Richard Marner
Encyclopedia
Richard Marner, born Alexander (Sacha) Molchanoff (27 March 1921 - 18 March 2004) was a Russia
n-born British
actor
. He was probably best known for his role as Colonel Kurt Von Strohm in the British
sitcom
'Allo 'Allo!
.
, Soviet Russia
, Molchanoff was the eldest son of Colonel Paul Molchanoff, of the Semionovsky regiment, one of two that were set up for children of children who had played with Peter the Great of Russia
. In 1924, his entire family left Russia
and went to Finland
and then Germany
, before ending up in London
, where Alexander's grandmother, Olga Novikov (known in the family as "Babushka London") lived in Harley Street
.
After being educated at Monmouth School
in Wales
, Molchanoff became an assistant to the Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing
, where he performed at Covent Garden
. During World War II
he joined the RAF
, and was posted to South Africa
with the Air Training Corps
. After being invalided out, he changed his name to Richard Marner, and began his long successful career as a stage and film actor.
, with Howard Dean
- is still regarded by some as the definitive interpretation of the role. In 1967, well before his role as the German Colonel in 'Allo 'Allo Marner played the minor and uncredited role of a German sentry in the classic war film The Dirty Dozen
. His other films include Ice Cold in Alex, You Only Live Twice
, The Boys from Brazil
, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
, The African Queen and the Swiss
film Four in a Jeep
, in which he did all the Russian dialogue. He was also in the television movie Birth of the Beatles
, as Bruno Koschmider
, and in 'Allo 'Allo!
as Nazi Town Commandant Colonel Kurt Von Strohm.
Latest work included guest shots in Lovejoy
(1994) and the movie The Sum of All Fears
(as the Russian president
).
In 1991, when the then-mayor of Moscow, Boris Yeltsin
, convened a "Congress of Compatriots" (an olive branch to some of the post-1917 White Russian diaspora), Marner was one of the 600 people who returned to the motherland. Despite being caught up in a coup, he stayed long enough to watch, through tearful eyes, the first Imperial Russian flag flown in Moscow since the 1920s.
He died in Perth
, Scotland
and left a wife, actress Pauline Farr, who retained Molchanoff as her off-stage name. Marner was fluent in Russian
, English
, French
and German
, and was also survived by a daughter - Helen - and three grandchildren.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was probably best known for his role as Colonel Kurt Von Strohm in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
.
Early life
Born in PetrogradSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
, Molchanoff was the eldest son of Colonel Paul Molchanoff, of the Semionovsky regiment, one of two that were set up for children of children who had played with Peter the Great of Russia
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
. In 1924, his entire family left Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and went to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and then Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, before ending up in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where Alexander's grandmother, Olga Novikov (known in the family as "Babushka London") lived in Harley Street
Harley Street
Harley Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England which has been noted since the 19th century for its large number of private specialists in medicine and surgery.- Overview :...
.
After being educated at Monmouth School
Monmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Molchanoff became an assistant to the Russian tenor Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Rosing
Vladimir Sergeyevich Rosing , aka Val Rosing, was a Russian-born operatic tenor and stage director who spent most of his professional career in England and the United States...
, where he performed at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he joined the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and was posted to South Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
with the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
. After being invalided out, he changed his name to Richard Marner, and began his long successful career as a stage and film actor.
Career
One of Marner's early stage roles - as DraculaVlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
, with Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
- is still regarded by some as the definitive interpretation of the role. In 1967, well before his role as the German Colonel in 'Allo 'Allo Marner played the minor and uncredited role of a German sentry in the classic war film The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
. His other films include Ice Cold in Alex, You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, The Boys from Brazil
The Boys from Brazil (film)
The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British/American science fiction/thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, with James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve Guttenberg in supporting roles...
, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
, The African Queen and the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
film Four in a Jeep
Four in a Jeep
Four in a Jeep is a 1951 Swiss drama film directed by Leopold Lindtberg.-Cast:* Ralph Meeker - Sergeant William Long* Viveca Lindfors - Franziska Idinger* Yossi Yadin - Sergeant Vassilij Voroshenko...
, in which he did all the Russian dialogue. He was also in the television movie Birth of the Beatles
Birth of the Beatles
Birth of The Beatles is a 1979 biopic motion picture, produced by Dick Clark's company and directed by Richard Marquand. The film was released into cinemas worldwide except in parts of the United States, where it was shown as a TV movie.-The film:The film focuses on the early history of 1960s rock...
, as Bruno Koschmider
Bruno Koschmider
Bruno Koschmider was a German entrepreneur in Hamburg, Germany best known for employing The Beatles in the early 1960s...
