 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Leo G. Carroll" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Leo G. Carroll | |
|---|---|
 Carroll in 1951 | |
| Born | Leo Grattan Carroll (1886-10-25)25 October 1886 Weedon Bec,Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 16 October 1972(1972-10-16) (aged 85) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery inGlendale, California |
| Other names | Leo Carroll |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1912–1914; 1919–1972 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Leo Grattan Carroll (25 October 1886[1][2] – 16 October 1972) was an English actor.[3] In a career of more than 40 years, he appeared in sixHitchcock films includingSpellbound,Strangers on a Train andNorth by Northwest and in threetelevision series,Topper,Going My Way, andThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Carroll was born inWeedon Bec,Northamptonshire, to William and Catherine Carroll. HisRoman Catholic parents named him after then-Pope Leo XIII. In 1897, his family lived inYork, where hisIrish-born father was a foreman in anordnance store. In the 1901census forWest Ham,Essex, his occupation is listed as "wine trade clerk". In the 1911 census, he is living at the same address and described as a "dramatic agent".
Carroll made his stage debut in 1912. His acting career was on hold during theFirst World War, when he served in theBritish Army as a Lieutenant in the London Regiment.[4][5] Carroll saw action in France,Salonika, and Palestine during the war; he was badlywounded while serving in the last.[5] After his recovery and discharge, he again took up acting in December 1919.[5]
He then performed inLondon and onBroadway.[3] His American stage debut came inThe Vortex.[6] In 1933, he was a member of the Manhattan Theatre Repertory Company in the inaugural season of theOgunquit Playhouse inOgunquit, Maine.
During 1933–34, Carroll had the role of "impeccable valet"[6] Trump in the Broadway playThe Green Bay Tree[7] (which has no relation to the novel byLouis Bromfield apart from the shared title), and in 1941 starred withVincent Price andJudith Evelyn inPatrick Hamilton'sAngel Street (better known asGaslight), which ran for three years at theGolden Theatre on West 45th Street in New York City.[citation needed]
After the production closed, he starred in the title role inJohn P. Marquand'sThe Late George Apley.[6] In 1947 he starred inJohn Van Druten'sThe Druid Circle at theMorosco Theatre.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Leo G. Carroll" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Carroll, who had moved toHollywood, made his film debut inSadie McKee (1934), as Finnegan Phelps, starring (Joan Crawford). He often played doctors or butlers, but he made appearances asMarley's ghost inA Christmas Carol (1938) and as Joseph inWuthering Heights (1939). He appeared in twoCharlie Chan films,City in Darkness (1939) as a shady French locksmith, followed by a role inCharlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940) as a passenger on a ship. In the original version ofFather of the Bride (1950), he played an unctuous wedding caterer. In the 1951 filmThe Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel he played a sympathetic German field marshal,Gerd von Rundstedt, presenting him as a tragic, resigned figure completely disillusioned withHitler.
Carroll had roles in sixAlfred Hitchcock films:Rebecca (1940),Suspicion (1941),Spellbound (1945),The Paradine Case (1947),Strangers on a Train (1951) andNorth by Northwest (1959). He appeared in more Hitchcock films than anyone other thanClare Greet (1871–1939) (who appeared in seven)[8] and Hitchcock himself, whose cameos were a trademark. As with earlier roles, he was often cast as doctors or other authority figures (such as the spymaster "Professor" inNorth by Northwest). Carroll eventually played a character based on Hitchcock himself inThe Bad and the Beautiful (1952).
Carroll had a central role in the highly rated movieWe're No Angels (1955) withHumphrey Bogart,Peter Ustinov andBasil Rathbone, among others.
In addition to appearing as Rev. Mosby with actressHayley Mills inThe Parent Trap (1961), Carroll is remembered for his role as the frustrated banker haunted by the ghosts of George and Marion Kerby in the television seriesTopper (1953–1956), with co-starsAnne Jeffreys,Robert Sterling andLee Patrick.[9]: 1097–1098 He appeared as the older Father Fitzgibbon from 1962 to 1963 inABC'sGoing My Way, a series about two Roman Catholic priests at St. Dominic's parish in New York City. In 1963–1964, he portrayed John Miller inChanning on ABC.[9]
Carroll subsequently gained national recognition as spymasterAlexander Waverly onThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968).[9]: 650 SeveralU.N.C.L.E. films were derived from the series, and a spin-off television series,The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. in 1966.[9]: 393 He was one of the first actors to appear in two different television series as the same character.
Carroll appeared in spots on the first two regular episodes ofRowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the series that replacedU.N.C.L.E., and in fact appears as Mr. Waverly in the very first episode party scene where he is seen using a pen communicator to call Kuryakin to report that he believes he has found THRUSH headquarters.
In 1972, Carroll died aged 85 in Hollywood, following a long illness.[10] He is interred at theGrand View Memorial Park Cemetery inGlendale,California.[11]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
