Ron Randell
| Ron Randell | |
|---|---|
Randell in Follow the Boys (1963)
|
|
| Born |
Ronald Egan Randell 8 October 1918 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 11 June 2005 (aged 86) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1942–1995 |
| Spouse(s) |
Elaine Diana Maltzman (1948–1949) (divorced) Marie Keith (1952–1955) (divorced) Laya Raki (1955–2005) (his death) |
Ronald Egan "Ron" Randell (8 October 1918 – 11 June 2005) was an Australian film and stage actor who also worked in the USA and Britain.
Randell was born Sydney, Australia. He started his career as a stage and radio performer in his teens. He soon established himself as a leading male juvenile for radio, acting for 2KY Players, George Edwards, BAP and on Lux Playhouse. He also worked as a compere for variety shows, in particular with Jack Davey. The majority of his stage work was done at the Minerva Theatre, including performances in Of Mice and Men and The Voice of the Turtle.
In 1943-44 he toured America, working in theatre and radio in San Francisco and Los Angeles, before returning to Sydney. Around this time he changed his professional name from "Ron Randall" to "Ron Randell" to avoid confusion with actor George Randall.
Randell's break came when he was spotted by producer Nick Perry at the Minerva Theatre performing in While the Sun Shines. This led to Randell being cast as the lead in Smithy, a biographical film about the pioneering Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, who made the first flight across the Pacific (from the United States to Australia) in 1928. (The film was released as Pacific Adventure in the United States and as Southern Cross in the UK).
Randell had previously appeared in another film, A Son Is Born, opposite Peter Finch and Muriel Steinbeck. Although made before Smithy, its release was held off until after the latter film had come out, to take advantage of its publicity.
Smithy had been made with funds from Columbia Pictures, who offered Randell a long-term contract and he moved to Hollywood in October 1946.
Columbia cast Randell as Bulldog Drummond in two low-budget films, Bulldog Drummond at Bay and Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back. (These were made for an independent company, Venture, but released through Columbia.) Columbia were impressed enough by this to cast Randell in a good support roles in an expensive "A" production, It Had to Be You (1947). This was followed by The Mating of Millie (1947) and the prestigious The Loves of Carmen (1948), which indicated he was one of Columbia's bright new stars. Then came Sign of the Ram and two lower budgeted films The Lone Wolf and His Lady and Make Believe Ballroom.
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