GC's Life and Career

Born. 1 October 1903, Manchester, England.

Died. 25 April 1989, Chestnut Cottage, Vale of Health, Hampstead, London.

Short Biography

[Written in June 1995 for the Internet Movie Database by George Coulouris and Mary Louise Coulouris]

Son of a Greek immigrant father (merchant) and English mother. Educated Manchester Grammar School. George Coulouris was an actor of some force specialising in villains, particularly in his film roles, but quite able for nobler roles. Among the major films he appeared in were 'Citizen Kane', 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', 'I Accuse', 'Pappillon' and 'Murder on the Orient Express'. The film which established him as an interesting and reliable heavy, with his massive shoulders and hooded eyes, was 'Watch on the Rhine' (1943). However, he had worked in Hollywood before that through his meeting with Orson Welles.

Coulouris studied with Elsie Fogerty at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. His London debut came in 1925 with 'Henry V' at the Old Vic. He was soon playing the Yank at the first British staging of Eugene O'Neill's 'The Hairy Ape'. By 1929 he had reached Broadway, via a modern dress version of 'Measure for Measure'; his stage part as Tallant in the 'The Late Christopher Bean' took him to Hollywood in 1933 for MGM's version.

The next milestone in his burgeoning career occurred when he was playing a piece called 'Ten Million Ghosts' and met an actor called Orson Welles. They got on well and he joined the Welles' Mercury Theatre, playing Mark Anthony in the famous modern dress production of 'Julius Caesar' (1937). When Welles went to Hollywood to make 'Citizen Kane', Coulouris climbed into movie history in the part of Walter Parks Thatcher. By that time his future as a cinema actor was assured and he went on to play character parts in a long string of Hollywood productions throughout the 1940s.

At the end of the 1940s Coulouris returned to live in England, joining the Bristol Old Vic where he was notable as Tartuffe, transferring to London. In the '50s and '60s George remained a stalwart stage actor in spite of his movie reputation. He liked nothing better than to grapple with Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg, Moliere or Shakespeare. During these years he tackled Dr. Stockman in Ibsen's 'An Enemy of the People', Peter Flynn in O'Casey's 'The Plough and the Stars', the father in Sartre's 'Altona', Edgar in Strindberg's 'The Dance of Death' and Big Daddy in Tennessee William's 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'.

All of these are parts to swell a scene and Coulouris had the flourish to fill them, sometimes to overflowing, always compellingly. In Britain his film parts tended towards the mundane, though he rose to the occasion as the native Babalatchi in Carol Reed's 'An Outcast of the Islands' and seized rare chances to play comedy in 'Doctor in the House' (1953), 'Doctor at Sea' (1956) and the Frankie Howard vehicle 'The Runaway Bus (1954).

Towards the end of his life he tried his hand at writing and produced some charming memoirs describing his early life in Manchester and his early stage experiences, as yet unpublished except for a vivid excerpt published in the Guardian newspaper in February 1986.

Married:

1. Louise Franklin 1930 - 1976

Two children:
George Franklin, born 1937, a computer science professor living and working in London.
Mary Louise, born 1939, a practising artist living and working in Scotland.

2. Elizabeth Donaldson 1977-1989

Theatre

The Who's Who entry contains a comprehensive list up to 1972. The list below includes only major roles. It is compiled from other documents in this archive (mainly the the obituaries and the 1953 brochure):

Manchester/London/Cambridge 1920s

The Rev. Willaim Duke in Sutton Vane's Outward Bound Rusholme Repertory Theatre, Manchester, May 1926.
Guiseppe in Noel Coward's, Sirocco 1927
O'Neill's The Hairy Ape Cambridge Festival Theatre 1928

New York 1930s-40s
(See The Internet Broadway Data Base for much more detail on these and other shows George appeared in.)

Antony in Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre production Julius Caesar in Modern Clothes 1937
Mangan in Heartbreak House. (Orson Welles, Mercury Theatre) 1938
Teck de Brancovis in Watch in the Rhine 1941
Richard III in own production New York 1942
Piofcssor Shelby (psyclhiatrist) in Blind Alley 1944?
Subtle in The Alchemist
Irish Priest (lead) in The White Steed of Paul Vincent Carroll

England 1950-80

Tartuffe at the Bristol Old Vic 1950
Ulric Brendel in Ibsen's Rosmersholm 1950
King Lear at Glasgow Citzen's Theatre 1952
Malvolio and Claudius at Hampstead Theatre, Swiss Cottage
Smiley Coy in Odets's The Big Knife (Sam Wanamaker) 1953
Detective Hawkshaw in The Ticket Of Leave Man, (Tom Taylor's Victorian melodrama) 1956
John Pope senior in A Hatful of Rain
Doctor Stockmann in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People
Peter Flynn in O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars
the father in Sartre's Altona
Edgar in Strindberg's The Dance of Death
General Sikorski in Hochuth's Soldiers
Big Daddy in Tennessee Williams's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Shylock in The Merchant of Venice

