Biography robert culp

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Culp
Culp in a publicity ikon in 1965
Born	Robert Martin Culp (1930-08-16)August 16, 1930 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died	March 24, 2010(2010-03-24) (aged 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Sunset View Cemetery, El Cerrito, California
Education
Occupations
Years active	1953–2010
Spouses	Elayne Carroll ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1956)​ Nancy Wilner ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1966)​ France Nuyen ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1970)​ Sheila Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1976)​ Candace Faulkner ​ (m. 1981)​
Children	5, including Joseph Culp
Relatives	Elmo Kennedy "Bones" O'Connor (grandson)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American theatrical and screenwriter widely known back his work in television.^[1] Culp earned an international reputation beseech his role as Kelly Actor on I Spy (1965–1968), nobleness espionage television series in which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents.

Before that, he starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern series Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman in 71 episodes from 1957 to 1959. The 1980s brought him at the present time to television as FBI Mole Bill Maxwell on The Top American Hero. Later, he difficult to understand a recurring role as Poet Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice aspect for various computer games, inclusive of Half-Life 2.

Culp gave droves of performances in a continuance spanning more than 50 epoch.

Early life and education

Culp was born on August 16, 1930, in either Oakland, California, grandeur Berkeley, California.^[2] He was integrity only child of Crozier Cordell Culp, an attorney, and realm wife, Bethel Martin Culp (née Collins).

He graduated from Bishop High School, where he was a pole vaulter and took second place at the 1947 CIF California State Meet.^[3][4]

Culp oversupplied with the University of the Ocean in Stockton, California, and subsequent Washington University in St. Gladiator, San Francisco State, and integrity University of Washington School make famous Drama, but never completed effect academic degree.^[5] He also accustomed acting training at HB Mansion in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention specifically in his career as grandeur star of the 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, redraft which he played Texas Fireman Hoby Gilman, based in interpretation town of Porter, Texas.

Run into was one of Culp's spend time at appearances in TV Westerns. Say publicly pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 experience of Dick Powell's Zane Waxen Theatre, in which Culp marked as Gilman.

In 1960, illegal appeared in two more episodes of Zane Grey Theatre, appearance different roles in "Morning Incident" and "Calico Bait".^[7] After Trackdown ended in 1959 after several seasons, Culp continued to attention in television, including a guest-starring role as Stewart Douglas discredit the 1960 episode "So Wane the Light" of CBS's assortment seriesThe DuPont Show with June Allyson.^[8] In the summer illustrate 1960, he guest-starred on King McLean's NBC Western series Tate.^[9]

He played Clay Horne in honourableness series finale, "Cave-In", of probity CBS Western Johnny Ringo, investment Don Durant.

In 1961, Culp played the part of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted soldier, play a role the episode "Incident on Uplift of the World" in high-mindedness CBS series Rawhide. About that time, Culp was cast far from certain the NBC anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show and pimple the NBC Civil War pageant, The Americans.

Culp was hallmark as Captain Shark in top-hole first-season episode of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Harsh of his more memorable archives were in three episodes worldly the science-fiction anthology series activity The Outer Limits (1963–1965), with the classic "Demon with shipshape and bristol fashion Glass Hand", written by Harlan Ellison.

In the 1961 period, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 season, he guest-starred on ABC's crime dramaTarget: The Corruptors! streak that network's The Rifleman. Tag the 1962–1963 season, he guest-starred in NBC's modern Western sequence Empire starring Richard Egan.

In 1964, Culp played Charlie Writer, an alcoholic veterinarian, in air episode of The Virginian (NBC 1962–1971) titled "The Stallion".

Ditch same year, he appeared adjoin yet another Western, Gunsmoke. Coerce the series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw called Joe Costa, who attempts commend frame Matt Dillon for noose know the ropes be a prisoner who had stick the marshal's friend. In 1965, he was cast as Uninhibited Melo in "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC tuition drama series, Mr.

Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his overbearing memorable character, American secret conciliator Kelly Robinson, who operated secret as a touring tennis finish, for three years on interpretation hit NBC series I Spy (1965–1968), with co-star Bill Cosby. Culp wrote the scripts request seven episodes, one of which he also directed and deal with episode earned him an Accolade nomination for writing.

For gross three years of the rooms, he was also nominated long an acting Emmy (Outstanding Effectuation by an Actor in swell Leading Role in a Glowing Series category), but lost each one time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an incognito cameo appearance as an befuddled Turkish waiter on Get Smart, the spy-spoof comedy series, make a purchase of an I Spy parody experience titled "Die Spy".

In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart mannered by Don Adams in suitcase assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson monogram, as he pretends to last an international table-tennis champion. Nobility episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage art, and back-and-forth banter between Player and Scott, with actor/comedian Stu Gilliam imitating Cosby.

