Oloe Krohn "Olaf" Pooley (13 March 1914 – 14 July 2015) was an English actor, screenwriter and painter. As an actor, he appeared as Professor Stahlman in the seven-part Doctor Who serial Inferno (1970).
Olaf Pooley | |
|---|---|
 Pooley in Doctor Who, 1970 | |
| Born | Ole Krohn Pooley 13 March 1914 |
| Died | 14 July 2015 (aged 101) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, screenwriter, painter |
| Years active | 1948–2005 |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editPooley was born to an English father and Danish mother in Parkstone, Dorset. He attended Dane Court preparatory school in Pyrford where his father was headmaster. He studied painting at Chelsea College of Arts and at the Académie Colarossi in Paris under the tutelage of Marcel Gromaire, before training at the Architectural Association School of Architecture to enable a more financially secure career option. His paternal uncle Sir Ernest Pooley, the future Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, secured him a job as a set designer at Pinewood Studios. During World War II, Pooley registered as a conscientious objector and volunteered as a fireman; he was subsequently discharged on medical grounds and began his acting career on stage.[1]
Career
editHe wrote and appeared in the film The Corpse (released in the United States as Crucible of Horror), starring Michael Gough, and wrote, directed and appeared in The Johnstown Monster. He also wrote the screenplay for a film version of Bernard Taylor's novel The Godsend (1980). Beaumont directed the film. Pooley's other writing credits include the television film Falcon's Gold (1982) and being an uncredited writer on the sci-fi horror film Lifeforce (1985).
Pooley's TV guest appearances from the 1950s onwards include Dixon of Dock Green, Paul Temple, Jason King, MacGyver and Star Trek: Voyager.[2] He played Professor Stahlman and his parallel Earth counterpart Director Stahlmann in the Doctor Who serial Inferno (1970). He also played Lars Torvik in the first episode of The Sandbaggers ("First Principles", 1978). His other appearances include the BBC Radio play Ambrose in Paris (1958) and Sebastian in a BBC Television Sunday Night Theatre production of Shakespeare's The Tempest (1956). Pooley had a major career in West End theatre appearing in such notable productions as Noël Coward's Peace in Our Time and revivals of The Tempest and Othello. He was also a member of the BBC Radio repertory company.[1]
Personal life
editIn 1946, Pooley married actress Irlin Hall and together they had a daughter, the actress Kirstie Pooley (born 1954) and a son, comedian Seyton Pooley and later divorced. In 1982, he married director Gabrielle Beaumont, although they later separated.[3][4] Pooley moved to the United States in 1986 and lived in Southern California, with an art studio in Santa Monica where he devoted his time to painting.[citation needed] He turned 100 on 13 March 2014.
Death
editHe died from congestive heart failure on 14 July 2015, aged 101, at his home in Santa Monica, California.[2][5] Pooley was survived by his two children, Seyton and Kirstie, and four grandchildren.[2]
Filmography
edit- n.b. for credit listings reference[6]
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Penny and the Pownall Case | Von Leicher | ||
| 1949 | The Huggetts Abroad | Straker | The final film of The Huggetts | |
| The Lost People | Milosh | Set after the Second World War | [7] | |
| 1950 | She Shall Have Murder | Mr. White | British drama film | [8] |
| Highly Dangerous | Detective-Interrogator | British spy film | ||
| 1951 | Hell Is Sold Out | Cheri | British drama film | [9] |
| 1952 | The Woman's Angle | Fudolf Mansell | British drama film | [10] |
| Gift Horse | German Interrogation Officer | Uncredited | ||
| Top Secret | Professor Roblettski | British comedy film | [11] | |
| 1956 | The Gamma People | Bikstein | [12] | |
| The Iron Petticoat | ||||
| Anastasia | Zhadanov | Uncredited | ||
| 1957 | Windom's Way | Colonel Lupat |
|
[13] |
| 1959 | Left Right and Centre | TV newscaster | ||
| 1960 | Sink the Bismarck! | Officer of the Watch on Sheffield | Uncredited | |
| 1962 | The Password Is Courage | German doctor | Based on John Castle's 1954 Second World War memoir of the same name | |
| The Battleaxe | ||||
| 1966 | Naked Evil | Father Goodman | British horror film | [14][15] |
| 1969 | The Assassination Bureau Limited | Swiss Cashier |
|
|
| 1971 | The Corpse | Reid |
|
[15] |
