Ron Randell
Encyclopedia
Ronald Egan "Ron" Randell (October 8, 1918June 11, 2005) was an Australian-born American film and stage actor.
. He started his career as a stage and radio performer in his teens. He soon established himself as a leading male juvenile for radio, acting for 2KY Players, George Edwards
, BAP and on Lux Playhouse. He also worked as a compere for variety shows, in particular with Jack Davey
. The majority of his stage work was done at the Minerva Theatre
, including performances in Of Mice and Men
and The Voice of the Turtle
.
His break came when he was spotted by producer Nick Perry at the Minerva Theatre performing in While the Sun Shines
. This led to Randell being cast as the lead in Smithy, a biographical movie about the pioneering Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
, who made the first flight across the Pacific (from the United States to Australia) in 1928. (The film was released as Pacific Adventure in the United States and as Southern Cross in the UK).
Randell had previously appeared in another film, A Son Is Born
, opposite Peter Finch
and Muriel Steinbeck
. Although made before Smithy, its release was held off until after the latter film had come out to take advantage of its publicity.
Smithy has been made with funds from Columbia Pictures who offered Randell a long-term contract and he moved to Hollywood in October 1946. They cast him as Bulldog Drummond
in two low-budget films and he had good support roles in some expensive "A" productions such as It Had to Be You
(1947) and The Loves of Carmen
(1948). However the studio seemed to lose enthusiasm for Randell and he wound up mainly playing romantic leads in lower budget films.
However he continued to work in television and theatre and had a number of good roles for other studios, including Kiss Me, Kate (as Cole Porter
), I Am a Camera
, King of Kings, The She-Creature and The Longest Day
.
Arguably his best performance was in King of Kings, as the Roman centurion Lucius, who defends Christ at his trial as a sort of impromptu legal counsel, and presumably becomes converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion.
From October 1954 through December 1955, Randell hosted the ABC
anthology series The Vise
. In 1957 to 1958 he starred in the lead role in O.S.S.. He guest starred twice on Bewitched
in 1964 and 1967 and played a lead role in the two- part The Contenders episodes for the Mission: Impossible
series in 1968.
Ron Randell's Broadway credits included Terence Rattigan
's The Browning Version (1948), Candida
(1952), The World of Suzie Wong
(1958), Butley (1972), Mrs. Warren's Profession
(1976), Bent
(1979), Duet for One (1981), and The School for Scandal
(1995).
and they planned to marry in 1951 but there seems no evidence they went through with their plans. He was engaged to Marie Keith in September 1952, and when they divorced in June 1953, Amanda Blake was then described as his "former fiancee". He married Laya Raki
in 1958 and they remained together until his death following a stroke, aged 86, in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Randell was born in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He started his career as a stage and radio performer in his teens. He soon established himself as a leading male juvenile for radio, acting for 2KY Players, George Edwards
George Edwards (Actor)
George Edwards was an Australian actor and producer.Edwards was a pioneer of the radio serial in Australia. Prior to that he was a comedian, vaudeville artist, acrobatic dancer and stage performer...
, BAP and on Lux Playhouse. He also worked as a compere for variety shows, in particular with Jack Davey
Jack Davey
John Andrew Davey was a New Zealand-born star of Australian radio in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.-New Zealand:Jack Davey was born John Andrew Davey on 8 February 1907 and educated at King's College, Auckland...
. The majority of his stage work was done at the Minerva Theatre
Minerva Theatre
Minerva Theatre may refer to:*Minerva Theatre, Chichester*Minerva Theatre, Kolkata...
, including performances in Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
and The Voice of the Turtle
The Voice of the Turtle
The Voice of the Turtle is a comedy film starring Ronald Reagan, Eleanor Parker, Eve Arden, and Wayne Morris, directed by Irving Rapper, and based on the long-running 1943 play of the same name by John Van Druten....
.
