Jump to content

Douglas Seale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Douglas Seale
Born(1913-10-28)28 October 1913
London, England
Died13 June 1999(1999-06-13) (aged 85)
New York City, US
Resting placeAshes sprinkled into the Atlantic Ocean
OccupationActor
Years active1934–1995
Spouse(s)Elaine Wodson
(m. 1938; div. 1942)
Joan Barbara Geary
(m. 1950; div. 1967)
(m. 1992; died 1994)
Children2

Douglas Seale (28 October 1913 – 13 June 1999) was an English film and stage actor.

Early life

[edit]

Born in London, Seale was educated at Rutlish School in Wimbledon and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

[edit]

He made his professional debut in 1934 and performed in theatre until 1940, before serving in the Royal Corps of Signals during World War II. After being demobbed in 1946, Seale joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre company in Stratford-upon-Avon for two seasons before turning to producing and directing stage plays in the United Kingdom and the United States. After returning to acting in later life, he enjoyed his greatest stage success playing Selsdon Mowbray in the 1983 Broadway production of Noises Off, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

In film, Seale provided the voice of Krebbs the koala in The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and, two years later, the Sultan in Aladdin (1992) (with Val Bettin replacing him in the later productions). He also appeared in several films, including Miloš Forman's Amadeus (1984), and Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), in which he played Santa Claus. He appeared in the 1986 Christmas film, A Smoky Mountain Christmas, as Vernon. Seale had a small starring role as Santa in Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories. In 1987, he appeared in the Cheers episode "A House Is Not a Home", and in 1989, in the Family Ties episode "Get Me to the Living Room on Time".

In television, Seale played the role of John Clapper the butler for Nick Foley in the series Rags to Riches from 1987 to 1988.

He also played a character "Malcolm" in the 1995 game Phantasmagoria.

Personal life

[edit]

Seale's third wife (after two divorces) was American film, television and stage actress, Louise Troy. They were married from 1992 until her death from breast cancer, aged 60, on 5 May 1994.[1][2]

Death

[edit]

Seale died in New York City on 13 June 1999, aged 85, and was survived by his two sons from his second marriage, Jonathan and Timothy, and two grandchildren.[3]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Amadeus Count Arco
1985 Heaven Help Us Brother Domenic
1986 A Smoky Mountain Christmas Vernon TV movie
1988 Ernest Saves Christmas Santa Claus / Seth Applegate
1989 Ghostbusters II Plaza Hotel Man
A More Perfect Union Lord Carmarthen
1990 Mr. Destiny Boswell
The Rescuers Down Under Krebbs The Koala Voice
Almost an Angel Father
1992 Aladdin Sultan Voice
1993 For Love or Money Freddy
1995 Palookaville Old Man Final film role

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Actress Louise Troy, Honored For Roles In Broadway Musicals". Chicago Tribune. 7 May 1994. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Louise Troy; Actress Appeared on Stage, TV". Los Angeles Times. 14 May 1994. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  3. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (20 June 1999). "Douglas Seale, 85, British Director and Actor". The New York Times. p. 1039. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
[edit]