Films

[From the Internet Movie Database ]

Mussolini: The Untold Story (1985) (mini) TV Series .... DeBono
Vivement dimanche! (1983) .... Lablache
... aka Confidentially Yours (1983) (USA)
... aka Finally, Sunday (1983)
Long Good Friday, The (1980) .... Gus
"Doombolt Chase, The" (1978) TV Series .... Commander Wheeler
Ritz, The (1976) .... Old Man Vespucci
Shout at the Devil (1976) .... El Keb
Anticristo, L' (1974) .... Father Mittner
... aka Antichrist, The (1974) (International: English title: informal literal title)
... aka Tempter, The (1974) (USA)
Mahler (1974) .... Doctor Roth
Percy's Progress (1974) .... Professor Godowski
... aka It's Not the Size That Counts (1974) (USA)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) .... Dr. Constantine
Final Programme, The (1973) .... Dr. Powys
... aka Last Days of Man on Earth, The (1973) (USA)
Papillon (1973) .... Doctor Chatal
Coffee, Tea or Me? (1973) (TV) .... Doctor
Stranger, The (1973) (TV) .... Max Greene
... aka Stranded in Space (1973) (TV)
"Clouds of Witness" (1972) (mini) TV Series .... Mr. Grimthorpe
... aka "Lord Peter Wimsey: Clouds of Witness" (1972) (mini)
Horror of Snape Island (1972) .... John Gurney
... aka Beyond the Fog (1972) (USA: reissue title)
... aka Horror on Snape Island (1972)
... aka Tower of Evil (1972) (USA: reissue title)
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) .... Prof. Berrigan
No Blade of Grass (1970) .... Mr. Sturdevant
Assassination Bureau, The (1969) .... Swiss Peasant
Land Raiders (1969) .... Cardenas
... aka Day of the Landgrabber, The (1969)
I Love You, I Hate You (1968) .... Police Inspector
... aka Other People, The (1968)
... aka Sleep Is Lovely (1968)
Koroshi (1966) (TV) .... Controller
... aka Danger Man: Koroshi (1966) (TV) (UK: series title)
Too Many Thieves (1966)
Arabesque (1966) .... Ragheeb
Crooked Road, The (1965) .... Carlo
... aka Krivi put (1965) (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
Skull, The (1965) .... Dr. Londe
In the Cool of the Day (1963)
Boy Who Stole a Million, The (1961) .... Bank manager
Fury at Smugglers Bay (1961) .... FranÁois LeJeune
King of Kings (1961) .... Camel Driver
"Pathfinders to Venus" (1961) TV Series .... Harcourt Brown
Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons (1960) .... Lacoste
Surprise Package (1960) .... Dr. Hugo Panzer
Conspiracy of Hearts (1960) .... Petrelli
Son of Robin Hood, The (1959) .... Alan A. Dale
I Accuse! (1958) .... Colonel Sandherr
Law and Disorder (1958) .... Bennie
Spy in the Sky! (1958) .... Col. Benedict
No Time to Die (1958) .... Camp Commandant
... aka Tank Force (1958) (USA)
Kill Me Tomorrow (1957) .... Heinz Webber
Man Without a Body, The (1957) .... Dr. Karl Brussard
Seven Thunders (1957) .... Bourdin
... aka Beasts of Marseilles, The (1957) (USA)
Womaneater (1957) .... Dr. James Moran
... aka Woman Eater (1959) (USA)
Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) .... Carl Kraski
Doctor at Large (1957) .... Pascoe
Big Money, The (1956) .... The Colonel
Private's Progress (1956) .... Padre
Doctor at Sea (1955) .... Carpenter
Doctor in the House (1954) .... Briggs
Duel in the Jungle (1954) .... Captain Malburn
Mask of Dust (1954) .... 'Pic' Dallapiccola
... aka Race for Life (1954) (USA: reissue title)
Teckman Mystery, The (1954) .... Garvin
Runaway Bus, The (1954) .... Ernest Schroeder
Heart of the Matter, The (1954) .... Portuguese captain
Day to Remember, A (1953) .... The Captain
Dog and the Diamonds, The (1953) .... Forbes
Venetian Bird (1952) .... Chief of Police Spadoni
... aka Assassin, The (1952) (USA)
... aka El AlamÈin (1952)
Outcast of the Islands (1952) .... Babalatchi
Appointment with Venus (1951) .... Captain Weiss
... aka Island Rescue (1951) (USA)
Kill or Be Killed (1950) .... Victor Sloma
Beyond Glory (1948) .... Lew Proctor
Sleep, My Love (1948) .... Charles Vernay
Southern Yankee, A (1948) .... Major Jack Drumman
... aka My Hero (1948) (UK)
Joan of Arc (1948) .... Sir Robert de Baudricourt
Mr. District Attorney (1947) .... James Randolph
... aka District Attorney (1947)
Where There's Life (1947) .... Krivoc
California (1946) .... Captain Pharaoh Coffin
Verdict, The (1946) .... Superintendent John R. Buckley
Nobody Lives Forever (1946) .... Doc Ganson
Hotel Berlin (1945) .... Joachim Helm
Lady on a Train (1945) .... Mr. Saunders
Confidential Agent (1945) .... Captain Currie
Song to Remember, A (1945) .... Louis Pleyel
Master Race, The (1944) .... Col. Friedrich Von Beck
None But the Lonely Heart (1944) .... Jim Mordinoy
Mr. Skeffington (1944) .... Doctor Byles
Between Two Worlds (1944) .... Lingley
Assignment in Brittany (1943) .... Captain Hans Holz
Watch on the Rhine (1943) .... Teck de Brancovis
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) .... AndrÈ Massart
This Land Is Mine (1943) .... Prosecuting Attorney
Citizen Kane (1941) .... Walter Parks Thatcher
Lady in Question, The (1940) .... Defense Attorney
All This, and Heaven Too (1940) .... Charpentier
Christopher Bean (1933) .... Tallent
... aka Her Sweetheart, Christopher Bean (1933)
... aka Late Christopher Bean, The (1933) (UK)