His break came when he was spotted by producer Nick Perry at the Minerva Theatre performing in While the Sun Shines
While the Sun Shines
While the Sun Shines is a 1947 British comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith. It was based on Terrence Rattigan's 1943 play of the same name. -Plot:...
. This led to Randell being cast as the lead in Smithy, a biographical movie about the pioneering Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
Charles Kingsford Smith
Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith MC, AFC , often called by his nickname Smithy, was an early Australian aviator. In 1928, he earned global fame when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia...
, who made the first flight across the Pacific (from the United States to Australia) in 1928. (The film was released as Pacific Adventure in the United States and as Southern Cross in the UK).
Randell had previously appeared in another film, A Son Is Born
A Son Is Born
A Son Is Born is a 1946 Australian melodrama about a woman who marries an irresponsible drifter . They have a son , but later divorce and she remarries a rich businessman...
, opposite Peter Finch
Peter Finch
Peter Finch was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as "crazed" television anchorman Howard Beale in the film Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and a...
and Muriel Steinbeck
Muriel Steinbeck
Muriel Steibeck was an Australian actor who worked extensively in film, theatre, radio and television. She is best known for her performance as the wife of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in Smithy and for playing the lead in Autumn Affair , Australia's first television serial.-Selected Filmography:*...
. Although made before Smithy, its release was held off until after the latter film had come out to take advantage of its publicity.
Smithy has been made with funds from Columbia Pictures who offered Randell a long-term contract and he moved to Hollywood in October 1946. They cast him as Bulldog Drummond
Bulldog Drummond
Bulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile , and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.- Drummond :...
in two low-budget films and he had good support roles in some expensive "A" productions such as It Had to Be You
It Had to Be You
It Had to Be You may refer to:* It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You! * It Had to Be You * "It Had to Be You"...
(1947) and The Loves of Carmen
The Loves of Carmen
The Loves of Carmen is a Technicolor film starring Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José. It was directed by Charles Vidor and released by Columbia Pictures. The film was publicized as a dramatic adaptation of the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée and is...
(1948). However the studio seemed to lose enthusiasm for Randell and he wound up mainly playing romantic leads in lower budget films.
However he continued to work in television and theatre and had a number of good roles for other studios, including Kiss Me, Kate (as Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
), I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera
I Am a Camera is a 1951 Broadway play inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin which is part of The Berlin Stories...
, King of Kings, The She-Creature and The Longest Day
The Longest Day (film)
The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
.
Arguably his best performance was in King of Kings, as the Roman centurion Lucius, who defends Christ at his trial as a sort of impromptu legal counsel, and presumably becomes converted to Christianity after the Crucifixion.
From October 1954 through December 1955, Randell hosted the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
anthology series The Vise
The Vise
The Vise is a half-hour dramatic anthology television series which aired at 9:30 p.m. EST on Fridays on ABC from December 1955 to June 1957....
. In 1957 to 1958 he starred in the lead role in O.S.S.. He guest starred twice on Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
in 1964 and 1967 and played a lead role in the two- part The Contenders episodes for the Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
series in 1968.
Ron Randell's Broadway credits included Terence Rattigan
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
's The Browning Version (1948), Candida
Candida (play)
Candida, a comedy by playwright George Bernard Shaw, was first published in 1898, as part of his Plays Pleasant. The central characters are clergyman James Morell, his wife Candida and a youthful poet, Eugene Marchbanks, who tries to win Candida's affections. The play questions Victorian notions...
(1952), The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong is a 1957 novel written by Richard Mason. The main characters are Robert Lomax, a young British artist living in Hong Kong, and Suzie Wong, the title character, a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute...
(1958), Butley (1972), Mrs. Warren's Profession
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Mrs Warren's Profession is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1893. The story centers on the relationship between Mrs Kitty Warren, a brothel owner, described by the author as "on the whole, a genial and fairly presentable old blackguard of a woman" and her daughter, Vivie...
