Ralph Truman
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 7, 1900
- Died
- October 15, 1977
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
Veteran British character player Ralph Truman was a pioneer radio actor and appeared in over 5000 broadcasts during his career. Born in London at the turn of the century, his overall film career was commendable but less enviable than his voice work on the airwaves. Originally from the stage, he had just finished a run of "Josef Suss" in 1930 when he moved directly into films, making his unbilled debut in the early talkie Farewell to Love (1931). Throughout the 1930s he would be found steadily in "B" films including The Bells (1931), That's My Uncle (1935), The Lad (1935), Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1935), Under the Red Robe (1937) and Dinner at the Ritz (1937). In the 1940s the distinctively balding, hook-nosed actor found featured work in more important films such as his Mountjoy in Laurence Olivier's stellar Shakespearean piece Henry V (1944). A natural for period settings, Truman played the nefarious Monks in Oliver Twist (1948), and was part of the large-scale proceedings in Christopher Columbus (1949) and Treasure Island (1950), giving animated Robert Newton a run for the money in the latter with a ripe, over-the-top pirate performance as George Merry. Married to fellow radio artist Ellis Powell, he was best known in later years for playing men of high ranking or position (lords, captains, admirals, governors, etc.). He retired after appearing in two final period epics: Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). He passed away a few years later. - IMDb mini biography by: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
Filmography
Lady Caroline Lamb 1972
as Admiral
Nicholas and Alexandra 1971
as Rodzianko
El Cid 1961
as King Ferdinand
Exodus 1960
as Colonel
Under Ten Flags 1960
as Admiral Bensen
Ben-Hur 1959
as Aide to Tiberius (uncredited)
Web of Evidence 1959
as Sir Matthew Sprott
The Spaniard's Curse 1958
as Sir Robert Wyvern
The Good Companions 1957
as George Memsford
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst 1957
as Vice Admiral
The Long Arm 1956
as Colonel Blenkinsop
Wicked as They Come 1956
as John Dowling
The Man Who Knew Too Much 1956
as Buchanan
The Black Tent 1956
as Major Cross
Tons of Trouble 1956
as Inspector Bridger
The Ship That Died of Shame 1955
as Sir Richard
The Night My Number Came Up 1955
as Wainwright
Beau Brummell 1954
as Sir Ralph Sidley
The Master of Ballantrae 1953
as Clarendon
Malta Story 1953
as Vice Adm Willie Banks
The Golden Coach 1952
as Duc de Castro
Quo Vadis 1951
as Tigellinus
Treasure Island 1950
as George Merry
- The Reluctant Widow
The Reluctant Widow 1950
as Scowler
Christopher Columbus 1949
as Captain
The Interrupted Journey 1949
as Inspector Waterson
Eureka Stockade 1949
as Gov. Hotham
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill 1948
as Comber
Oliver Twist 1948
as Monks
Mrs. Fitzherbert 1947
as Richard Brinsley Sheridan
The Adventures of Dusty Bates 1947
as Merryvale
The Man Within 1947
as Prison Interrogator
The Laughing Lady 1946
as Lord Mandeville
- Papworth Village Settlement
Papworth Village Settlement 1946
as Narrator (voice)
Beware of Pity 1946
as Maj. Sandor Balinkay
Lisbon Story 1946
as Police Commissionaire
- Read All About It
Read All About It 1945
as Robertson
Henry V 1944
as Mountjoy - The French Herald
The Butler's Dilemma 1943
as Bishop
Sabotage at Sea 1942
as Horace Chandler
The Seventh Survivor 1942
as Captain
The Saint in London 1939
as Kussella
Black Eyes 1939
as Diner
The Outsider 1939
as Sir Nathan Israel
Life of St. Paul 1938
as Orderly
South Riding 1938
as Nursing Home Doctor
The Challenge 1938
as Giordano
The Drum 1938
as Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Dinner at the Ritz 1937
as Auctioneer
- Change for a Sovereign
Change for a Sovereign 1937
as Archduke Paul
Secret Lives 1937
as Prison Guard
Fire Over England 1937
as Spanish Inquisition Representative (uncredited)
Dusty Ermine 1936
as Second Thug (uncredited)
The Crimson Circle 1936
as Lawrence Fuller
- The Marriage of Corbal
The Marriage of Corbal 1936
as Charles
Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk 1935
as Sam Cohen
- Captain Bill
Captain Bill 1935
as Red
The Silent Passenger 1935
as Saunders
- The Case of Gabriel Perry
The Case of Gabriel Perry 1935
as Inspector White
Three Witnesses 1935
as Bellman
- The Perfect Flaw
The Perfect Flaw 1934
as Richard Drexel
The Shadow 1933
as Chief Inspector Elliot
- Partners Please
Partners Please 1932
as CID Man
The Bells 1931
as Blacksmith
Credits from TMDB.