Roland Young

Born: 1887-11-10

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.


Placeholder

The Philadelphia Story

as Uncle Willie
Released: 1940-12-05

When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned...

Movie page

And Then There Were None

as William Blore
Released: 1945-10-31

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island and while they are waiting for the mysterious host...

Movie page

David Copperfield

as Uriah Heep
Released: 1935-01-18

Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an ordinary young man who lives an extraordinary life, filled...

Movie page

Topper

as Cosmo Topper
Released: 1937-07-16

Madcap couple George and Marion Kerby are killed in an automobile accident. They return as...

Movie page

His Double Life

as Priam Farrel
Released: 1933-12-14

Priam Farrel is a celebrated artist but a social recluse. When his valet dies of a sudden...

Movie page

Topper Returns

as Cosmo Topper
Released: 1941-03-21

Topper is once again tormented by a fun-loving spirit. This time, it's Gail Richards,...

Movie page

No, No, Nanette

as Mr. 'Happy' Jimmy Smith
Released: 1940-12-19

Perky young Nanette attempts to save the marriage of her uncle and aunt by untangling Uncle...

Movie page

Ruggles of Red Gap

as Earl of Burnstead
Released: 1935-03-08

In this comedy of an Englishman stranded in a sea of barbaric Americans, Marmaduke Ruggles, a...

Movie page

Forever and a Day

as Henry Barringer
Released: 1943-01-21

In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the...

Movie page

Madam Satan

as Jimmy Wade
Released: 1930-09-20

A socialite masquerades as a notorious femme fatale to win back her straying husband during a...

Movie page

The Man Who Could Work Miracles

as George McWhirter Fotheringay
Released: 1936-07-23

An ordinary man, while vigorously asserting the impossibility of miracles, suddenly discovers...

Movie page

Lovers Courageous

as Jeffrey
Released: 1932-01-23

A daydreaming dramatist and his beloved persevere through hard times in the hope that one of his...

Movie page

One Hour with You

as Professor Olivier
Released: 1932-03-23

Andre and Colette Bertier are happily married. When Colette introduces her husband to her...

Movie page

Tales of Manhattan

as Edgar - Wilson's butler
Released: 1942-08-05

Ten screenwriters collaborated on this series of tales concerning the effect a tailcoat cursed...

Movie page

The Young in Heart

as Col. Anthony 'Sahib' Carleton
Released: 1938-07-06

A family of confidence tricksters sets their sights on a very rich, very lonely old lady named...

Movie page

The Flame of New Orleans

as Charles Giraud
Released: 1941-07-07

In old New Orleans, a beautiful adventuress juggles the attentions of a rich banker and a...

Movie page

The Unguarded Hour

as William "Bunny" Jeffers
Released: 1936-04-10

A blackmailer tries to stop a woman from revealing evidence that could save a condemned man.

Movie page

Topper Takes a Trip

as Cosmo Topper
Released: 1938-12-29

Mrs. Topper's friend Mrs. Parkhurst has convinced Mrs Topper to file for a divorce from Cosmo...

Movie page

Here Is My Heart

as Nicki
Released: 1934-12-28

A rich and famous singer disguises himself as a waiter in order to be near the woman he loves, a...

Movie page

Don't Bet on Women

as Herbert Drake
Released: 1931-02-15

At a big party, Roger Fallon, now a woman-hater, right to the core - this all due to a failed...

Movie page

The Great Lover

as C.J. Dabney
Released: 1949-11-23

The French Surete and private eye Higgins are after a killer who uses innocent young Americans...

Movie page

The Lady Has Plans

as Ronald Dean
Released: 1942-01-20

Some dastardly criminals have stolen some top secret plans and tattoo them on the back of a...

Movie page

Irene

as Mr. Smith
Released: 1940-04-23

Upholsterer's assistant Irene O'Dare meets wealthy Don Marshall while she is measuring chairs...

Movie page

This Is the Night

as Gerald Gray
Released: 1932-04-08

When Stephen, the husband of Gerald’s mistress, Claire, discovers a pair of tickets for their...

Movie page

You Gotta Stay Happy

as Ralph Tutwiler
Released: 1948-10-28

Indecisive heiress Dee Dee Dillwood is pushed into marrying her sixth fiancée, but unable to...

Movie page

Call It a Day

as Frank Haines
Released: 1937-04-17

The various members of the middle-class Hilton family have a series of romantic misadventures...

Movie page

Let's Dance

as Edmund Pohlwhistle
Released: 1950-11-29

Years after the death of her husband, Kitty McNeil takes her son and flees from the home of her...

Movie page

King Solomon's Mines

as Cmdr. John Good
Released: 1937-06-17

White hunter Allan Quartermain and his enigmatic guide help a young Irish woman locate her...

Movie page

The Bishop Murder Case

as Sigurd 'Erik' Arnesson
Released: 1929-12-31

The murders start with the body of Robin. He is found with a arrow through the heart, but Vance...

Movie page

That's Entertainment! III

as (archive footage)
Released: 1994-07-01

Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of...

Movie page

Sailing Along

as Anthony Gulliver
Released: 1938-04-15

A barge-owner's adopted daughter falls in love with his son, and gives up her chances of stardom...

Movie page

They All Kissed the Bride

as Marsh
Released: 1942-06-11

Margaret Drew runs her trucking company single-mindedly, if not ruthlessly. The only thorn in...

Movie page

Two-Faced Woman

as Oscar 'O.O.' Miller
Released: 1941-12-31

A woman pretends to be her own twin sister to win back her straying husband.

Movie page

Blind Adventure

as Holmes
Released: 1933-08-18

Richard Bruce, an American in fog bound London stumbles into the midst of international...