(1976), Bent
Bent (play)
Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
(1979), Duet for One (1981), and The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal
The School for Scandal is a play written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on May 8, 1777.The prologue, written by David Garrick, commends the play, its subject, and its author to the audience...
(1995).
Personal life
Randell was married several times. He divorced his first wife in 1949. He was engaged to actor Amanda BlakeAmanda Blake
Amanda Blake was an American actress known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the television western Gunsmoke.-Early life and career:...
and they planned to marry in 1951 but there seems no evidence they went through with their plans. He was engaged to Marie Keith in September 1952, and when they divorced in June 1953, Amanda Blake was then described as his "former fiancee". He married Laya Raki
Laya Raki
Laya Raki is a former dancer and film actress popular in Germany in the 1950s and early 1960s. She also became an international star for her roles in English films and TV productions.-Biography:...
in 1958 and they remained together until his death following a stroke, aged 86, in Los Angeles, California.
Selected filmography
- SmithySmithySmithy may refer to:* Forge, also called a smithy, the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith* Smith , sometimes referred to as a smithy, a person involved in the shaping of metal objects...
(1946) - A Son Is BornA Son Is BornA Son Is Born is a 1946 Australian melodrama about a woman who marries an irresponsible drifter . They have a son , but later divorce and she remarries a rich businessman...
(1946) - Bulldog Drummond at BayBulldog Drummond at Bay (1947 film)Bulldog Drummond at Bay is a 1947 American thriller film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Ron Randell, Anita Louise, Patrick O'Moore and Terry Kilburn. The film is loosely based on the novel Bulldog Drummond at Bay by H. C...
(1947) - Bulldog Drummond Strikes BackBulldog Drummond Strikes BackBulldog Drummond Strikes Back is a 1934 American comedy-mystery-adventure film directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film stars Ronald Colman and Loretta Young.-Plot:...
(1947) - It Had to Be YouIt Had to Be YouIt Had to Be You may refer to:* It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You * It Had to Be You! * It Had to Be You * "It Had to Be You"...
(1947) - The Loves of CarmenThe Loves of CarmenThe Loves of Carmen is a Technicolor film starring Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José. It was directed by Charles Vidor and released by Columbia Pictures. The film was publicized as a dramatic adaptation of the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée and is...
(1948) - The Mating of MillieThe Mating of MillieThe Mating of Millie is a 1948 romantic comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes. A single woman is willing to go to great lengths to adopt an orphan boy.-Plot:...
(1948) - The Sign of the RamThe Sign of the RamThe Sign of the Ram is an American film noir directed by John Sturges and written by Charles Bennett, based on a novel written by Margaret Ferguson. The drama features Susan Peters, Alexander Knox, among others.-Plot:The story tells of Leah St...
(1948) - Kiss Me Kate (1953)
- The Mississippi GamblerThe Mississippi Gambler (1953 film)The Mississippi Gambler is a 1953 adventure film directed by Rudolph Maté. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording The Mississippi Gambler is a 1953 adventure film directed by Rudolph Maté. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Sound Recording The Mississippi...
(1953) - Morning CallMorning Call (film)Morning Call is a 1957 British thriller film, directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Greta Gynt and Ron Randell. The film was originally cast with George Raft and Bella Darvi as the leads, but Raft reportedly pulled out, citing dissatisfaction with the script...
(1957) - King of Kings (1961)
- The Longest DayThe Longest Day (film)The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
(1962) - WhityWhity (film)Whity is a 1971 German Western film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ron Randell - Benjamin Nicholson* Hanna Schygulla - Hanna* Katrin Schaake - Katherine Nicholson...
(1971)
External links
- Ron Randell – Legacy.com
- Ron Randell – Variety.com
- Ron Randell at IMDb
- Ron Randell Australian theatre credits at AusstageAusstageAusStage is an online database which records information about live performances in Australia. It provides records of productions from the beginnings of theatre in Australia up to today...
- Ron Randell at National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...