LEO G. CARROLL

'Leo G. Carroll' (October 25 1892–October 16 1972) was a British character actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.''.
He was born in Weedon, Buckinghamshire to a wealthy Catholic family, who named him after the reigning pope Leo XIII. Carroll made his stage debut in 1912, and played in London and Broadway until he moved to Hollywood in 1934 to start a career in film. Once there he soon made his film debut in ''Sadie McKee'' (1934). More parts followed, often playing doctors or butlers. He made notable appearances as Marley's ghost in ''A Christmas Carol'' (1938) and as Joseph in ''Wuthering Heights'' (1939). In the 1951 film '', he played a "sanitized" Gerd von Rundstedt - the film did not mention any of the war crimes Rundstedt was later charged with, instead presenting him as a tragic, resigned figure completely disillusioned with Hitler.
In the twenties, Carroll played the lead in a successful Broadway play, ''The Green Bay Tree'', and in 1941 starred with Vincent Price and Judith Evelyn in the smash hit ''Angel Street'', which ran for three years at the Golden Theatre on 45th Street. After that closed, he starred in the title role in J.P. Marquand's ''The Late George Apley''.
Carroll is perhaps most well-known for his roles in six of Alfred Hitchcock's films. As with earlier roles he was often cast as doctors or other figure of authority, such as the spymaster The Professor in ''North by Northwest''. He was also popular on television as the befuddled banker ''Topper'' (1953–56) and later as spymaster Alexander Waverly on ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964–68), echoing his earlier work for Hitchcock. Several ''U.N.C.L.E.'' films followed, and a spin-off ''The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1966). He was one of the first actors to appear in two different television series as the same character.
He is also remembered for his role as the frustrated banker haunted by the ghosts of George and Marion Kirby, in the 1950s television series ''Topper'' which also starred Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling and Lee Patrick.
In 1972 he died in Hollywood of pneumonia brought on by cancer and was interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Contents

Selected films

Trivia

External links

Selected films

★ ''Clive of India'' (1935)

★ ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' (1939)

★ ''Tower of London'' (1939)

★ ''Wuthering Heights)'' (1939)

★ ''The House on 92nd Street'' (1945)

★ ''Forever Amber'' (1947)

★ ''Father of the Bride'' (1950)

★ ''The Desert Fox'' (1951)

★ ''The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952)

★ ''The Bad and the Beautiful'' (1952)

★ ''We're No Angels'' (1955)

★ ''Tarantula'' (1955)

★ ''The Parent Trap'' (1961)

★ ''The Prize'' (1963)
With Alfred Hitchcock:

★ ''Rebecca'' (1940)

★ ''Suspicion'' (1941)

★ ''Spellbound'' (1945)

★ ''The Paradine Case'' (1947)

★ ''Strangers on a Train'' (1951)

★ ''North by Northwest'' (1959).
As Alexander Waverly (Man from U.N.C.L.E. films):

★ ''The Spy with My Face'' (1965)

★ ''One Spy Too Many'' (1966)

★ ''One of Our Spies Is Missing'' (1966)

★ ''The Spy in the Green Hat'' (1966)

★ ''The Karate Killers'' (1967)

★ ''The Helicopter Spies'' (1968)

★ ''How to Steal the World'' (1968)

Trivia

★ Carroll's work in the movie Tarantula in 1955, was mentioned in a line in the song "Science Fiction Double Feature" from the musical ''Rocky Horror Picture Show''.

External links

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