Roland Culver

British actor Roland Culver had a long career on stage and on screen, usually performing parts that reinforced the stereotype of the proper English gentleman. Culver served in the Royal Air Force before studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and making his stage debut in 1924. He began his film career in the 1930s, playing supporting roles before landing major roles in the war drama "Spitfire"--with David Niven and Leslie Howard--and "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," a 1943 Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger film. He also had a major role in the H.G. Wells adaptation "Dead of Night" and co-starred with Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine in the early Billy Wilder musical "The Emperor Waltz." His roles diminished somewhat in the 1950s, but he still occasionally popped up in high-profile productions such as the Otto Preminger drama "Bonjour Tristesse" in 1958. In the '60s, Culver made guest appearances on British TV shows like the cold-war drama "Espionage," while continuing to have an active film career, appearing as the Foreign Secretary in the James Bond thriller "Thunderball" in 1965. He had a small role in the epic drama "The Greek Tycoon" in 1978 and, in one of his last on-screen roles, played Lord Fermleigh in the comedy "The Missionary" in 1982. Culver continued acting on stage for most of his life, earning a Tony nomination for his work in Chekhov's "Ivanov" in 1966 and appearing in numerous Shakespeare productions as late as the mid 1970s.