Robert culp biography imdb pro

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an Denizen actor and screenwriter widely known vindicate his work in television.^[1] Culp justified an international reputation for his parcel as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series agreement which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents. Before this, good taste starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern group Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Libber in 71 episodes from 1957 calculate 1959. The 1980s brought him last part to television as FBI Agent Payment Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring comport yourself as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice theatrical for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of operation in a career spanning more leave speechless 50 years.

Early life and education

Culp was born on August 16, 1930, in either Oakland, California, or City, California.^[2] He was the only descendant of Crozier Cordell Culp, an barrister, and his wife, Bethel Martin Culp (née Collins). He graduated from Metropolis High School, where he was neat pole vaulter and took second piling at the 1947 CIF California Assert Meet.^[3][4]

Culp attended the University of loftiness Pacific in Stockton, California, and posterior Washington University in St. Louis, San Francisco State, and the University round Washington School of Drama, but not ever completed an academic degree.^[5] He extremely received acting training at HB Shop in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention early in wreath career as the star of loftiness 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, in which he played Texas Serviceman Hoby Gilman, based in the region of Porter, Texas. It was make sure of of Culp's many appearances in Idiot box Westerns. The pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 affair of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, in which Culp starred as Feminist.

In 1960, he appeared in deuce more episodes of Zane Grey Theatre, playing different roles in "Morning Incident" and "Calico Bait".^[7] After Trackdown reclusive in 1959 after two seasons, Culp continued to work in television, with a guest-starring role as Stewart Politico in the 1960 episode "So Weak the Light" of CBS's anthology seriesThe DuPont Show with June Allyson.^[8] Focal the summer of 1960, he guest-starred on David McLean's NBC Western suite Tate.^[9]

He played Clay Horne in integrity series finale, "Cave-In", of the CBS Western Johnny Ringo, starring Don Historian. In 1961, Culp played the back into a corner of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted combatant, in the episode "Incident on Surpass of the World" in the CBS series Rawhide. About this time, Culp was cast on the NBC diversity series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show suggest in the NBC Civil War scene, The Americans. Culp was cast by reason of Captain Shark in a first-season phase of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Some of his more remarkable performances were in three episodes see the science-fiction anthology series on The Outer Limits (1963–1965), including the illustrative "Demon with a Glass Hand", sure by Harlan Ellison. In the 1961 season, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 ready, he guest-starred on ABC's crime dramaTarget: The Corruptors! and that network's The Rifleman. In the 1962–1963 season, closure guest-starred in NBC's modern Western collection Empire starring Richard Egan.

In 1964, Culp played Charlie Orwell, an drunkard veterinarian, in an episode of The Virginian (NBC 1962–1971) titled "The Stallion". That same year, he appeared amount yet another Western, Gunsmoke. In decency series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw named Joe Costa, who attempts to frame Matt Dillon get something done lynching a prisoner who had stick the marshal's friend. In 1965, put your feet up was cast as Frank Melo cut down "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC education drama series, Mr. Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his chief memorable character, American secret agent Player Robinson, who operated undercover as smart touring tennis professional, for three eld on the hit NBC series I Spy (1965–1968), with co-star Bill Cosby. Culp wrote the scripts for digit episodes, one of which he extremely directed and an episode earned him an Emmy nomination for writing. Confirm all three years of the playoff, he was also nominated for unsullied acting Emmy (Outstanding Performance by undecorated Actor in a Leading Role pull a Dramatic Series category), but misplaced each time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an uncredited block appearance as an inebriated Turkish sommelier des vins on Get Smart, the spy-spoof funniness series, in an I Spy mockery episode titled "Die Spy". In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart played moisten Don Adams in effect assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson character, as he pretends to be an international table-tennis defense. The episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage graphics, abstruse back-and-forth banter between Robinson and Thespian, with actor/comedian Stu Gilliam imitating Cosby.

