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IMDbPro

Ronald Colman(1891-1958)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ronald Colman "A Tale Of Two Cities" 1935  MGM
A celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.
Play trailer1:34
A Double Life (1947)
6 Videos
99+ Photos
British leading man of primarily American films, one of the great stars of the Golden Age. Raised in Ealing, the son of a successful silk merchant, he attended boarding school in Sussex, where he discovered amateur theatre. He intended to attend Cambridge and become an engineer, but his father's death cost him the financial support necessary. He joined the London Scottish Regionals and at the outbreak of World War I was sent to France. Seriously wounded at the battle of Messines--he was gassed--he was invalided out of service scarcely two months after shipping out for France. Upon his recovery he tried to enter the consular service, but a chance encounter got him a small role in a London play. He dropped other plans and concentrated on the theatre, and was rewarded with a succession of increasingly prominent parts. He made extra money appearing in a few minor films, and in 1920 set out for New York in hopes of finding greater fortune there than in war-depressed England. After two years of impoverishment he was cast in a Broadway hit, "La Tendresse". Director Henry King spotted him in the show and cast him as Lillian Gish's leading man in The White Sister (1923). His success in the film led to a contract with Samuel Goldwyn, and his career as a Hollywood leading man was underway. He became a vastly popular star of silent films, in romances as well as adventure films. The coming of sound made his extraordinarily beautiful speaking voice even more important to the film industry. He played sophisticated, thoughtful characters of integrity with enormous aplomb, and swashbuckled expertly when called to do so in films like The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). A decade later he received an Academy Award for his splendid portrayal of a tormented actor in A Double Life (1947). Much of his later career was devoted to "The Halls of Ivy", a radio show that later was transferred to television The Halls of Ivy (1954). He continued to work until nearly the end of his life, which came in 1958 after a brief lung illness. He was survived by his second wife, actress Benita Hume, and their daughter Juliet Benita Colman.
BornFebruary 9, 1891
DiedMay 19, 1958(67)
BornFebruary 9, 1891
DiedMay 19, 1958(67)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 28 wins & 4 nominations total

Photos458

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+ 451
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Known for

Ronald Colman in Lost Horizon (1937)
Lost Horizon
7.6
  • Robert Conway
  • 1937
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
The Prisoner of Zenda
7.6
  • Major Rudolf Rassendyll
  • The Prisoner of Zenda
  • 1937
Greer Garson and Ronald Colman in Random Harvest (1942)
Random Harvest
7.9
  • Charles Rainier
  • 1942
Shelley Winters, Ronald Colman, and Signe Hasso in A Double Life (1947)
A Double Life
6.9
  • Anthony John
  • 1947

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • The Story of Mankind (1957)
    The Story of Mankind
    4.8
    • The Spirit of Man
    • 1957
  • Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)
    General Electric Theater
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Graham
    • 1956
  • David Niven and Cantinflas in Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
    Around the World in 80 Days
    6.7
    • Great Indian Peninsular Railway Official
    • 1956
  • Studio 57 (1954)
    Studio 57
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Artist
    • 1956
  • The Halls of Ivy (1954)
    The Halls of Ivy
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Dr. William Todhunter Hall
    • 1954–1955
  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Narrator
    • Dr. Bosanquent
    • Cameron ...
    • 1952–1954
  • Celeste Holm and Ronald Colman in Champagne for Caesar (1950)
    Champagne for Caesar
    7.3
    • Beauregard Bottomley
    • 1950
  • Shelley Winters, Ronald Colman, and Signe Hasso in A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life
    6.9
    • Anthony John
    • 1947
  • Ronald Colman, Peggy Cummins, Richard Haydn, and Richard Ney in The Late George Apley (1947)
    The Late George Apley
    6.9
    • George Apley
    • 1947
  • Marlene Dietrich and Ronald Colman in Kismet (1944)
    Kismet
    6.0
    • Hafiz
    • 1944
  • Greer Garson and Ronald Colman in Random Harvest (1942)
    Random Harvest
    7.9
    • Charles Rainier
    • 1942
  • Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman in The Talk of the Town (1942)
    The Talk of the Town
    7.5
    • Professor Michael Lightcap
    • 1942
  • Ronald Colman, Anna Lee, and Gilbert Roland in My Life with Caroline (1941)
    My Life with Caroline
    5.6
    • Anthony
    • 1941
  • Ronald Colman in Lucky Partners (1940)
    Lucky Partners
    6.5
    • David Grant
    • 1940
  • Ronald Colman in The Light That Failed (1939)
    The Light That Failed
    6.4
    • Dick Heldar
    • 1939

Producer



  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse
    7.5
    TV Series
    • producer
    • 1952–1953

Writer



  • The Halls of Ivy (1954)
    The Halls of Ivy
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Writer
    • 1955
  • Four Star Playhouse (1952)
    Four Star Playhouse
    7.5
    TV Series
    • television play
    • 1952

Videos6

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:55
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:34
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:34
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:34
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:15
Official Trailer
A Tale of Two Cities
Trailer 1:24
A Tale of Two Cities
Lost Horizon
Trailer 1:59
Lost Horizon

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Ronald Coleman
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • February 9, 1891
    • Richmond, Surrey, England, UK
  • Died
    • May 19, 1958
    • Santa Barbara, California, USA(emphysema)
  • Spouses
      Benita HumeSeptember 30, 1938 - May 19, 1958 (his death, 1 child)
  • Parents
      Charles Colman
  • Other works
    Album: Recorded the complete sonnets of William Shakespeare in a multi-LP box set, and played Scrooge in an American Decca recording of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol". It became a classic and was reissued on LP throughout the 1950s and '60s. It has recently been released by Deutsche Grammophon on CD.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 6 Print Biographies
    • 1 Interview
    • 23 Articles
    • 4 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He, along with wife Benita Hume, was a frequent guest on Jack Benny's radio show and Benny would frequently refer to them on his television show as well, often in regard to the pretense that the Colmans were his next-door neighbors and wishing forlornly to be allowed into their social circle, invited to their parties, etc. One ongoing gag on the radio show was that he borrowed Colman's Oscar, which was stolen, with Benny making excuses while trying to track it down.
  • Quotes
    Fame has robbed me of my freedom and shut me up in prison, and because the prison walls are gilded, and the key that locks me in is gold, does not make it any more tolerable.
  • Trademark
      Rich, mellifluous voice
  • Nickname
    • Ronnie
  • Salary
    • Lost Horizon
      (1937)
      $162,500

FAQ13

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