Ralph Truman
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 7, 1900
- Died
- October 15, 1977 (aged 77)
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
Biography
Veteran British character player Ralph Truman was a pioneer radio actor and appeared in over 5000 broadcasts during his career. Born in London at the turn of the century, his overall film career was commendable but less enviable than his voice work on the airwaves. Originally from the stage, he had just finished a run of "Josef Suss" in 1930 when he moved directly into films, making his unbilled debut in the early talkie Farewell to Love (1931). Throughout the 1930s he would be found steadily in "B" films including The Bells (1931), That's My Uncle (1935), The Lad (1935), Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1935), Under the Red Robe (1937) and Dinner at the Ritz (1937). In the 1940s the distinctively balding, hook-nosed actor found featured work in more important films such as his Mountjoy in Laurence Olivier's stellar Shakespearean piece Henry V (1944). A natural for period settings, Truman played the nefarious Monks in Oliver Twist (1948), and was part of the large-scale proceedings in Christopher Columbus (1949) and Treasure Island (1950), giving animated Robert Newton a run for the money in the latter with a ripe, over-the-top pirate performance as George Merry. Married to fellow radio artist Ellis Powell, he was best known in later years for playing men of high ranking or position (lords, captains, admirals, governors, etc.). He retired after appearing in two final period epics: Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). He passed away a few years later. - IMDb mini biography by: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
Known For
Filmography
Churchill's People
TV · as Earl of Surrey · 1 ep
Lady Caroline Lamb
Movie · as Admiral
Nicholas and Alexandra
Movie · as Rodzianko
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
TV · as Foreign Secretary · 1 ep
The Main Chance
TV · as Reginald Crowther · 1 ep
El Cid
Movie · as King Ferdinand
Under Ten Flags
Movie · as Admiral Bensen
Exodus
Movie · as Colonel
Danger Man
TV · as Minister · 1 ep
Ben-Hur
Movie · as Aide to Tiberius (uncredited)
Web of Evidence
Movie · as Sir Matthew Sprott
The Spaniard's Curse
Movie · as Sir Robert Wyvern
The Good Companions
Movie · as George Memsford
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
Movie · as Vice Admiral
The Long Arm
Movie · as Colonel Blenkinsop
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Movie · as Buchanan
Wicked as They Come
Movie · as John Dowling
Tons of Trouble
Movie · as Inspector Bridger
The Black Tent
Movie · as Major Cross
The Night My Number Came Up
Movie · as Wainwright
The Ship That Died of Shame
Movie · as Sir Richard
Beau Brummell
Movie · as Sir Ralph Sidley
Malta Story
Movie · as Vice Adm Willie Banks
The Master of Ballantrae
Movie · as Clarendon
The Golden Coach
Movie · as Duc de Castro
Quo Vadis
Movie · as Tigellinus
Treasure Island
Movie · as George Merry
The Reluctant Widow
Movie · as Scowler
The Interrupted Journey
Movie · as Inspector Waterson
Eureka Stockade
Movie · as Gov. Hotham
Christopher Columbus
Movie · as Captain
Oliver Twist
Movie · as Monks
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
Movie · as Comber
The Adventures of Dusty Bates
Movie · as Merryvale
Mrs. Fitzherbert
Movie · as Richard Brinsley Sheridan
The Man Within
Movie · as Prison Interrogator
Beware of Pity
Movie · as Maj. Sandor Balinkay
Lisbon Story
Movie · as Police Commissionaire
Papworth Village Settlement
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
The Laughing Lady
Movie · as Lord Mandeville
Read All About It
Movie · as Robertson
Henry V
Movie · as Mountjoy - The French Herald
The Butler's Dilemma
Movie · as Bishop
Sabotage at Sea
Movie · as Horace Chandler
The Seventh Survivor
Movie · as Captain
The Saint in London
Movie · as Kussella
The Outsider
Movie · as Sir Nathan Israel
Black Eyes
Movie · as Diner
The Challenge
Movie · as Giordano
South Riding
Movie · as Nursing Home Doctor
Life of St. Paul
Movie · as Orderly
The Drum
Movie · as Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Secret Lives
Movie · as Prison Guard
Dinner at the Ritz
Movie · as Auctioneer
Change for a Sovereign
Movie · as Archduke Paul
Fire Over England
Movie · as Spanish Inquisition Representative (uncredited)
The Marriage of Corbal
Movie · as Charles
The Crimson Circle
Movie · as Lawrence Fuller
Dusty Ermine
Movie · as Second Thug (uncredited)
Captain Bill
Movie · as Red
Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk
Movie · as Sam Cohen
The Silent Passenger
Movie · as Saunders
The Case of Gabriel Perry
Movie · as Inspector White
Three Witnesses
Movie · as Bellman
The Perfect Flaw
Movie · as Richard Drexel
The Shadow
Movie · as Chief Inspector Elliot
Partners Please
Movie · as CID Man
The Bells
Movie · as Blacksmith