George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. He was perhaps best known for his collaborations with Orson Welles, most notably Citizen Kane.

Early life

Of Anglo-Greek origin, Coulouris was brought up both in Manchester and nearby Urmston and was educated at Manchester Grammar School.

Early career

Coulouris made his stage debut in 1926 with Henry V at the Old Vic. In 1928 and 1929 he appeared in several productions at the Cambridge Festival Theatre including Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape.. By 1929, he made his first Broadway appearance, followed by his first Hollywood film role in 1933.

A major impact on his life was Orson Welles, whom he met in 1936 when they both had roles in the Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley's Ten Million Ghosts. Welles invited Coulouris to become a charter member of his Mercury Theatre, and in 1937 Coulouris performed the role of Mark Antony in the company's debut production, Caesar, an innovative modern-dress production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

In 1938, he appeared in the Mercury stage productions of The Shoemaker's Holiday and Heartbreak House, and became part of the repertory company that presented CBS Radio's The Mercury Theatre on the Air and its sponsored continuation, The Campbell Playhouse (1938–40). Also for CBS, in 1943 he appeared in the radio series Suspense, in the episode "The Last Letter of Dr. Bronson" with Laird Cregar and in 1944, "Portrait without a Face".

In Citizen Kane (1941), Coulouris played Walter Parks Thatcher, a financier similar to J. P. Morgan. Coulouris and Welles each received a 1941 National Board of Review Award for their performances.

During the 1940s, Coulouris remained a regular figure on the stage and screen, starring in his own Broadway production of Richard III in 1943. His films in this period included For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Between Two Worlds (1944), Mr. Skeffington (1944) and Watch on the Rhine (1943), in which he repeated the role he originated in the Broadway production. He also performed as Robert de Baudricourt in Joan of Arc (1948), starring Ingrid Bergman.

Coulouris was the first actor to star in the title role of the Bulldog Drummond radio program on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

Return to Britain

After his return in 1950 Coulouris joined the Bristol Old Vic company for its Spring season, appearing as Tartuffe, Brutus and Sir John Brute, among other roles. Living in Putney and later in Hampstead. His home in Hampstead between 1951 and 1989 is shown in the Camden Notables Map.

Legacy

In Me and Orson Welles (2008), Richard Linklater's period drama set in the days surrounding the premiere of the Mercury Theatre's production of Caesar, Coulouris is portrayed by Ben Chaplin.

Broadway roles

George Coulouris's Broadway credits are listed at the Internet Broadway Database.

Actor

  • The Novice and the Duke (9 December 1929 – January 1930) as Friar Peter
  • The Late Christopher Bean (31 October 1932 – May 1933) as Tallant
  • Best Sellers (3 May – June 1933) as Julian Mosca
  • Mary of Scotland (27 November 1933 – July 1934) as Lord Burghley and as Lord Erskine
  • Valley Forge (10 December 1934 – January 1935) as Lieutenant Cutting
  • Blind Alley (24 September 1935 – January 1936) as Dr. Anthony Shelby
  • Saint Joan (9 March – May 1936) as John de Stogumber
  • Ten Million Ghosts (23 October – November 1936) as Zacharey
  • Caesar (11 November 1937 – March 1938) as Marc Antony
  • The Shoemaker's Holiday (1 January – 28 April 1938) as The King
  • Heartbreak House (29 April – 11 June 1938) as Boss Mangan