- published: 20 Sep 2011
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George Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor.
Coulouris was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of Abigail (née Redfern) and Nicholas Coulouris, a merchant of Greek origin. He was brought up both in Manchester and nearby Urmston and was educated at Manchester Grammar School. He attended London's Central School of Speech and Drama, in the company of fellow students Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft.
Coulouris's stage debut was in 1926 with Henry V at the Old Vic, and by 1929 he made his first Broadway appearance, followed by his first Hollywood film role in 1933.
A major impact on his life was Orson Welles, whom he met in 1936. He joined Welles' Mercury Theatre, and played Mark Antony in their opening modern dress production of Julius Caesar. "Even 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' sounds on his tongue as if it were a rabble-rousing harangue he is uttering for the first time," noted John Mason Brown in the New York Post. In Citizen Kane (1941), Coulouris played Walter Parks Thatcher, a financier similar to J.P. Morgan. George Coulouris won a National Board of Review 'Best Actor' award in 1941 for his performance in Citizen Kane. Orson Welles was the only other Citizen Kane actor to win the same award.
Actors: Richard Linklater (director), Simon Atherton (miscellaneous crew), Steve Christian (producer), Richard Linklater (producer), Eddie Marsan (actor), John Sloss (producer), Jools Holland (actor), Claire Danes (actress), Zac Efron (actor), Chris Wilson (actor), Michael Brandon (actor), Greg Bennett (actor), Garrick Hagon (actor), Matt Curtis (miscellaneous crew), Libbie Barr (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: In November 1937, high school student and aspiring thespian Richard Samuels takes a day trip into New York City. There, he meets and begins a casual friendship with Gretta Adler, their friendship based on a shared love and goal of a profession in the creative arts. But also on this trip, Richard stumbles across the Mercury Theatre and meets 'Orson Welles' (qv), who, based on an impromptu audition, offers Richard an acting job as Lucius in his modern retelling of Julius Caesar, which includes such stalwart Mercury Theatre players as 'Joseph Cotten (I)' (qv) and 'George Coulouris' (qv). Despite others with official roles as producer 'John Houseman (I)' (qv), this production belongs to Welles, the unofficial/official dictator. In other words, whatever Welles wants, the cast and crew better deliver. These requests include everything, even those of a sexual nature. Welles does not believe in conventions and will do whatever he wants, which includes not having a fixed opening date, although the unofficial opening date is in one week's time. In turn, Welles realizes that his name will either be strengthened or ruined in the theater community by this production. Richard is taken under the wing by the production's Jane-of-All-Trades, Sonja Jones. Known as the Ice Queen by the male cast, Sonja deflects much of the unwanted sexual attention by jokingly implying that she and Richard are having a fling, which Richard wants nothing more than to be the truth. As the end of the week and opening night approaches, Richard, having seen Welles' behavior, has to decide if acting in this production is worth it at any cost.
Keywords: 17-year-old, 1930s, actor, actors'-equity-association, actress, ambition, ambulance, ambulance-siren, apology, applause