ROBERT CULP BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Robert Culp was born August 16th, 1930 in Berkeley, California, USA Born to Crozie Culp and Bethel Collins. Robert M. Culp was an only child. He had a normal life like other kids, but had a thing for performance. He began with marionette shows in his basement and as a teenager, became involved in local theater. He also enjoyed art and worked part time throughout high school as a cartoonist for Bay area magazines and newspapers. He was also a top athlete and earned scholarships to six different colleges, however he chose to attend the small College of the Pacific because of the active theater department and graduated from that college. In 1949 he transferred to San Francisco state and after World War II he performed in a play in San Francisco. He then relocated again, first to Seattle and in 1951, to New York City.
It was in New York where Culp made his first television appearance and in 1955 he met, Herbert Berghof. Together the two men enacted the first performance of, “Waiting for Godot” ever done in the United States. The following year, Culp worked on, “He Who Gets Slapped” and won his first Obie Award. His career really began to take off with a role on a Western TV series, “Trackdown” starring as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman (1957-1959) which was a spin-off of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Between 1958 and 1961 he also worked on, “Wanted Dead or Alive” starring Steve McQueen and actually worked as a screen writer on this show as well.
His feature debut took place in 1963 on “PT 109”, starring Cliff Robertson as John F. Kennedy, with featured performances by Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Blake, Norman Fell and Grant Williams and narrated by Andrew Duggan, followed by roles on, “Sunday in New York” (1963) starring Cliff Robertson, Jane Fonda, Rod Taylor and Jim Backus. He did not limit himself to film, as television was still working well for his career. From the early 1960’s he did a trio of appearances on the science fiction anthology, “The Outer Limits” (1963-1965)
He returned to regular duty as a guest star on numerous shows throughout the late 1950's and early 1960's while penning scripts for shows like "Cain's Hundred" (NBC, 1961-1962) starring Peter Mark Richman and "The Rifleman" (ABC, 1958-1963) starring Chuck Connors, Johnny Crawford and Paul Fix. He also starred in "I Spy” alongside Bill Cosby and wrote seven scripts for the series, and directing one - another rarity for the period. Culp continued to make appearances on various television series and made for TV movies and still managed to work in film such as on, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” (1969) co-starring Natalie Wood, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon.
Later in his acting career he played a U.S. President in Alan J. Pakula's 1994 murder mystery "The Pelican Brief" starring Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard, Hume Cronyn, William Atherton, James Sikking and John Lithgow.
Culp was married five times, he married his first wife Elayne Wilner in 1951 though it didn't last long for them as they divorced in 1964. He married again to his second wife Nancy Ashe in 1965 but just like his first marriage it didn't last long. They were divorced in 1966 though did have four children together. A year later Robert married a third time to France Nuyen in 1967 it only lasted four years when they divorced in 1970. In 1971 he married a fourth time to Sheila Sullivan the marriage lasted through the 70's but ended in 1981, that same year he married his fifth wife Candace Faulkner, they have one daughter together.
Robert Culp passed away in March 2010 in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.
Filmography
2004 The Almost Guys
2001 Farewell, My Love
2000 NewsBreak
2000 Dark Summer
1991 Ed
1999 Additional Love
1997 Wanted
1996 Hard
1995 Xtro 3
1995 Panther
1994 The Pelican Brief
1993 Voyeur
1991 Timebomb
1990 Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog
1982 National Lampoon's Movie Madness
1979 Goldengirl
1978 Colombo
1977 Cry for Justice
1976 The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday
1976 Breaking Point
1976 Sky Riders
1975 Inside Out
1974 The Castaway Cowboy
1973 A Name for Evil
1972 Hickey & Boggs
1971 Hannie Caulder
1969 Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
1964 Rhino!
1963-1965 The Outer Limits
1961-1965 I Spy
1963 The Raiders
1963 Sunday in New York
1963 PT 109
1958-1961 The Rifleman
1958 Wanted Dead or Alive
1957-1959 Trackdown
1956 Zane Grey Theatre
