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ColinTapley

  • Actor
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Dunedin-born actor Colin Tapley found character parts gave his movie career longevity. Tapley argued that the average time for a leading man in 1930s Hollywood was seven years. He played supporting roles in pre-World War II Hollywood films, and after the war extended his career into the late 60s with performances in British movies and TV. His best remembered film is 1955 classic The Dam Busters.

Screenography

Fraulein Doktor
1969 As: General Metzler Film
Paranoiac
1963 As: Vicar Film
The Cheaters
1962 As: Inspector Menkin / Marsden Series
The Dam Busters
1955 As: Doctor W H Glanville Film
The Vise
1955 - 1960 As: Various roles Series

Biography

Colin Tapley found his own cinematic niche playing character roles in American and British films for more than 30 years, without any real desire for stardom.

In 1933 Tapley won the New Zealand male section of Search for Beauty, a worldwide talent quest conducted in English-speaking countries by Paramount Pictures. His prize included a trip to Hollywood to cameo alongside the other winners in the Search for Beauty movie  a comedy romance set in a physical culture school.

“Life’s very indefinite in Hollywood.”

Colin Tapley, in an interview with Radio Record, 6 January 1939