Ronald Colman began his career as an actor on the stage following his service in the British Army during World War I. He made his film debut in an unreleased two-reeler titled The Live Wire (1917). After achieving minor success on the stage and in British films, he immigrated to the United States in 1920. There he continued his acting with only moderate success until he was offered the lead opposite Lillian Gish in The White Sister (1923). The film's popularity and critical acclaim led to Colman becoming a major star and also a romantic idol of the silent cinema. As a contract player for Samuel Goldwyn, Colman was cast (frequently on loan-out) as leading man to many of the top actress as the silent era. In five of his silents he formed a romantic team with Hungarian actress Vilma Bánky.
Colman made a successful transition to sound with his first talking feature, Bulldog Drummond (1929), followed by Raffles (1930) and The Unholy Garden (1931). After leaving Goldwyn in 1933, Colman continued his career as a free-lance performer and starred in a succession of critically acclaimed films (A Tale of Two Cities, Under Two Flags, Lost Horizon, The Prisoner of Zenda, If I Were King, and The Light That Failed). In 1948, Colman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Double Life.
The filmography below lists all of Colman's films and is sub-divided into four sections: His British silent films, his American silents, his sound films, and a listing of short films in which he appeared as himself. In addition to his film appearances, Colman's television credits are also listed, as well as his performances on the amateur and professional stage.
Theatre performances Season Play Title Theatre Role Notes 1909 Rich Miss Rustle Victoria Hall, Ealing Freddy Fitzfoodle "An irresponsible opera comique" by Herbert Scott 1910The Rose of PersiaRoyal Court TheatrePalace official or guardwith the Baltic Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society BarbaraSt. Saviour’s Parish Hall, Ealing Finnicum One-act play by Jerome K. Jerome Lights Out Algernon Cuffe One-act farce by Max Pemberton H.M.S. Pinafore St. Martin’s Hall, Ealing Bill Bobstay West Middlesex Operatic Society Spoiling the Broth Ealing Town Hall David Wells One-act play by Bertha N. Graham1911 Jane St. Martin’s Hall, West Acton A farce in three acts by Harry Nicholls and William Lestocq The Admirable Crichton King’s Hall, Covent Garden John Treherne Bancroft Dramatic Club1912 A Tight Corner St. Mary’s Parish Room, Hayes Samson Quayle Three act farce by Sidney Bowkett Priscilla Runs Away King’s Hall, Covent Garden Prince Henry of Lucerne By Elizabeth von Arnim; Bancroft Dramatic Club Mr. Steinman’s Corner St. Saviour’s Parish Hall, Ealing The Stockbroker One-act play by Alfred Sutro The Dancing Girl King’s Hall, Covent Garden John Christison By Henry Arthur Jones; Bancroft Dramatic Club1913 The Passing of the Third Floor Back King’s Hall, Covent Garden Christopher Penny By Jerome K. Jerome; Bancroft Dramatic Club The Private Secretary St. Martin’s Hall, Acton Douglas Cattermole Mr. Vivian Parrott’s Amateur Dramatic Society1914 Fanny's First Play King’s Hall, Covent Garden Count O’ Dowda Bancroft Dramatic Club Sowing the Wind King’s Hall, Covent Garden Ned Annesley Bancroft Dramatic Club1916 The Maharani of Arakan London Coliseum Rahmat Sheikh By George Calderon, adapted from Rabindranath Tagore The Misleading Lady The Playhouse, London Stephen Weatherbee Three-act play by Charles Goddard and Paul Dickey1917 Partnership Court Theatre, London Webber Comedy by Elizabeth Baker; London Repertory Theatre Damaged Goods St Martin’s Theatre George Dupont, the patient replaces Reginald Bach1918 The Little Brother Ambassadors Theatre, London George Lubin Play by Benedict James, adapted from Milton Goldsmith, Rabbi and Priest The Bubble tour David Goldsmith comedy in three acts by Edward Locke The Live Wire tour Wilfred „Chips“ Carpenter Spy play by Sydney Blow and Douglas Hoare; touring lead 1919 Skittles tour Lord Vivian Roftus comedy by Lechmere Worrall and Arthur Rose1920 The Great Day Drury Lane Theatre, London Frank Beresford drama by Louis N. Parker and George R. Sims; touring lead The Dauntless Three Globe Theatre, Atlantic City Turkish Police Chief; Russian Spy A Mystery Play by Horace Annesley Vachell and Walter Hackett The Green Goddess Booth Theatre, Broadway, New York Temple Priest 1921 The Silver Fox Shubert-Belasco Theatre, Washington D.C. Captain Douglas Belgrave Play by Ferenc Herczeg, adapted by Cosmo Hamilton The Nightcap 39th Street Theatre, New York Charles, the butler Mystery comedy in three acts by Max Marcin and Guy Bolton East is West tour James Potter Comedy in three acts by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer1922 East of Suez Woods’ Theatre, Atlantic City Henry Anderson A play in five scenes by W. Somerset Maugham La Tendresse Empire Theatre, Broadway, New York Alain Sergyll Drama by Henry Bataille, adapted by Ruth Chatterton
Filmography
