Ronald Colman : Ronald Colman and his co-star Ronald Colman

There is a surprising number of films in which Colman, physically or psychologically, plays two persons: "The Magic Flame," "The Masquerader," "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Prisoner of Zenda," "If I Were King," "Random Harvest," "A Double Life." I've probably missed one or two. So with his unvarying velvet voice, regardless of who he played, we are not talking about an actor of extraordinary versatility; we're not talking about a Paul Muni or a Danny Kaye or a Peter Sellers. And it makes me suspect that Colman or somebody with a substantial say in his career wanted it to carry this leitmotif. Does anyone know for sure? Or to the contrary?

Ronald Colman didn't play a dual role in 'A Tale of Two Cities', 'The Prisoner of Zenda', 'If I Were King', 'Random Harvest' or 'A Double Life'. The Director George Cukor who directed him in 'A Double Life' considered him to be one of the greatest actors he had ever worked with - he was a master at under playing a role, and was admired (and studied) by a great many other actors.

Wait a second, not The Prisoner of Zenda?

Let's just say that God doesn't believe in me.

The OP did not say that Colman played dual roles in ALL of these films, but rather a man who struggled with his dual personalities.

So with his unvarying velvet voice, regardless of who he played, we are not talking about an actor of extraordinary versatility; we're not talking about a Paul Muni or a Danny Kaye or a Peter Sellers. And it makes me suspect that Colman or somebody with a substantial say in his career wanted it to carry this leitmotif.



I don't know what to make of that statement. Ronald Colman was one of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver screen. One of your responders aptly mentions Colman's mastery of underplaying; do you realize that Gary Cooper's first major film role was as Colman's co-star in the 1925 silent "The Winning of Barbara Worth?" And that it would be hard to argue with the suggestion that Cooper learned much from working with Colman, qualities and acting techniques which would soon catupult him to stardom and top billing for the remainder of his career? To say nothing of Cooper's screen icon/immortality status. I'm of the belief that Gary Cooper's film career would have been mostly in B pictures if it hadn't been for Ronald Colman's influence.

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Ronald Colman played charming men who had an inner sadness [A TALE OF TWO CITIES, LOST HORIZON, RANDOM HARVEST, A DOUBLE LIFE]. It added to his appeal.

I can't imagine Gary Cooper being confined to B pictures. I think he had too much charisma for that to happen.

Colman was very generous with Cooper. George Arliss had done the same thing with Colman.