Paul Carpenter (actor)

Paul Carpenter
Born
Patrick Paul Lane Charpentier

(1921-12-08)8 December 1921
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died12 June 1964(1964-06-12) (aged 42)
Years active1946–1964
Spouses
  • Pauline Black
    (m. 1947; div. 1953)
  • Kim Parker
    (m. 1955; div. 1958)

Paul Carpenter (born Patrick Paul Lane Charpentier; 8 December 1921 – 12 June 1964) was a Canadian actor and singer.[1]

Life and career

Carpenter originally attended medical school in Montreal, but left aged 17 to join the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a war correspondent.[2] He also played professional hockey in Canada.[3]

He moved to Britain and sang with Ted Heath and His Music in the 1940s and starred in the BBC Radio serial Riders of the Range (1949–1953) as the cowboy Jeff Arnold, where he shared the billing with his dog, Rustler (played by Percy Edwards).[4]

As a movie actor he "made over three dozen British films in the post-war decades, most of them 'B' pictures, such as Diplomatic Passport (1954) and One Jump Ahead (1955), to which he brought an easy, likeable authority that seemed more difficult for British actors to achieve". His voice was so mellifluous, he would often be cast as announcers. His final (uncredited) film appearance was in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger where he played an American General escorting James Bond.[5]

During 1955-1956, he starred in his only television programme, Sailor of Fortune with Lorne Greene.

Death

During rehearsals for the play The First Fish by Frank Tarloff at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, with a cast that included Moira Lister, Louie Ramsay and Ray Barrett, Carpenter arrived at the theatre and asked to be helped to a dressing room as he felt unwell. The director, Charles Ross, and the other actors were unaware he was at the theatre. He was found dead alone in the dressing room three hours later. He had recently recovered from injuries suffered in a car accident.[2][3]

Partial filmography

Selected film appearances
Year Title Role Notes
1946 This Man Is Mine Uncredited
1946 School for Secrets Flt. Lt. Argylle
1948 Uneasy Terms Windy Nicholls
1949 The Third Man International Patrol D Uncredited
1949 Landfall F/O Morgan
1953 Albert R.N. Fred
1954 Face the Music Johnny Sutherland
1954 The Weak and the Wicked Joe, Babs' boyfriend
1954 Night People Eddie Whitby
1954 The House Across the Lake Vincent Gordon
1954 The Diamond Mickey Sweeney Uncredited
1954 Johnny on the Spot Paul Carrington
1954 Five Days Paul Kirby
1954 Duel in the Jungle Pan American Airways Clerk
1954 A Stranger Came Home Bill Saul
1954 Diplomatic Passport Ray Anderson
1954 The Young Lovers Gregg Pearson
1954 The Sea Shall Not Have Them Lt Patrick Boyle, Sea Otter Pilot
1954 Mask of Dust Racetrack Announcer Uncredited
1954 The Red Dress Hannibal Jones Segment: "Meet Mr. Jones"
1954 The Last Moment Derwent Segment: "The Last Moment"
1955 Shadow of a Man Gene Landers
1955 One Jump Ahead Paul Banner
1955 The Hornet's Nest Bob Bartlett
1955 Doctor at Sea Captain Uncredited
1955 Stock Car Larry Duke
1956 The Narrowing Circle Dave Nelson
1956 Women Without Men Nick Randall UK version
1956 The Iron Petticoat Major Lewis
1956 Reach for the Sky Hall Uncredited
1956 Fire Maidens from Outer Space Capt. Larson
1956 Behind the Headlines Paul Banner
1956 The Battle of the River Plate American reporter in Uruguay Uncredited
1956 Action Stations Bob Reynolds
1957 No Road Back Clem Hayes
1957 Murder Reported Jeff Holly Reporter
1957 The Hypnotist Valentine Neal
1957 Les Espions Le Colonel Howard
1958 Undercover Girl Johnny Carter
1958 Intent to Kill O'Brien
1959 Jet Storm George Towers
1959 Date at Midnight Bob Dillon
1960 Wernher von Braun Launch Countdown Coordinator Uncredited
1960 Surprise Package Television News Broadcaster Uncredited
1962 Jacktown Policeman No. 1
1963 Panic Fight Commentator
1963 Call Me Bwana Col. Spencer
1963 Dr. Crippen Bruce Martin
1963 Maigret Sees Red Harry McDonald
1964 The Beauty Jungle American Tourist Uncredited
1964 First Men in the Moon Reporter from the 'Express' Uncredited
1964 Goldfinger US General at airport Uncredited – final film role

References

  1. ^ "Paul Carpenter". BFI. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Paul Carpenter, actor, Dies Before Rehearsal in London". The New York Times. 13 June 1964.
  3. ^ a b "Paul Carpenter – Actor". northernstars.ca. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Charles Chilton". The Daily Telegraph. 3 January 2013.
  5. ^ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film (softcover) (1st ed.). London & Basingstoke: BFI/Palgrave Macmillan. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-84457-319-6.