Ronald Colman

Lore & Background

Ronald Charles Colman was born on 9 February 1891 in Richmond, Surrey, the third son and fifth child of a silk merchant and mantle manufacturer. He was educated at a school in Littlehampton, where he discovered a love for acting despite his natural shyness, and later attended a school in Ealing run by a German-born headmaster. His plan to study engineering at Cambridge was abandoned after his father’s sudden death from pneumonia in 1907 made it financially impossible. Before the First World War, Colman worked as a clerk in London and joined the London Scottish Regiment. When war broke out, he quit his job and rejoined the regiment. In October 1914, near Ypres, he was buried alive by a shell explosion but was dug out unharmed. The following day, during the Battle of Messines, he was seriously wounded in the right ankle, an injury that left him with a permanent limp he tried to conceal throughout his acting career. He was discharged from military service in May 1915 as no longer fit for war duty. Colman began his stage career in concert parties and amateur dramatics, performing banjo solos, songs, recitations, and character sketches from Dickens. He later emigrated to the United States, where he became a highly successful Hollywood star. He appeared in silent films and transitioned smoothly to sound, aided by his distinctive, pleasing voice. He was most popular during the 1930s and 1940s, starring in classics such as *A Tale of Two Cities*, *Lost Horizon*, and *The Prisoner of Zenda*. He received Oscar nominations for *Bulldog Drummond*, *Condemned*, and *Random Harvest*, and won the Academy Award for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for his performance in *A Double Life*. Colman also starred in the Technicolor film *Kismet* with Marlene Dietrich. He was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and another for television work.

Reader's Guide

Ronald Colman’s career illustrates the successful navigation of a pivotal era in cinema. He began performing in amateur theatricals and concert parties in England before the First World War, appearing in character sketches from Dickens and original pieces. His military service in the London Scottish Regiment ended after he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Messines in 1914, an injury that left him with a lasting limp he worked to conceal on stage and screen. After the war, he transitioned from the English stage to silent film in his native country before emigrating to the United States, where he built a major Hollywood career. His distinctive, pleasing voice proved a crucial asset when sound films arrived, allowing him to move seamlessly from silent features into talkies. Colman’s peak popularity came in the 1930s and 1940s, during which he starred in classic productions such as *A Tale of Two Cities*, *Lost Horizon*, and *The Prisoner of Zenda*. He earned Academy Award nominations for *Bulldog Drummond*, *Condemned*, and *Random Harvest*, and won the Oscar for Best Actor and a Golden Globe for his performance in *A Double Life*. He also received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for both motion pictures and television. His career exemplifies the adaptability and sustained appeal of a classically trained English performer within Hollywood’s golden age.

Did You Know?

• Colman was a cousin of the Labour politician Grace Colman.
• He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures and a second star for television work.