, and in 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
as Nazi Town Commandant Colonel Kurt Von Strohm.
Latest work included guest shots in Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
(1994) and the movie The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears (film)
The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American action film/political thriller directed by Phil Alden Robinson and based on the novel The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy...
(as the Russian president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
).
In 1991, when the then-mayor of Moscow, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, convened a "Congress of Compatriots" (an olive branch to some of the post-1917 White Russian diaspora), Marner was one of the 600 people who returned to the motherland. Despite being caught up in a coup, he stayed long enough to watch, through tearful eyes, the first Imperial Russian flag flown in Moscow since the 1920s.
He died in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and left a wife, actress Pauline Farr, who retained Molchanoff as her off-stage name. Marner was fluent in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and was also survived by a daughter - Helen - and three grandchildren.
Selected filmography
- Highly DangerousHighly DangerousHighly Dangerous is a 1950 British spy film starring Margaret Lockwood as a British entomologist trying to stop a biological attack with the help of an American journalist played by Dane Clark. The screenplay was written by Eric Ambler.-Cast:...
(1950) - Lilli MarleneLilli Marlene (film)Lilli Marlene is a 1950 British historical drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Hugh McDermott, Lisa Daniely and Stanley Baker...
(1951) - Appointment with VenusAppointment with Venus (film)Appointment with Venus is a 1951 film adaptation of the Jerrard Tickell novel of the same name. It was directed by Ralph Thomas, produced by Betty E. Box and its screenplay was written by the novelist Nicholas Phipps...
(1951) - The African Queen (1951)
- Top SecretTop Secret (1952 film)Top Secret is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi and starring George Cole, Oskar Homolka and Nadia Gray. A sanitation inspector is mistaken for an international spy.-Cast:* George Cole - George Potts* Oskar Homolka - Zekov...
(1952) - Never Let Me Go (1953)
- Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605Park Plaza 605 is a 1953 British crime film. A B movie, it starred Tom Conway, Eva Bartok and Sid James. It was based on the Norman Conquest series of novels by Berkeley Gray, the film sees a private investigator summoned to room 605 of the Park Plaza Hotel to meet a mysterious foreign blonde...
(1953) - Mask of DustMask of DustMask of Dust is a 1954 crime film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Richard Conte and Mari Aldon.-Cast:*Richard Conte as Peter Wells*Mari Aldon as Patricia Wells*Peter Illing as Tony Bellario*Alec Mango as Guido Rosetti...
(1954) - The Master PlanThe Master Plan (film)The Master Plan is a 1955 British drama film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Norman Wooland, Tilda Thamar and Wayne Morris. It is set at the headquarters of NATO...
(1955) - The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
(1956) - Reach for the SkyReach for the SkyReach for the Sky is a 1956 British biographical film of aviator Douglas Bader, based on the 1954 biography of the same name by Paul Brickhill. The film stars Kenneth More and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. It won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film of 1956.-Plot:In 1928, Douglas Bader, a...
(1956) - Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)
- Miracle in SohoMiracle in SohoMiracle in Soho is a 1957 British drama film directed by Julian Amyes and starring John Gregson, Belinda Lee and Cyril Cusack. The film depicts the lives of the inhabitants of a small street in Soho and the romance betweena local road-builder and the daughter of Italian immigrants.-Main cast:* John...
(1957) - The One That Got Away (1957)
- The SafecrackerThe SafecrackerThe Safecracker is a 1958 British crime film directed by Ray Milland and starring Ray Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern.-Cast:* Ray Milland as Colley Dawson* Barry Jones as Bennett Carfield* Jeanette Sterke as Irene* Victor Maddern as Morris...
(1958) - Ice-Cold in AlexIce-Cold in AlexIce-Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival...
(1958) - The Inn of the Sixth HappinessThe Inn of the Sixth HappinessThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness is a 1958 American 20th Century Fox film based on the true story of Gladys Aylward, a tenacious British maid, who became a missionary in China during the tumultuous years leading up to World War II...
(1958) - The Square PegThe Square PegThe Square Peg is a 1958 British comedy film starring Norman Wisdom and directed by John Paddy Carstairs. Norman Wisdom plays two different characters: a man who digs and repairs roads and a Nazi General.-Cast:...
(1959) - A Touch of LarcenyA Touch of LarcenyA Touch of Larceny is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring James Mason, George Sanders, Vera Miles, Harry Andrews, Rachel Gurney, and John Le Mesurier. It is based on a diverting and mildly cynical novel, The Megstone Plot , by Paul Winterton under the pseudonym Andrew...