Movie page

Give Me Your Heart

as Edward 'Tubbs' Barrow
Released: 1936-09-17

An American lawyer's wife is reunited with her child and his father, an English nobleman.

Movie page

St. Benny the Dip

as Matthew
Released: 1951-08-24

A gang of con artists disguise themselves as clerics in order to pull off a job, but soon find...

Movie page

Wise Girls

as Duke Merrill
Released: 1929-09-21

Early MGM talkie about a retired businessman, his headstrong daughter, and the comical...

Movie page

Here I Am a Stranger

as Professor Daniels
Released: 1939-09-29

The story of a young man's discovery of his father.

Movie page

One Rainy Afternoon

as Maillot
Released: 1936-05-13

Suave French actor Philippe Martin provokes a scandal when, in a darkened theater, he mistakes...

Movie page

The Squaw Man

as Sir John Applegate
Released: 1931-07-21

Jim Wyngate, an English aristocrat, comes to the American West under a cloud of suspicion for...

Movie page

Ali Baba Goes to Town

as Sultan
Released: 1937-10-29

While visiting Hollywood a starstruck movie fan (Eddie Cantor) fantasizes about himself cast in...

Movie page

The Prodigal

as Doc
Released: 1931-02-21

An aspiring singer, who has fallen on hard times and is now living as a hobo, returns to his...

Movie page

Bond Street

as George Chester-Barrett
Released: 1948-05-12

Charts the events occurring during a typical 24-hour period on London’s thoroughfare Bond...

Movie page

Star Dust

as Thomas Brooke
Released: 1940-04-06

When Hollywood film studios reject her because she's too young, an Arkansas woman sets out to...

Movie page

New Moon

as Count Strogoff
Released: 1930-12-23

New Moon is the name of the ship crossing the Caspian Sea. A young Lt. Petroff meets the...

Movie page

Sherlock Holmes

as Dr. Watson
Released: 1922-03-07

Sherlock Holmes is a master at solving the most impenetrable mysteries, but he has his work cut...

Movie page

He Married His Wife

as Bill Carter
Released: 1940-01-19

Race horse owner pays so much attention to business he winds up divorced from his wife. His...

Movie page

The Night of Nights

as Barry Keith-Trimble
Released: 1939-12-01

A playwright has his career ruined when he is drunk on the first night. His wife dies having...

Movie page

Street of Women

as Linkhorne 'Link' Gibson
Released: 1932-06-04

An architect has an affair with a woman who inspires him. Her brother is in love with the...

Movie page

Her Private Life

as Charteris
Released: 1929-08-25

A English aristocrat causes a scandal when she divorces her husband and runs off with a young...

Movie page

They Just Had to Get Married

as Hillary Hume
Released: 1933-01-05

Molly Hull, a maid, and Sam Sutton, a butler, are bequeathed a million dollars, and they...

Movie page

The Pagan Lady

as Dr. Heath
Released: 1931-09-07

Dot starts out as a bartender in Havana when in walks Dingo Mike (Charles Bickford) and orders...

Movie page

Annabelle's Affairs

as Roland Wimbleton
Released: 1931-06-14

After only 11 hours of marriage, Annabelle and her husband separate-not knowing what each other...

Movie page

The Guardsman

as The Critic
Released: 1931-10-20

An acclaimed actor and his equally acclaimed actress wife, who have been married for less than a...

Movie page

Yes, My Darling Daughter

as Titus Jaywood
Released: 1939-02-25

Ellen is a free spirited young woman in love with Doug. Sadly he must leave America for a two...

Movie page

Dulcy

as Roger Forbes
Released: 1940-10-04

A dizzy young woman aranges to turn her inventor-boyfriend's vacation into a chance meeting with...

Movie page

The Unholy Night

as Lord Montague
Released: 1929-09-13

When a rash of murders depletes their number, a billionaire's employees are brought together at...

Movie page

Camille: The Fate of a Coquette

as Lord Kyne
Released: 1926-01-01

A home movie version of the Dumas play. A young woman becomes a courtesan and tragedy befalls...

Movie page

Standing Room Only

as Ira Cromwell
Released: 1944-01-07

During WWII, an executive and his secretary arrive in Washington, DC on business but, because of...

Movie page

Pleasure Cruise

as Andrew Poole
Released: 1933-04-01

Shirley, a married woman, who is fed up of her husband's incessant nagging, decides to go on a...

Movie page

That Man from Tangier

as George
Released: 1953-05-08

Mary Ellen travels abroad and ends up marrying a Count while she is intoxicated. The Count...

Movie page

Grit

as Houdini Hart
Released: 1924-01-07

Two former childhood gang members, "Kid" Hart and Orchid McGonigle, attempt to go straight,...

Movie page

Wedding Rehearsal

as Reggie Buckley Candysshe - Marquis of Buckminster
Released: 1932-10-01

The grandmother of a British nobleman, reluctant to marry, plays matchmaker. He outmaneuvers her...

Movie page

A Woman Commands

as King Alexander
Released: 1932-02-12

In order to keep his lover, Maria Draga, in luxury, Captain Alex Pastitsch contracts huge debts...

Movie page

Hollywood on Parade No. A-5

as Self
Released: 1932-12-16

Stars Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier and Ken Maynard.

Movie page

Private Affairs

as Amos Bullerton
Released: 1940-07-05

A girl decides to consult her natural father, whom she's never seen, for advice on her mixed-up...

Movie page

A Lady's Profession

as Lord Reginald Withers
Released: 1933-03-03

A couple of down-and-out British aristocrats buy an American roadhouse.

Movie page

What's My Line?

as Self - Panelist
First aired: 1950-02-02

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...

TV Show page

Studio One

as Harold. Mummery
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

TV Show page

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self
First aired: 1948-06-20

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...

TV Show page