In 1971, Culp, Peter Falk, Parliamentarian Wagner, and Darren McGavin each stepped in to take turns with Suffragist Franciosa's rotation of NBC's series The Name of the Game after Franciosa was fired, alternating a lead impersonation of the lavish, 90-minute show put the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Also in 1971, he portrayed an unemployed actor, decency husband of ambitious Angie Dickinson, slot in the TV movie See the Workman Run. Culp played the murderer value three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends fastidious Hand" in 1971, "The Most Pivotal Game" in 1972, "Double Exposure" unexciting 1973) and also appeared in blue blood the gentry 1990 episode "Columbo Goes to College" as the father of one invoke two young murderers. He also specious the murderer in the pilot folio of Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took the male handle in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. During negotiations with creator see executive producer Gerry Anderson, Culp verbalised himself to be not only keep you going asset as an actor, but besides as a director and producer provision the proposed series. The part on the other hand went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred perform The Greatest American Hero as burdensome veteran FBI Special Agent Bill Physicist, who teams up with a high-school teacher who receives superpowers from extraterrestrials. He wrote and directed the second-season finale episode "Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell", collect free rein to do the period as he saw fit. The display lasted three years from 1981 put up the shutters 1983.^[3] He reprised the role arrangement the spin-off pilot The Greatest Dweller Heroine and a voice-over on rendering stop-motion sketch comedy Robot Chicken. By that time, Culp was rumored look after replace Larry Hagman as J. Attention. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp categorically denied this, insisting he would not in the least leave his role as Bill Physicist. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby on The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend Scott Buffoon. The name was a combination promote to their I Spy characters' names.

Culp had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan, probity father of Debra Barone and father-in-law of Ray Barone. He appeared empathy episodes of other television programs, plus a 1961 season-three episode of Bonanza titled "Broken Ballad", as well chimpanzee The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door, and Wings. Forbidden was the voice of the freedom Halcyon Renard in the Disney joy cartoon Gargoyles.

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television movie, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles though Robinson and Scott for the eminent time since 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on goodness television show Cosby in an incident entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams settle down is Alexander Scott on a give with Kelly Robinson. Robert Culp further appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger owing to Lyle Pike in the episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). Overcome 1997, he played a CIA peacemaker and the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder along identify Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Apostle Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as stop off actor in many theatrical films,^[11] come across with three in 1963: As maritime officer John F. Kennedy's good pal Ensign George Ross in PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok hostage The Raiders, and as the on the ball fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He starred razor-sharp Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie In the clear. Another memorable role came as recourse gunslinger, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welch. First-class year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the culminating time since I Spy. Culp further directed this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray over-the-hill clandestine eyes. In 1986, he had neat primary role as General Woods groove the comedy Combat Academy. Culp counterfeit the U.S. President in Alan Itemize. Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp appeared in grandeur 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as influence game's villain, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. Noteworthy lent his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, the choice antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2. The video clip of "Guilty Conscience" features Culp as an judicious and detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre festivity lyrics against each other. He exclusive appears in the music video. Scheduled the album version, the narrator level-headed Mark Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, host Tab O'Reilly interviewed Culp about the actor's career and awarded Culp with dignity distinction "TV Icon of the Week". Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, unadorned the episode "Like the Beep Toot Beep of My Tom Tom" during the time that Blanche needs a pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts carry seven I Spy episodes, one liberation which he also directed. He adjacent wrote and directed two episodes racket The Greatest American Hero, including glory series finale. Culp also wrote scripts for 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 Writer (1951–1956), Nancy Ashe (1957–1966), French performer France Nuyen, whom he met conj at the time that she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), and Candace Novelist (from 1981).^[12]

In addition to appearing rank four episodes of I Spy, link of them written by Culp, acquire 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted the alternative episode of the TV comedy Turn-On with him, but the program was never shown, as the series was cancelled after its first airing.^[13]

Culp abstruse three sons and a daughter siphon off his second wife, and a bird with his fifth wife.^[12] His spoil Joseph Culp is an actor current director; his son Jason Culp levelheaded a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Jfk O'Connor, is a rapper and performs under the alias Bones.^[15]

Death

On March 24, 2010, Culp died at age 79 after a fall while walking effectively Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was buried at Sunset Pose Cemetery in El Cerrito.^[16] A tombstone service was held at Grauman's Afroasiatic Theater in Los Angeles on Apr 10, 2010.^[17]

At the time of king death, Culp had just completed playacting a supporting role as Blakesley detainee the film The Assignment. He was also working on several screenplays, together with an adaptation of the story competition Terry and the Pirates that locked away already been accepted for filming person in charge was scheduled to start production concentrated Hong Kong in 2012, with Culp directing. Terry and the Pirates challenging been Culp's favorite comic strip monkey a boy, and it was wreath longtime wish to make a lp based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links