Olan Soule
Olan Soule | |
|---|---|
One Step Beyond, episode Earthquake, 1961 | |
| Born | Alan Evart Soule [citation needed] February 28, 1909 |
| Died | February 1, 1994 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery |
| Other names | Alan Soule Alan Soulé Olan Soulé |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1926–1991 |
| Spouse | Norma Elizabeth Miller (m. 1929-1992; her death) |
| Children | 2 (Jo Ann and Jon)[1] |
Olan Soule (February 28, 1909[citation needed] – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films.[2]
Early life
Born in 1909 as Alan Evart Soule in La Harpe, Illinois, to Elbert and Ann (Williams) Soule (descendants of three Mayflower passengers), he left Illinois at the age of seven and arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived until he was seventeen. He then launched his theatrical career by joining Jack Brooks' tent show in Sabula, Jackson County, Iowa.[3]
Career
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2023) |
Radio
After leaving the tent show, Soule appeared on stage in
Beginning in 1943, he played lead male characters on radio's famed The First Nighter Program for nine years. Listeners of First Nighter who met Soule in person were often surprised, since his slight 135-pound frame did not seem to match the voices he gave to his characters. From 1941 on, Soule had the role of L. William Kelly, SS-11, the second in command of the Secret Squadron on the Captain Midnight radio adventure serial.[3]
Television and films
Concluding his nine-year run on First Nighter, Soule moved to Hollywood, where he appeared in films and television shows, building a reputation as a reliable character actor. Soule said "Because of my build and glasses, I've mostly played lab technicians, newscasters and railroad clerks."[4] He played a telegraph operator in "Wanted: Dead or Alive" S2 E7 "The Empty Cell" which aired 10/16/1959.
He appeared as Mr. Krull, a boarding house resident in .
In between the two Dragnet gigs, he had a similar semi-regular role on another
The list of Soule's supporting and starring roles is long. Some include
Batman
Soule is remembered by many for providing the voice of
Other voice-over work
Soule provided the voice of Master Taj in the English-dubbed version of the cult 1973 film Fantastic Planet in addition to his work as Batman.
Death
On February 1, 1994, aged 84, Soule died of lung cancer in Corona, California, at the home of his daughter, Joann, and son-in-law, Dr. David Henriksen.[7]
Selected filmography
- It's a Great Feeling (1949) - Flack (uncredited)
- Destination Big House (1950) - Ralph Newell
- Cuban Fireball (1951) - Jimmy
- The Atomic City (1952) - Mortie Fenton
- Francis Joins the WACS (1954) - Captain Creavy, Psychiatrist
- Dragnet (1954) - Ray Pinker
- Cult of the Cobra (1955) - Major Martin Fielding
- -30- (1959) - Vince, the sports editor
- The Bubble (1966) - Watch Repairman
- The Destructors (1968) - Mace
- The Seven Minutes (1971) - Harvey Underwood
- Fantastic Planet (1973) - Master Taj (English version, voice)
- The Towering Inferno (1974) - Johnson
- The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) - Rube Cluck
- St. Ives (1976) - Station Man
- The Shaggy D.A. (1976) - Bar Patron
- Homicide (1991) - Crime Scene Technician (final film role)
Selected television roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Chemist | Season 1 Episode 8: "Our Cook's a Treasure" |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Art Dealer | Season 1 Episode 28: "Portrait of Jocelyn" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Stagehand (uncredited) | Season 3 Episode 39: "Little White Frock" |
| 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Bookstore Clerk (uncredited) | Season 5 Episode 14: "Graduating Class" |
| 1959 | Have Gun - Will Travel
|
Clerk | Season 3, Episode 9 "The Black Handkerchief" |
| 1960 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Simon Denton | Season 3, Episode 8 "To the Victor" |
| 1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Darlene's Daddy | Season 7 Episode 2: "Bang! You're Dead" |
| 1961 | Wanted Dead or Alive | Clerk | Season 3, Episode 24 "The Long Search" |
| 1961 | Rawhide | Bartender | S3:E22, "Incident in the Middle of Nowhere" |
| 1962 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Brother Fish | Season 7 Episode 17: "The Faith of Aaron Menefee" |
| 1962 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
|
Bill the Neighbor | Season 1 Episode 11: "Ride the Nightmare" |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
|
Court Clerk (uncredited) | Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thirty-First of February" |
| 1965 | My Favorite Martian | Daniel Farrow | Season 2, Episode 32 "Martin's Favorite Martian" |
| 1965 | Gunsmoke | Barber | Season 11, Episode 14 "The Avengers" |
| 1967 | The Monkees | Waiter | S1:E30, "Monkees in Manhattan" |
| 1968 | The Virginian (TV series) | Sidney Glodder | saison 7 episode 13 (Big Tiny) |
References
- ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-04-mn-18941-story.html
- ^ "Olan Soule," 84, Big-Voiced Actor Who Played Thousands of Roles," New York Times, February 5, 1994. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-507678-8
- ^ "Olan Soule, 84, Actor Known for Different Voices", Los Angeles Times, February 4, 1994
- ^ a b "Great Character Actors: Olan Soule". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Voices in the Knight". IGN. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ^ "Olan Soule, 84, Big-Voiced Actor Who Played Thousands of Roles". The New York Times. February 5, 1994. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
External links
- 1989 interview with Olan Soule on the radio show Those Were the Days Archived 2020-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Olan Soule at IMDb
- Olan Soule at Find a Grave
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