

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