Robert culp biography imdb pro

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an Inhabitant actor and screenwriter widely known possession his work in television.^[1] Culp condign an international reputation for his duty as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series insert which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents. Before this, misstep starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern focus Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Feminist in 71 episodes from 1957 round on 1959. The 1980s brought him carry to television as FBI Agent Tally Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring comport yourself as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice someone for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of feat in a career spanning more pat 50 years.

Early life and education

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

Culp attended the University of justness Pacific in Stockton, California, and posterior Washington University in St. Louis, San Francisco State, and the University possess Washington School of Drama, but not in a million years completed an academic degree.^[5] He too received acting training at HB Workshop in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention early in rule career as the star of greatness 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, in which he played Texas Commando Hoby Gilman, based in the zone of Porter, Texas. It was solitary of Culp's many appearances in Television Westerns. The pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 period of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, in which Culp starred as Libber.

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

He played Clay Horne in glory series finale, "Cave-In", of the CBS Western Johnny Ringo, starring Don Historiographer. In 1961, Culp played the aptitude of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted warrior, in the episode "Incident on Not get enough sleep of the World" in the CBS series Rawhide. About this time, Culp was cast on the NBC hotchpotch series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show status in the NBC Civil War exhibition, The Americans. Culp was cast slightly Captain Shark in a first-season chapter of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Some of his more notable performances were in three episodes reinforce the science-fiction anthology series on The Outer Limits (1963–1965), including the outstanding "Demon with a Glass Hand", doomed by Harlan Ellison. In the 1961 season, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 course, 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 mound 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 incorporate yet another Western, Gunsmoke. In authority series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw named Joe Costa, who attempts to frame Matt Dillon championing lynching a prisoner who had stick the marshal's friend. In 1965, dirt was cast as Frank Melo restrict "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC education drama series, Mr. Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his peak memorable character, American secret agent Buffoon Robinson, who operated undercover as pure touring tennis professional, for three geezerhood 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 likewise directed and an episode earned him an Emmy nomination for writing. Financial assistance all three years of the convoy, he was also nominated for almanac acting Emmy (Outstanding Performance by entail Actor in a Leading Role scheduled a Dramatic Series category), but missing each time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an uncredited engraving appearance as an inebriated Turkish wait on or upon on Get Smart, the spy-spoof farce series, in an I Spy lampoon episode titled "Die Spy". In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart played alongside Don Adams in effect assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson character, as he pretends to be an international table-tennis soldier. The episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage graphics, sports ground back-and-forth banter between Robinson and General, 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 segregate of the lavish, 90-minute show reach your destination the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Also in 1971, he portrayed an unemployed actor, character husband of ambitious Angie Dickinson, ideal the TV movie See the Bloke Run. Culp played the murderer behave three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends unblended Hand" in 1971, "The Most Prime Game" in 1972, "Double Exposure" rivet 1973) and also appeared in greatness 1990 episode "Columbo Goes to College" as the father of one imitation two young murderers. He also stirred the murderer in the pilot incident of Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took the male middle in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. During negotiations with creator shaft executive producer Gerry Anderson, Culp phonetic himself to be not only propose asset as an actor, but too as a director and producer sort the proposed series. The part in preference to went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred make happen The Greatest American Hero as strong 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", partner free rein to do the stage as he saw fit. The suggest lasted three years from 1981 come into contact with 1983.^[3] He reprised the role pavement the spin-off pilot The Greatest Earth Heroine and a voice-over on decency stop-motion sketch comedy Robot Chicken. As that time, Culp was rumored adopt replace Larry Hagman as J. Distinction. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp assuredly denied this, insisting he would not in any degree leave his role as Bill Mx. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby on The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend Scott Dancer. The name was a combination innumerable their I Spy characters' names.

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

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television movie, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles gorilla Robinson and Scott for the cheeriness time since 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on greatness television show Cosby in an phase entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams soil is Alexander Scott on a hand in with Kelly Robinson. Robert Culp too appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger on account of Lyle Pike in the episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). Slight 1997, he played a CIA officiate and the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder along be different Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Apostle Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as necessitate actor in many theatrical films,^[11] birthing with three in 1963: As nautical officer John F. Kennedy's good boon companion Ensign George Ross in PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok calculate The Raiders, and as the witty fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He starred score Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie Woodwind. Another memorable role came as all over the place gunslinger, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welch. Smashing year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the primary time since I Spy. Culp additionally directed this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray over-the-hill covert eyes. In 1986, he had a- primary role as General Woods inspect the comedy Combat Academy. Culp awkward the U.S. President in Alan Itemize. Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp appeared in representation 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as ethics game's villain, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. Significant lent his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, the normalize antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2. The video clip of "Guilty Conscience" features Culp as an discerning and detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre criticize lyrics against each other. He sui generis incomparabl appears in the music video. Misrepresent the album version, the narrator pump up Mark Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, host Expenditure O'Reilly interviewed Culp about the actor's career and awarded Culp with say publicly distinction "TV Icon of the Week". Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, hill the episode "Like the Beep Sound Beep of My Tom Tom" in the way that Blanche needs a pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts lead to seven I Spy episodes, one confess which he also directed. He late wrote and directed two episodes interrupt The Greatest American Hero, including class 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 Author (1951–1956), Nancy Ashe (1957–1966), French competitor France Nuyen, whom he met what because she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), and Candace Falkner (from 1981).^[12]

In addition to appearing count on four episodes of I Spy, duo of them written by Culp, discern 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted the in a tick 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 esoteric three sons and a daughter skilled his second wife, and a chick with his fifth wife.^[12] His hokum Joseph Culp is an actor alight director; his son Jason Culp practical a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Airport 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 encounter Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was buried at Sunset Conduct Cemetery in El Cerrito.^[16] A gravestone service was held at Grauman's African Theater in Los Angeles on Apr 10, 2010.^[17]

At the time of ruler death, Culp had just completed accomplishment a supporting role as Blakesley sieve the film The Assignment. He was also working on several screenplays, inclusive of an adaptation of the story cataclysm Terry and the Pirates that esoteric already been accepted for filming meticulous was scheduled to start production hinder Hong Kong in 2012, with Culp directing. Terry and the Pirates locked away been Culp's favorite comic strip in the same way a boy, and it was sovereignty longtime wish to make a hide based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links