Richard Carlson (actor)

Richard Carlson (born April 29, 1912 in Albert Lea , Minnesota , † November 21, 1977 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor .

Life

After studying and teaching acting in Minnesota, he began performing on Broadway in the 1930s . In 1938 he got his first film role in The Young in Heart . He worked as a freelance actor who appeared in many different film studios and moved to California in 1939 . Before World War II, Carlson was mostly seen in dramas or comedies, including alongside Bette Davis and Teresa Wright in William Wyler's 1941 film drama The Little Foxes .

Similar to many actors, Carlson served in World War II and interrupted his acting career for it. After he returned, Carlson found it harder to find new roles. In 1948, he received roles the movies Behind closed doors and The Amazing Mr. X . Nevertheless, his career in Hollywood slowly ebbed. In 1950 he got the lead role in the movie King Solomon's Diamonds and began to rebuild his career. He found work in the recently surfaced science fiction and horror B-movies in the 1950s. He has appeared in numerous horror and science fiction films, including three 3-D films: The Maze and Peril from Space with Barbara Rush , The Horror of the Amazon with Julie Adams and The Magnetic Monster .

The 1950s turned out to be the busiest time for Carlson. In addition to his film work, he now also continued in television series, for example in Led Three Lives ; other films were A Life in Rush and The Tower of Screaming Women . Between 1954 and 1966 he was also active as a director for some films and television series. Carlson played his last role in 1975 in the US television series Mobile One .

Carlson died in 1977 at the age of 65. He was buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery in the Veterans Administration . He was survived by his wife Mona (born Mayfield, 1918–1990), whom he married in 1939 and who had two children.

Filmography (selection)

• 1938: Rogue with heart (The Young in Heart)
• 1939: Dancing Co-Ed (Dancing Co-Ed)
• 1940: The Howards of Virginia
• 1940: A Wonderful Christmas (Beyond Tomorrow)
• 1941: The Little Foxes (The Little Foxes)
• 1941: side street (Backstreet)
• 1941: Beware of ghosts! (Hold That Ghost)
• 1943: Clear the stage for Lily Mars (Presenting Lily Mars)
• 1946: So Well Remembered Years
• 1950: King Solomon's Mines (King Solomon's Mines)
• 1950: Riot in Santa Sierra (The Sound of Fury)
• 1951: A Mother's Heart (The Blue Veil)
• 1951: Valentino - The Loves and Times of Rudolf Valentino
• 1952: Fire protection for Berta raiding party (Retreat, Hell!)
• 1952: Sturmgeschwader Komet (Flat Top)
• 1953: All I Desire
• 1953: Came from Outer Space (It Came From Outer Space)
• 1953: Seminola (Seminola)
• 1954: The Night of Vengeance ( Four Guns to the Border ; also director)
• 1954: R3 overdue ( Riders to the Stars ; also director)
• 1954: Creature from the Black Lagoon (Creature from the Black Lagoon)
• 1956: The Barricades of San Antone (The Last Command)
• 1957: To the last cartridge ( The Saga of Hemp Brown ; also director)
• 1957: A Life Intoxicated (The Helen Morgan Story)
• 1958: In the jungle of the big city (Johnny Rocco)
• 1960: The Tower of Screaming Women (The Tormented)
• 1965: A man like Kid Rodelo ( Kid Rodelo ; also director)
• 1968: The Six Suspects (The Power)
• 1968: Gwangi's Revenge (The Valley of Gwangi)

Web links

• Richard Carlson at the Internet Movie Database (English)