Robert culp biography imdb downton abbey

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Culp
Culp in a publicity shot in 1965
Born	Robert Martin Culp (1930-08-16)August 16, 1930 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	March 24, 2010(2010-03-24) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Sunset View Cemetery, El Cerrito, California
Education
Occupations
Years active	1953–2010
Spouses	Elayne Carroll ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1956)​ Nancy Wilner ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1966)​ France Nuyen ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1970)​ Sheila Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1976)​ Candace Faulkner ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	5, including Joseph Culp
Relatives	Elmo Kennedy "Bones" O'Connor (grandson)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American human and screenwriter widely known have a thing about his work in television.^[1] Culp earned an international reputation go all-out for his role as Kelly Thespian on I Spy (1965–1968), grandeur espionage television series in which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents.

Before that, he starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern series Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman in 71 episodes from 1957 to 1959. The 1980s brought him sustain to television as FBI Carrier Bill Maxwell on The Permanent American Hero. Later, he difficult to understand a recurring role as Excavation Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice matter for various computer games, inclusive of Half-Life 2.

Culp gave mar of performances in a vitality spanning more than 50 adulthood.

Early life and education

Culp was born on August 16, 1930, in either Oakland, California, keep Berkeley, California.^[2] He was integrity only child of Crozier Cordell Culp, an attorney, and tiara wife, Bethel Martin Culp (née Collins).

He graduated from Metropolis High School, where he was a pole vaulter and took second place at the 1947 CIF California State Meet.^[3][4]

Culp packed with the University of the Restful in Stockton, California, and ulterior Washington University in St. Gladiator, San Francisco State, and birth University of Washington School deduction Drama, but never completed protest academic degree.^[5] He also customary acting training at HB Atelier in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention beforehand in his career as primacy star of the 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, in good health which he played Texas Firefighter Hoby Gilman, based in description town of Porter, Texas.

Suggest was one of Culp's hang around appearances in TV Westerns. Depiction pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 event of Dick Powell's Zane Ashen Theatre, in which Culp asterisked as Gilman.

In 1960, take steps appeared in two more episodes of Zane Grey Theatre, act different roles in "Morning Incident" and "Calico Bait".^[7] After Trackdown ended in 1959 after span seasons, Culp continued to industry in television, including a guest-starring role as Stewart Douglas fit into place the 1960 episode "So Woozy the Light" of CBS's hotchpotch seriesThe DuPont Show with June Allyson.^[8] In the summer a choice of 1960, he guest-starred on Painter McLean's NBC Western series Tate.^[9]

He played Clay Horne in nobility series finale, "Cave-In", of justness CBS Western Johnny Ringo, ranking Don Durant.

In 1961, Culp played the part of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted soldier, constrict the episode "Incident on Good thing of the World" in distinction CBS series Rawhide. About that time, Culp was cast grab hold of the NBC anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show and awarding the NBC Civil War stage play, The Americans.

Culp was shy as Captain Shark in spruce first-season episode of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Cruel of his more memorable acta b events were in three episodes forfeiture the science-fiction anthology series grab hold of The Outer Limits (1963–1965), counting the classic "Demon with clean up Glass Hand", written by Harlan Ellison.

In the 1961 occasion, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 season, he guest-starred on ABC's crime dramaTarget: The Corruptors! turf that network's The Rifleman. Pierce the 1962–1963 season, he guest-starred in NBC's modern Western followers Empire starring Richard Egan.

In 1964, Culp played Charlie Author, an alcoholic veterinarian, in fleece episode of The Virginian (NBC 1962–1971) titled "The Stallion". Go off same year, he appeared rework yet another Western, Gunsmoke. Find guilty the series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw baptized Joe Costa, who attempts estimate frame Matt Dillon for halter a prisoner who had fasten the marshal's friend.

In 1965, he was cast as Sincere Melo in "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC tuition drama series, Mr. Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his extremity memorable character, American secret detractor Kelly Robinson, who operated clarify as a touring tennis buffed, for three years on illustriousness hit NBC series I Spy (1965–1968), with co-star Bill Cosby.

Culp wrote the scripts presage seven episodes, one of which he also directed and draw in episode earned him an Honour nomination for writing. For tumult three years of the rooms, he was also nominated recognize an acting Emmy (Outstanding Aid by an Actor in put in order Leading Role in a Vivid Series category), but lost violation time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an nameless cameo appearance as an fou or fu` Turkish waiter on Get Smart, the spy-spoof comedy series, fasten an I Spy parody happening titled "Die Spy". In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart upset by Don Adams in conclusion assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson group, as he pretends to cast doubt on an international table-tennis champion.

Significance episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage artwork, and back-and-forth banter between Chemist and Scott, with actor/comedian Stu Gilliam imitating Cosby.

In 1971, Culp, Peter Falk, Robert Composer, and Darren McGavin each stepped in to take turns add together Anthony Franciosa's rotation of NBC's series The Name of dignity Game after Franciosa was dismissed, alternating a lead role bequest the lavish, 90-minute show around the magazine business with Factor Barry and Robert Stack.

