Roland Young

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Roland Young (11 November 1887 – 5 June 1953) was an English actor. Young made his first stage appearance in London's West End in Find the Woman in 1908, and in 1912 he made his Broadway debut in Hindle Wakes. He appeared in two comedies written for him by Clare Kummer, Good Gracious Annabelle! (1916) and A Successful Calamity (1917) before he served with the United States Army during World War I. He returned to New York when the war ended, and married Kummer's daughter, Frances. For the next few years he alternated between New York and London. He made his film debut in the 1922 silent film Sherlock Holmes, in which he played Watson opposite John Barrymore as Holmes. He signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and made his talkie debut in The Unholy Night (1929), directed by Lionel Barrymore. He was loaned to Warner Bros. to appear in Her Private Life, with Billie Dove and Fox Film Corporation, winning critical approval for his comedic performance as Jeanette MacDonald's husband in Don't Bet on a Woman. He was again paired with MacDonald in the film version of Good Gracious Annabelle!, titled Annabelle's Affairs. He appeared in Cecil B. de Mille's The Squaw Man, and played opposite Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in The Guardsman (both 1931). He appeared with Evelyn Brent in Columbia's The Pagan Lady (1932) and Pola Negri in RKO's A Woman Commands (1932). His final film under his MGM contract was Lovers Courageous (1932), opposite Robert Montgomery. In 1933 he had a starring role in the risqué comedy for Fox Film called Pleasure Cruise along side Genevieve Tobin. Young began to work as a freelance performer and found himself in constant demand. He appeared with Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin and Maurice Chevalier in One Hour With You (1932) and with Kay Francis in Street of Women (1932). Alexander Korda invited him to return to Britain to make his British film debut in Wedding Rehearsal (1932). He returned to Hollywood and appeared in a diverse group of films that included comedies, murder mysteries, and dramas, and also worked on Broadway. Among his films of this period were Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), David Copperfield (1935) (playing Uriah Heep), and the H.G. Wells fantasy The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936). In 1937, he achieved one of the most important successes of his career in Topper, as a bank president haunted by the ghosts of his clients, played by Cary Grant and Constance Bennett. It was one of the most successful films of the year, and Young was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Topper's wife was played by Billie Burke, who wrote in her memoir that Young "was dry and always fun to work with". They also appeared together in The Young in Heart (1938), and both of the Topper sequels, Topper Takes a Trip (1938) and Topper Returns (1941). He continued working steadily through the 1940s, playing small roles opposite some of Hollywood's leading actresses, such as Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Paulette Goddard and Greta Garbo in her final film, Two-Faced Woman (1941). In the 1950s, Young appeared on several episodic television series, including Lux Video Theatre, Studio One, Pulitzer Prize Playhouse and The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre.

Known For

Uncle Willie

The Philadelphia Story

William Blore

And Then There Were None

Cosmo Topper

Topper

Ralph Tutwiler

You Gotta Stay Happy

Edgar - Wilson's butler

Tales of Manhattan

Earl of Burnstead

Ruggles of Red Gap

Professor Olivier

One Hour with You

Charles Giraud

The Flame of New Orleans

Marsh

They All Kissed the Bride

Cmdr. John Good

King Solomon's Mines

Sigurd 'Erik' Arnesson

The Bishop Murder Case

Col. Anthony 'Sahib' Carleton

The Young in Heart

Uriah Heep

The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger

Cosmo Topper

Topper Returns

George McWhirter Fotheringay

The Man Who Could Work Miracles

Thomas Brooke

Star Dust

Gerald Gray

This Is the Night

Lord Kyne

Camille

Cosmo Topper

Topper Takes a Trip

Dr. Watson

Sherlock Holmes

Jimmy Wade

Madam Satan

Lord Reginald Withers

A Lady's Profession

Oscar 'O.O.' Miller

Two-Faced Woman

The Critic

The Guardsman

Ronald Dean

The Lady Has Plans

George

Aquel hombre de Tánger

Sultan

Ali Baba Goes to Town

Reggie Buckley Candysshe - Marquis of Buckminster

Wedding Rehearsal

Mr. Smith

Irene

Edmund Pohlwhistle

Let's Dance

Linkhorne 'Link' Gibson

Street of Women

Lord Montague

The Unholy Night

Frank Haines

Call It a Day

C.J. Dabney

The Great Lover

Roger Forbes

Dulcy

Priam Farrel

His Double Life

Dr. Heath

The Pagan Lady

Holmes

Blind Adventure

Nicki

Here Is My Heart

Sir John Applegate

The Squaw Man

Maillot

One Rainy Afternoon

Jeffrey

Lovers Courageous

Edward 'Tubbs' Barrow

Give Me Your Heart

Anthony Gulliver

Sailing Along

Bill Carter

He Married His Wife

William "Bunny" Jeffers

The Unguarded Hour

Ira Cromwell

Standing Room Only

George Chester-Barrett

Bond Street

Titus Jaywood

Yes, My Darling Daughter

Professor Daniels

Here I Am a Stranger

Herbert Drake

Don't Bet on Women

Self

Hollywood on Parade No. A-5

Andrew Poole

Pleasure Cruise

Matthew

St. Benny the Dip

Count Strogoff

New Moon

Duke Merrill

Wise Girls

Roland Wimbleton

Annabelle's Affairs

Doc

The Prodigal

King Alexander

A Woman Commands

Mr. 'Happy' Jimmy Smith

No, No, Nanette

Henry Barringer

Forever and a Day

(archive footage)

That's Entertainment! III

Barry Keith-Trimble

The Night of Nights

Hillary Hume

They Just Had to Get Married

Amos Bullerton

Private Affairs

Charteris

Her Private Life

Houdini Hart

Grit

Alan Brooks

Gypsy