VideoDetective.com

Leo G. Carroll

Leo G. Carroll
Leo G. Carroll
Born: Oct 25, 1886 in Weedon, England, UK
Died: Oct 16, 1972 in Hollywood, California
Occupation: Actor
Active: '30s-'60s
Major Genres: Drama, Spy Film
Career Highlights: North by Northwest, Strangers on a Train, Spellbound
First Major Screen Credit: London by Night (1937)
10 Videos for Leo G. Carroll
North by Northwest (1959) Father of the Bride (1950) Rebecca (1940)
North by Northwest (1959) The Paradine Case (1947) A Christmas Carol (1938)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) Spellbound (1945) Captains Courageous (1937)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Photos


There are currently no photos.

Biography:

Leo G. Carroll was the son of an Irish-born British military officer. The younger Carroll had intended to follow in his father's footsteps, but his World War I experiences discouraged him from pursuing a military career. On the British stage from the age of sixteen, Carroll settled in the U.S. in 1924, playing such plum theatrical roles as the title character in The Late George Apley.

In films from 1934, Carroll often portrayed shy, self-effacing Britishers who, in Uriah-Heep fashion, used their humility to hide a larcenous or homicidal streak. Reportedly Alfred Hitchcock's favorite actor, Carroll was seen in half a dozen Hithcock films, notably Spellbound (1946) (as the scheming psychiatrist) and North by Northwest (1959) (as the dry-witted CIA agent).

A method actor before the term was invented, Carroll was known to immerse himself in his roles, frequently confounding strangers by approaching them in character. Leo G. Carroll was always a welcome presence on American television, starring as Topper in the ghostly sitcom of the same name, and co-starring as Father Fitzgibbons in Going My Way (1962) and Alexander Waverly on The Man From UNCLE (1964-68).

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.