photographed by mark rykoff
photographed by anton bruehl, ca. 1935
in front of his home, 1924
with vilma banky in the dark angel, 1925
photographed by edward steichen, ca. 1932
in the prisoner of zenda, 1937
in devil to pay, ca. 1930
photographed by george hoyningen-huene, ca. 1929
with john howard & alexander lovette in lost horizon, ca. 1937
wearing a tuxedo from the 1935 film the man who broke the bank at monte carlo, ca. 1935
lost horizon
ronald colman (9 february 1891 - 19 may 1958)
i first saw ronald colman on t.v. when i was around 8 or 9....the sunday movies played lost horizon. after a plane crash they end up in shangri-la. if you have never seen him in a film you have no idea how beautiful his voice was. (i just found a clip....posted above!) i still think he is one of the most handsome and debonair men ever. just recently i saw the last few minutes of lost horizon on cable and i was still mesmerized and instantly taken back to that first time i saw him. i think my love of him cemented my love of classic films - i spent most of my early years lost in 1930s & 40s films & it definitely shaped my personality and style.
colman was quite successful in silent films - first appearing around 1917 in england. among his silent films were the dark angel in 1925, stella dallas in 1926 & beau geste in 1927. once the talkies came along he was able to use his "bewitching, finely-modulated & cultured voice." in 1930 he was nominated for 2 academy awards for condemned & bulldog drummond & he won the best actor oscar in 1948 for a double life.
My favorite Ronald Coleman films are "A Tale of Two Cities" - stunning, unfathomable love and devotion, complex depth of emotions, and ultimate sacrifice while being strong for Isabelle Jewell whose strength comes only from Sidney Carton; and "Random Harvest", which is absolutely wonderful in every way. Ronald Coleman is my idol (along with Humphrey Bogart), and his speaking voice is mesmerizing. It was said when "Random Harvest" came out, co-starring Greer Garson, that the English language had never been more beautifully spoken than in that movie. Thank you for posting this site - it's delightful!
ReplyDeleteisn't he just the dreamiest?? where are those men today? sigh!
ReplyDeleteHe was the best Bulldog Drummond.
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