(1959)
- Beyond the CurtainBeyond the CurtainBeyond the Curtain is a 1960 British drama film written and directed by Compton Bennett and starring Richard Greene and Eva Bartok.-Plot:...
(1960) - A Circle of DeceptionA Circle of DeceptionA Circle of Deception is a 1960 British war film directed by Jack Lee and starring Bradford Dillman, Suzy Parker and Harry Andrews.-Plot:A Canadian officer is sent on a secret and dangerous mission during the Second World War in an attempt to feed the Germans false information about the Normandy...
(1960) - Very Important PersonVery Important Person (film)Very Important Person is a 1961 British comedy film, directed by Ken Annakin, and written by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies. In the United States, the film was re-titled A Coming Out Party....
(1961) - The Password Is CourageThe Password is CourageThe Password Is Courage is a 1962 World War II film, directed, produced and written by Andrew L. Stone, and starring Dirk Bogarde. The film is a lighthearted take on the true story of Sergeant-Major Charles Coward, and the screenplay is based on the biography of Coward written by John...
(1962) - The Mouse on the MoonThe Mouse on the MoonThe Mouse on the Moon is a 1963 British comedy film, an adaptation of the novel The Mouse on the Moon by Irish author Leonard Wibberley. It was directed by Richard Lester and served as the sequel to The Mouse That Roared. In it, the people of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a microstate, attempt space...
(1963) - Ring of SpiesRing of SpiesRing of Spies is a 1964 British spy film based on the real-life case of the Portland Spy Ring.-Plot:A dissatisfied Navy clerk begins handling secret documents when he is approached by secret Czech intelligence to hand over documents to them. Although he is being black-mailed, he agrees to do so...
(1964) - Where the Spies AreWhere the Spies AreWhere the Spies Are is a 1965 MGM British comedy adventure film directed by Val Guest and featuring David Niven as Dr Jason Love, Françoise Dorléac, John Le Mesurier, Cyril Cusack and Richard Marner. It was based on the James Leasor book Passport to Oblivion...
(1965) - The Spy Who Came in from the ColdThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
(1965) - You Only Live TwiceYou Only Live Twice (film)You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
(1967) - The Dirty DozenThe Dirty DozenThe Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
(1967) - Tiffany JonesTiffany JonesTiffany Jones is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Pete Walker and starring Anouska Hempel, Ray Brooks and Eric Pohlmann. It was based on a comic strip that had featured in the Daily Mail. The main character, Tiffany Jones, a leading model, also works as a secret agent...
(1973) - The Girl from PetrovkaThe Girl from PetrovkaThe Girl from Petrovka is a 1974 feature film starring Goldie Hawn and Hal Holbrook, based on the novel by George Feifer.-Cast:* Goldie Hawn as Oktyabrina* Hal Holbrook as Joe* Anthony Hopkins as Kostya* Grégoire Aslan as Minister...
(1974) - Not Now, ComradeNot Now, ComradeNot Now, Comrade is a 1976 British comedy film directed by Ray Cooney. It was a very loose follow up to the 1973 farce Not Now, Darling. It featured a number of British comedy actors of the era including Leslie Phillips, Windsor Davies, Don Estelle and Ian Lavender.-Cast:* Leslie Phillips as...
(1976) - The Boys from BrazilThe Boys from Brazil (film)The Boys from Brazil is a 1978 British/American science fiction/thriller film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It stars Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier, with James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen and Steve Guttenberg in supporting roles...
(1978) - Avalanche ExpressAvalanche ExpressAvalanche Express is a cold war adventure thriller about a defecting Russian general, released in 1979. It starred Lee Marvin, Robert Shaw , Maximilian Schell, and Linda Evans, and was directed by Mark Robson and Monte Hellman...
(1979) - Birth of the BeatlesBirth of the BeatlesBirth of The Beatles is a 1979 biopic motion picture, produced by Dick Clark's company and directed by Richard Marquand. The film was released into cinemas worldwide except in parts of the United States, where it was shown as a TV movie.-The film:The film focuses on the early history of 1960s rock...
(1979) - The Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror FilmThe Last Horror Film is a 1982 cult horror film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro...
(1982) - NutcrackerNutcracker (film)Nutcracker is a 1982 British drama film directed by Anwar Kawadri and starring Joan Collins, Carol White and Paul Nicholas. During the Cold War a Soviet ballerina attempts to defect to the West and settle in London.-Cast:* Joan Collins - Laura Carrere...
(1982) - The Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All Fears (film)The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American action film/political thriller directed by Phil Alden Robinson and based on the novel The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy...
(2002)