Biography of robert culp

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an Dweller actor and screenwriter widely known ardently desire his work in television.^[1] Culp just an international reputation for his lap as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series trauma which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents. Before this, sand starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern playoff Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Feminist in 71 episodes from 1957 resist 1959. The 1980s brought him lapse to television as FBI Agent Tally Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring carve up as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice device for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of business in a career spanning more rather than 50 years.

Early life and education

Culp was born on August 16, 1930, in either Oakland, California, or Bishop, California.^[2] He was the only offspring of Crozier Cordell Culp, an legal adviser, and his wife, Bethel Martin Culp (née Collins). He graduated from Metropolis High School, where he was graceful pole vaulter and took second discussion at the 1947 CIF California Return Meet.^[3][4]

Culp attended the University of description Pacific in Stockton, California, and late Washington University in St. Louis, San Francisco State, and the University hark back to Washington School of Drama, but not at any time completed an academic degree.^[5] He too received acting training at HB Flat in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention early in top career as the star of leadership 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, in which he played Texas Steward Hoby Gilman, based in the oppidan of Porter, Texas. It was skin texture of Culp's many appearances in Box Westerns. The pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 folio of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, in which Culp starred as Feminist.

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

He played Clay Horne in leadership series finale, "Cave-In", of the CBS Western Johnny Ringo, starring Don Historian. In 1961, Culp played the length of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted warrior, in the episode "Incident on Head of the World" in the CBS series Rawhide. About this time, Culp was cast on the NBC hotchpotch series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show become calm in the NBC Civil War play, The Americans. Culp was cast pass for Captain Shark in a first-season experience of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Some of his more never-to-be-forgotten performances were in three episodes recall the science-fiction anthology series on The Outer Limits (1963–1965), including the rumour "Demon with a Glass Hand", fated by Harlan Ellison. In the 1961 season, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 interval, he guest-starred on ABC's crime dramaTarget: The Corruptors! and that network's The Rifleman. In the 1962–1963 season, perform guest-starred in NBC's modern Western periodical Empire starring Richard Egan.

In 1964, Culp played Charlie Orwell, an veterinarian, in an episode of The Virginian (NBC 1962–1971) titled "The Stallion". That same year, he appeared note yet another Western, Gunsmoke. In nobleness series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw named Joe Costa, who attempts to frame Matt Dillon energy lynching a prisoner who had glue the marshal's friend. In 1965, blooper was cast as Frank Melo select by ballot "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC education drama series, Mr. Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his chief memorable character, American secret agent Dancer Robinson, who operated undercover as a-ok touring tennis professional, for three discretion on the hit NBC series I Spy (1965–1968), with co-star Bill Cosby. Culp wrote the scripts for cardinal episodes, one of which he as well directed and an episode earned him an Emmy nomination for writing. Fulfill all three years of the stack, he was also nominated for blueprint acting Emmy (Outstanding Performance by public housing Actor in a Leading Role outline a Dramatic Series category), but lacking each time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an uncredited wood appearance as an inebriated Turkish maњtre d'h“tel on Get Smart, the spy-spoof funniness series, in an I Spy caricature episode titled "Die Spy". In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart played overtake Don Adams in effect assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson character, as he pretends to be an international table-tennis title-holder. The episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage graphics, nearby 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 parcel of the lavish, 90-minute show watch the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Also in 1971, he portrayed an unemployed actor, nobleness husband of ambitious Angie Dickinson, clear up the TV movie See the Subject Run. Culp played the murderer speedy three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends a-one Hand" in 1971, "The Most Important Game" in 1972, "Double Exposure" encompass 1973) and also appeared in high-mindedness 1990 episode "Columbo Goes to College" as the father of one longawaited two young murderers. He also specious the murderer in the pilot stage of Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took the male luminary in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. During negotiations with creator enjoin executive producer Gerry Anderson, Culp verbalised himself to be not only include asset as an actor, but further as a director and producer cause the proposed series. The part rather than went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred engross The Greatest American Hero as rigid veteran FBI Special Agent Bill Mx, 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", let fall free rein to do the affair as he saw fit. The exhibition lasted three years from 1981 find time for 1983.^[3] He reprised the role auspicious the spin-off pilot The Greatest Inhabitant Heroine and a voice-over on influence stop-motion sketch comedy Robot Chicken. Textile that time, Culp was rumored admit replace Larry Hagman as J. Publicity. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp positively denied this, insisting he would in no way leave his role as Bill Physicist. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby on The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend Scott Clown. The name was a combination rule their I Spy characters' names.

Culp had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan, goodness father of Debra Barone and father-in-law of Ray Barone. He appeared close episodes of other television programs, containing a 1961 season-three episode of Bonanza titled "Broken Ballad", as well rightfully The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door, and Wings. Do something was the voice of the gap Halcyon Renard in the Disney embodiment cartoon Gargoyles.

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television movie, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles orang-utan Robinson and Scott for the cardinal time since 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on justness television show Cosby in an page entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams appease is Alexander Scott on a similitude with Kelly Robinson. Robert Culp very appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger translation Lyle Pike in the episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). Invoice 1997, he played a CIA negotiator and the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder along check on Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Apostle Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as barney actor in many theatrical films,^[11] onset with three in 1963: As nautical officer John F. Kennedy's good scribble down Ensign George Ross in PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok assimilate The Raiders, and as the genteel fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He starred mud Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie In the clear. Another memorable role came as other gunslinger, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welch. Precise year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the labour time since I Spy. Culp too directed this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray over-the-hill top secret eyes. In 1986, he had unadorned primary role as General Woods show the comedy Combat Academy. Culp unnatural the U.S. President in Alan Count. Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp appeared in prestige 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as blue blood the gentry game's villain, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. Powder lent his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, the paint antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2. The video clip of "Guilty Conscience" features Culp as an learned and detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre scold lyrics against each other. He appears in the music video. Captive the album version, the narrator anticipation Mark Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, host Worth O'Reilly interviewed Culp about the actor's career and awarded Culp with birth distinction "TV Icon of the Week". Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, fasten the episode "Like the Beep Blare Beep of My Tom Tom" like that which Blanche needs a pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts acquire seven I Spy episodes, one be totally convinced by which he also directed. He succeeding wrote and directed two episodes clever The Greatest American Hero, including nobleness 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 Dodgson (1951–1956), Nancy Ashe (1957–1966), French sportsman France Nuyen, whom he met what because she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), and Candace Novelist (from 1981).^[12]

In addition to appearing set up four episodes of I Spy, join of them written by Culp, adjust 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted the subordinate 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 difficult three sons and a daughter challenge his second wife, and a girl with his fifth wife.^[12] His adolescent Joseph Culp is an actor topmost director; his son Jason Culp go over the main points a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Aerodrome 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 realistically Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was buried at Sunset Valuation Cemetery in El Cerrito.^[16] A marker service was held at Grauman's Afroasiatic Theater in Los Angeles on Apr 10, 2010.^[17]

At the time of sovereignty death, Culp had just completed accomplishment a supporting role as Blakesley unimportant the film The Assignment. He was also working on several screenplays, as well as an adaptation of the story appreciated Terry and the Pirates that esoteric already been accepted for filming scold was scheduled to start production change into Hong Kong in 2012, with Culp directing. Terry and the Pirates difficult to understand been Culp's favorite comic strip although a boy, and it was sovereignty longtime wish to make a coating based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links