Radio work

Here is the excerpt of George doing "Friends, Romans, countrymen..."
as Marc Anthony in the 1938 Mercury production of Julius Caesar.

George performed in many radio plays. The RadioGold Index lists 44 shows that he did in the U.S. before 1949.

After 1949 he performed in many plays and did several talks and interviews for the BBC, but the BBC Archives at the British Library are rather impenetrable. The most significant item is probably the series of three talks entitled "To Hollywood and Back" that he did on the BBC Home Service in 1962:

The transcript of these talks is available here.

A nice review in the Sunday Times is here.

Full-length recordings of most of the radio dramas broadcast by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre Company during 1938 are available (and apparently copyright-free):

To download (slow) from: www.unknown.nu

On a single CD in MP3 format to buy for only $8 from: www.40sradio.us

The recordings are of surprisingly good quality, as are the productions - good entertainment value today! George Coulouris features in:

Julius Caesar: Broadcast (1938-9-11) by the original cast of the Broadway production; This is a recording of a rehearsal with a few interjected directions, but they'd been performing it on the stage for several weeks and the acting is excellent). We have an excerpt of George doing "Friends, Romans, countrymen ..." on our page discussing the Mercury's Julius Caesar theatre production.
A Passenger to Bali: Broadcast 1938-11-13
Dracula: Broadcast 1938-7-11
Treasure Island: Broadcast 1938-7-18
Abraham Lincoln: Broadcast 1938-8-15
The Man Who Was Thursday: Broadcast 1938-9-5
The Heart of Darkness: Broadcast 1938-11-6
Life with Father: Broadcast 1938-11-6

Orson Welles' Campbell Playhouse 1939-40

Rebecca: Broadcast 1938-12-09 (script from Daphne du Maurier's book)
The Count Of Monte Cristo: Broadcast 1939-10-1
A Christmas Carol: Broadcast 1939-12-24
Peter Ibbetson: Broadcast 1939-9-10

Notable TV guest appearances

[From the Internet Movie Database ]

"Prisoner, The" (1967) playing "Chessmaster / Man With The Stick" in episode: "Checkmate" (episode # 1.9) 12/3/1967, see also.
"Dundee and the Culhane" (1967) in episode: "3:10 to a Lynching Brief, The" (episode # 1.9) 11/8/1967
"R3" (1964) playing "Professor Vergas" in episode: "Forum, The" (episode # 1.7) 1965
"Doctor Who" (1963) playing "Arbitan" in episode: "Keys of Marinus, The" (episode # 1.5) 4/11/1964
"Crane" (1962) playing "Dr Jackson" in episode: "Case of Dolls, A" 1963
"Man of the World" (1962) playing "Gomez" in episode: "Masquerade in Spain" 1962
Pathfinders to Mars (1962), ABC Television
"Danger Man" (1960) playing "Police Commisioner" in episode: "Brothers, The" (episode # 1.25) 1961
"Philco Television Playhouse, The" (1948) in episode: "Inspector Calls, An" (episode # 1.8) 11/21/1948

Reference Documents

1972 'Who's Who in the Theatre' entry

1953 Agent's Brochure

A couple of years after returning to England his agent printed and distributed a brochure briefly summarising his career and quoting highlights from the reviews for his performance of Tartuffe at the Bristol Old Vic.

Compiled by George Coulouris jr, December 2000