In 1971, Culp, Peter Falk, Robert Music, and Darren McGavin each stepped in to take turns go through Anthony Franciosa's rotation of NBC's series The Name of distinction Game after Franciosa was pink-slipped, alternating a lead role put the lavish, 90-minute show dance the magazine business with Sequence Barry and Robert Stack.

Further in 1971, he portrayed expansive unemployed actor, the husband see ambitious Angie Dickinson, in representation TV movie See the Adult Run. Culp played the killing in three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends a Hand" in 1971, "The Most Crucial Game" outing 1972, "Double Exposure" in 1973) and also appeared in righteousness 1990 episode "Columbo Goes denigration College" as the father homework one of two young murderers.

He also played the manslaughter in the pilot episode claim Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took picture male lead in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. Sooner than negotiations with creator and be bothered producer Gerry Anderson, Culp verbalized himself to be not inimitable an asset as an phenomenon, but also as a official and producer for the tiny series.

The part instead went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred directive The Greatest American Hero by the same token tough veteran FBI Special Messenger Bill Maxwell, who teams trait with a high-school teacher who receives superpowers from extraterrestrials. Grace wrote and directed the second-season finale episode "Lilacs, Mr.

Maxwell", with free rein to dent the episode as he adage fit. The show lasted years from 1981 to 1983.^[3] He reprised the role play in the spin-off pilot The Extreme American Heroine and a relating on the stop-motion sketch jesting Robot Chicken. During that put on ice, Culp was rumored to supersede Larry Hagman as J.

Distinction. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp firmly denied this, insisting inaccuracy would never leave his function as Bill Maxwell. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby inthing The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend General Kelly. The name was excellent combination of their I Spy characters' names.

Culp had simple recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan, probity father of Debra Barone plus father-in-law of Ray Barone.

Sharptasting appeared on episodes of irritate television programs, including a 1961 season-three episode of Bonanza aristocratic "Broken Ballad", as well orang-utan The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door, prosperous Wings. He was the expression of the character Halcyon Renard in the Disney adventure drawing Gargoyles.

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television film, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles as Robinson and Explorer for the first time by reason of 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on blue blood the gentry television show Cosby in blueprint episode entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams he is Alexanders Scott on a mission sound out Kelly Robinson.

Robert Culp too appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger as Lyle Pike in high-mindedness episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). In 1997, soil played a CIA agent nearby the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder in front with Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Patrick Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as an actor focal point many theatrical films,^[11] beginning affair three in 1963: As maritime officer John F.

Kennedy's admissible friend Ensign George Ross conduct yourself PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok in The Raiders, and as the debonair fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He asterisked in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie Wood. Another noteworthy role came as another liquidator, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welsh.

A year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the first time thanks to I Spy. Culp also scheduled this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray superannuated private eyes. In 1986, smartness had a primary role little General Woods in the farce Combat Academy. Culp played greatness U.S. President in Alan Number.

Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp attended in the 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as the game's malefactor, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. He roller his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, description prime antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2.

The tv clip of "Guilty Conscience" quality Culp as an erudite dowel detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre rap lyrics against each curb. He only appears in depiction music video. In the recording version, the narrator is Strain Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, hotelman Bill O'Reilly interviewed Culp search out the actor's career and awarded Culp with the distinction "TV Icon of the Week".

Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, employ the episode "Like the Toot Beep Beep of My Black Tom" when Blanche needs dialect trig pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts for heptad I Spy episodes, one classic which he also directed. Settle down later wrote and directed one episodes of The Greatest Land Hero, including the series polish.

Culp also wrote scripts shelter 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 Carroll (1951–1956), Ashe (1957–1966), French actress Author Nuyen, whom he met what because she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), essential Candace Faulkner (from 1981).^[12]

In as well as to appearing in four episodes of I Spy, two appreciate them written by Culp, make a way into 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted rank second episode of the Idiot box comedy Turn-On with him, on the other hand the program was never shown, as the series was postponed after its first airing.^[13]

Culp locked away three sons and a colleen with his second wife, take up a daughter with his ordinal wife.^[12] His son Joseph Culp is an actor and director; his son Jason Culp not bad a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Kennedy O'Connor, is graceful rapper and performs under justness alias Bones.^[15]

Death

On March 24, 2010, Culp died at age 79 after a fall while on foot near Runyon Canyon Park include Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was consigned to the grave at Sunset View Cemetery comic story El Cerrito.^[16] A memorial swagger was held at Grauman's African Theater in Los Angeles crowd April 10, 2010.^[17]

At the delay of his death, Culp difficult just completed performing a stance role as Blakesley in excellence film The Assignment.

He was also working on several screenplays, including an adaptation of righteousness story of Terry and rectitude Pirates that had already archaic accepted for filming and was scheduled to start production entertain Hong Kong in 2012, narrow Culp directing. Terry and distinction Pirates had been Culp's favourite comic strip as a fellow, and it was his longtime wish to make a ep based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links