Booth Colman is an American actor from Portland, Oregon. Booth was educated at the universities of Washington and Michigan and he majored in Oriental studies as he wanted to become an archaeologist. However during World War II, after he had served with the army in the Japanese language Corps, Colman was drawn into acting. He made his debut in Irwin Shaw's 'The Assassin' in 1944. Following more than a years working in various plays, the 'Hamlet' opportunity presented itself. This monumental project tied him down in the part of Guildenstern for two years - so long, that he began to dream not as often as Booth Colman as he dreamt in the character of Guildenstern. Renowned for his Broadway interpretations, Colman has appeared with such luminaries of the boards as Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in 'Tonight at 8.30', Fredrick Marsh in 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep' and Basil Rathbone in 'The Winslow Boy'. He worked often with Maurice Evans also.
Colman became popular throughout the country for his stage roles as Wirz, the Civil War prison camp commandant in 'The Andersonville Trial' and as the sly and introspective attorney Clarence Darrow in 'Inherit The Wind'. He quietly was cabled to Hollywood to make his motion picture debut during 1951. Producer/director Howard Hawkes wanted him for a film 'The Big Sky' with Kirk Douglas. Since then he has appeared in nearly fifty features including, 'Julius Caesar', 'Auntie Mama', 'Romanoff and Juliet' and Walt Disney's 'Scandalous John'. On television, Booth has guest starred in many of the top series including 'Police Story', 'Kung Fu' and 'McCloud'. As far as you are concerned, he is probably best known for his interpretation of the part of Council Chairman Zaius in the 1974 'Planet of the Apes' TV series.
Among his closest friends for more than 20 years were the late comedian Stan Laurel and Evie and Boris Karlof. A confirmed bachelor, Colman lives in a modest Hollywood apartment. His most prized personal possession is a collection of signatures of 22 of the 37 United States Presidents.[1]
VITAL STATISTICS
Height: 5' 9 1/2"
Weight: 1501bs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown.
External Links
- Booth Colman article at Wikipedia
- Booth Colman profile at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB)
- Booth Colman profile at TV.com
- Official Booth Colman website
References