| 1979 | Charlie Muffin | Soviet First Secretary |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Dial M for Murder | Captain Lesgate | Original production BBC Television, 23 March 1952 20.30 | |
| 1958 | The Adventures of Ben Gunn | Billy Bones | 4 episodes | |
| 1958 | Colonel March of Scotland Yard | Carlmeddy | Episode: "The Abominable Snowman" (S 1:Ep 3) | |
| 1958 | The Invisible Man | Casino Manager | Episode: "Odds Against Death" (S 1:Ep 12) | |
| 1960 | The Four Just Men | Lorenzo | Episode: "The Rietti Group" (S 1:Ep 21) | |
| 1963 | Ghost Squad | Kobelik | Episode: "The Menacing Mazurka" (S 2:Ep 10) | |
| Hancock | Ron Roberts | Episode: "The Reporter" (S 1:Ep 11) | ||
| 1965 | Sherlock Holmes | Lascar | Episode: "The Man with the Twisted Lip" (S 1:Ep 7) | |
| 1966 | The Master | The Master | Southern Television six-part adaptation of T. H. White novel | |
| 1967 | The Troubleshooters | Aircraft Captain | Episode: "Think Big (S 2:Ep 6) | |
| 1968 | Detective | Mr. Nash | Episode: "Crime of Passion" (S 2:Ep 14) | [16] |
| The Expert | Adams | Episode: "He's Good for It" (S 1:Ep 10) | ||
| Dixon of Dock Green | Captain Bailey | Episode: "Berserk" (S 15:Ep 16) | ||
| 1969 | Paul Temple | John Blight | Episode: "Who Dies Next" (S 1:Ep 1) | |
| 1970 | Codename | Istov | Episode: "The Quickness of the Hand" (S 1:Ep 8) | |
| Doctor Who | Professor Stahlman | Serial: Inferno (7 episodes) | ||
| 1971 | Doomwatch | Ensor | Episode: "By the Pricking of My Thumbs..." (S 2:Ep 5) | |
| Jason King | Gorini | Episode: "A Page Before Dying" (S 1:Ep 2) | ||
| 1973 | Pathfinders | Leidig | Episode: "Operation Pickpocket" (S 1: Ep 11) | |
| The Protectors | Commissioner Braun | Episode: "WAM, Part Two" (S 2:Ep 9) | ||
| 1974 | Special Branch | Eastry Senior | Episode: "Jailbait" (S 1:Ep 1) | |
| The Zoo Gang | Inspector | Episode: "The Twisted Cross" (S 1:Ep 6) | ||
| 1978 | The Sandbaggers | Lars Torvik | Episode: "First Principles" (S 1:Ep 1) | |
| 1984 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Claude | Episode: "The Artful Dodger" (S 1:Ep17) | |
| 1985 | MacGyver | Dr. Sidney Marlow | Episode: "Pilot" (S 1:Ep 1) | |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | Jaeger | Episode: "Suitcase" (S 7:Ep 1) | |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | Dr. Stanley Schulan | Episode: "Great Balls Afire" (S 6:Ep 15) | |
| 1996 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Judge | Episode: "Eye for an Eye" (S 4:Ep 20) | |
| 2000 | Star Trek: Voyager | Cleric | Episode: "Blink of an Eye" (S 6:Ep 12) | [2] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Farquhar, Simon (6 September 2015). "Olaf Pooley: Versatile character actor, especially adept at portraying restrained menace, who also wrote, directed and painted". The Independent. London. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Remembering Olaf Pooley, 1914–2015". startrek.com. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ Scott, Vernon (21 July 1986). "Woman director faces screen barrier". UPI Arts & Entertainment. Retrieved 28 June 2015
- ^ "Gabrielle Beaumont". filmreference.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ^ "Olaf PooleRIP". tobyhadoke.com. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Olaf Pooley : Credit Listings". TV.com. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "The Lost People". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "She Shall Have Murder". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Hell is Sold Out". Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "The Woman's Angle". Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ O. A. G. (3 September 1953). "Movie Review – Mr Potts Goes to Moscow – 'Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow,' an Import". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ F Maurice Speed, Film Review 1956–57, Macdonald & Co 1956
- ^ STEPHEN WATTS (23 June 1957). "BRITISH SCREEN SCENE.: Televised Feature Results in Lawsuit --New Projects—Bright Inventory Work in Progress "Comeback" Rebuttal". New York Times. p. 93.
- ^ "BFI – Film & Television Database – Naked Evil (1966)". Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ a b John Hamilton, The British Independent Horror Film 1951–70 Hemlock Books 2013 p 203-207. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Detective (TV series) Crime of Passion (1968) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
External links
edit- Olaf Pooley at IMDb
- Olaf Pooley at TV Guide
- Olaf Pooley on the New York Times website
- Olaf Pooley at TV.com
- Olaf Pooley at Theatricalia