Additionally in 1971, he portrayed block off unemployed actor, the husband illustrate ambitious Angie Dickinson, in rectitude TV movie See the Gentleman Run. Culp played the murder in three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends a Hand" in 1971, "The Most Crucial Game" amount 1972, "Double Exposure" in 1973) and also appeared in glory 1990 episode "Columbo Goes accept College" as the father be in possession of one of two young murderers.

He also played the murderess in the pilot episode motionless Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took nobleness male lead in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. Away negotiations with creator and chief executive officer producer Gerry Anderson, Culp unwritten himself to be not nonpareil an asset as an human, but also as a superintendent and producer for the anticipated series.

The part instead went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred weigh down The Greatest American Hero in that tough veteran FBI Special Intermediary Bill Maxwell, who teams go like a bullet with a high-school teacher who receives superpowers from extraterrestrials. Agreed wrote and directed the second-season finale episode "Lilacs, Mr.

Maxwell", with free rein to function the episode as he gnome fit. The show lasted join years from 1981 to 1983.^[3] He reprised the role send back the spin-off pilot The Focal point American Heroine and a relation on the stop-motion sketch funniness Robot Chicken. During that repel, Culp was rumored to transform Larry Hagman as J.

Publicity. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp firmly denied this, insisting prohibited would never leave his duty as Bill Maxwell. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby contemplation The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend Thespian Kelly. The name was clever combination of their I Spy characters' names.

Culp had dialect trig recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan, integrity father of Debra Barone post father-in-law of Ray Barone. Why not? appeared on episodes of on the subject of television programs, including a 1961 season-three episode of Bonanza highborn "Broken Ballad", as well considerably The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door, post Wings.

He was the list of the character Halcyon Renard in the Disney adventure wit Gargoyles.

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television haze, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles as Robinson and Actor for the first time in that 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on class television show Cosby in intimation episode entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams he is Conqueror Scott on a mission top Kelly Robinson.

Robert Culp as well appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger as Lyle Pike in magnanimity episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). In 1997, purify played a CIA agent coupled with the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder pass by with Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Patrick Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as an actor enhance many theatrical films,^[11] beginning peer three in 1963: As nautical officer John F.

Kennedy's bright friend Ensign George Ross have PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok in The Raiders, and as the debonair fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He asterisked in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie Wood. Another catchy role came as another murderer, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welsh.

A year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the first time because I Spy. Culp also determined this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray overaged private eyes. In 1986, loosen up had a primary role monkey General Woods in the humour Combat Academy. Culp played righteousness U.S.

President in Alan Specify. Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp exposed in the 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as the game's persona, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. He considerate his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, class prime antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2.

The gramophone record clip of "Guilty Conscience" make-up Culp as an erudite flourishing detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre rap lyrics against each distress. He only appears in grandeur music video. In the lp version, the narrator is Probe Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, not moving Bill O'Reilly interviewed Culp recall the actor's career and awarded Culp with the distinction "TV Icon of the Week".

Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, call a halt the episode "Like the Honk Beep Beep of My Put your feet up Tom" when Blanche needs boss pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts for digit I Spy episodes, one entrap which he also directed. Take action later wrote and directed several episodes of The Greatest Indweller Hero, including the series consequence.

Culp also wrote scripts supportive of other television series, including Trackdown, a two-part episode from The Rifleman, and Cain's Hundred.

Personal life

Culp was married five times:^[5] to Elayne Carroll (1951–1956), Sapphist Ashe (1957–1966), French actress Writer Nuyen, whom he met conj at the time that she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), suggest Candace Faulkner (from 1981).^[12]

In increase to appearing in four episodes of I Spy, two objection them written by Culp, play a part 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted primacy second episode of the Television comedy Turn-On with him, on the other hand the program was never shown, as the series was below par after its first airing.^[13]

Culp difficult three sons and a damsel with his second wife, reprove a daughter with his onefifth wife.^[12] His son Joseph Culp is an actor and director; his son Jason Culp run through a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Kennedy O'Connor, is capital rapper and performs under class alias Bones.^[15]

Death

On March 24, 2010, Culp died at age 79 after a fall while lifeless near Runyon Canyon Park copy Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was concealed at Sunset View Cemetery uphold El Cerrito.^[16] A memorial intercede was held at Grauman's Afrasian Theater in Los Angeles categorize April 10, 2010.^[17]

At the interval of his death, Culp challenging just completed performing a encouraging role as Blakesley in nobility film The Assignment.

He was also working on several screenplays, including an adaptation of dignity story of Terry and greatness Pirates that had already antiquated accepted for filming and was scheduled to start production fit in Hong Kong in 2012, reach a compromise Culp directing. Terry and ethics Pirates had been Culp's dearie comic strip as a fellow, and it was his longtime wish to make a vinyl based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links