British silents YearTitleRoleDirectorCo-stars Notes1917 The Live Wire The Young Man George Dewhurst Phyllis Titmuss Two reelsNever released; now lostEntry on The Live Wire1919 The Toilers Bob George Dewhurst Manora Thew Two reels survivep. 61. A Daughter of Eve Bit part (uncredited) Walter West Violet Hopson Lost,Entry on A Daughter of EveA British Pathé film shows a brief scene. Flashbacks Reel 2, britishpathe.com, at min 19:24-20:08. Sheba Bit part (uncredited) Cecil M. Hepworth Alma Taylor Lost,Entry on Sheba Snow in the Desert Rupert Sylvester Walter West Violet Hopson LostEntry on Snow in the Desert1920 A Son of David Maurice Phillips Hay Plumb Poppy Wyndham LostEntry on A Son of David Anna the Adventuress Brendan Cecil M. Hepworth Alma Taylor LostEntry on Anna the Adventuress The Black Spider Vicomte de Beaurais William J. Humphrey Lydia Kyasht LostEntry on The Black Spider
American silents YearTitleRoleDirectorCo-stars Notes 1921 Handcuffs or Kisses Lodyard George Archainbaud Elaine Hammerstein, Julia Swayne Gordon Lost1923 The White Sister Capt. Giovanni Severini Henry King Lillian Gish Extant The Eternal City Extra (uncredited) George Fitzmaurice Barbara La Marr, Bert Lytell Survives incompleteEntry on The Enternal City1924 Twenty Dollars a Week Chester Reeves Hamon F. Weight George Arliss Tarnish Emmet Carr George Fitzmaurice May McAvoy, Marie Prevost Lost Her Night of Romance Paul Menford Sidney Franklin Constance Talmadge, Jean Hersholt Extant Romola Carlo Bucellini Henry King Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, William Powell Extant1925 A Thief in Paradise Maurice Blake George Fitzmaurice Doris Kenyon, Aileen Pringle LostEntry on A Thief in Paradise The Sporting Venus Donald MacAllan Marshall Neilan Blanche Sweet, Lew Cody Extant His Supreme Moment John Douglas George Fitzmaurice Blanche Sweet, Belle Bennett, Ned Sparks Technicolor sequences; lostEntry on His Supreme Moment Her Sister from Paris Joseph Weyringer Sidney Franklin Constance Talmadge Extant The Dark Angel Captain Alan Trent George Fitzmaurice Vilma Bánky, Wyndham Standing Stella Dallas Stephen Dallas Henry King Belle Bennett, Alice Joyce, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Lois Moran, Jean Hersholt Extant Lady Windermere's Fan Lord Darlington Ernst Lubitsch May McAvoy, Bert Lytell Extant1926 Kiki Victor Renal Clarence Brown Norma Talmadge, Gertrude Astor Extant Beau Geste Michael "Beau" Geste Herbert Brenon Neil Hamilton, Ralph Forbes, Noah Beery, Alice Joyce, Mary Brian, William Powell Extant The Winning of Barbara Worth Willard Holmes Henry King Vilma Bánky, Gary Cooper Extant1927 The Night of Love Montero George Fitzmaurice Vilma Bánky, Montagu Love Extant The Magic Flame Tito the Clown / The Count Henry King Vilma Bánky, Gustav von Seyffertitz Survives incompleteFrank, p. 82 1928 Two Lovers Mark Van Rycke Fred Niblo Vilma Bánky, Noah Beery Survives incompleteEntry on Two Lovers 1929 The Rescue Tom Lingard Herbert Brenon Lili Damita Survives incompleteEntry on The Rescue
Sound films YearTitleRoleDirectorCo-stars Notes1929 Bulldog Drummond Capt. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond F. Richard Jones Claud Allister, Joan Bennett, Montagu Love Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor Condemned Michel Wesley Ruggles Ann Harding, Louis Wolheim, Dudley Digges Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actor1930 Raffles Raffles George FitzmauriceHarry d'Abbadie d'Arrast Kay Francis, Frederick Kerr, Bramwell Fletcher, Frances Dade The Devil to Pay! Willie Hale George Fitzmaurice Loretta Young, Frederick Kerr, Myrna Loy 1931 The Unholy Garden Barrington Hunt George Fitzmaurice Fay Wray, Warren Hymer Arrowsmith Dr. Martin Arrowsmith John Ford Helen Hayes, Richard Bennett, Myrna Loy 1932 Cynara Jim Warlock King Vidor Kay Francis, Phyllis Barry, Henry Stephenson 1933 The Masquerader Sir John Chilcote / John Loder Richard Wallace Elissa Landi 1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back Capt. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond Roy Del Ruth Loretta Young, Warner Oland, Charles Butterworth, Una Merkel, C. Aubrey Smith 1935 Clive of India Robert Clive Richard Boleslawski Loretta Young, Colin Clive A Tale of Two Cities Sydney Carton Jack Conway Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone, Blanche Yurka The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo Paul Gaillard Stephen Roberts Joan Bennett, Nigel Bruce, Colin Clive 1936 Under Two Flags Sgt. Victor Frank Lloyd Claudette Colbert, Victor McLaglen, Rosalind Russell 1937 Lost Horizon Robert Conway Frank Capra Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, Thomas Mitchell, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H. B. Warner, Sam Jaffe Seven minutes of film missing, though the soundtrack is intact. The Prisoner of Zenda Maj. Rudolf Rassendyll / King Rudolf V John Cromwell Madeleine Carroll, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., C. Aubrey Smith, Raymond Massey, Mary Astor Presented in sepiatoneFrank, p. 106 1938 If I Were King François Villon Frank Lloyd Frances Dee, Basil Rathbone 1939 The Light That Failed Dick Heldar William Wellman Walter Huston, Ida Lupino 1940 Lucky Partners David Grant Lewis Milestone Ginger Rogers, Jack Carson 1941 My Life with Caroline Anthony Mason Lewis Milestone Anna Lee, Charles Winninger 1942 The Talk of the Town Professor Michael Lightcap George Stevens Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell Random Harvest Charles Rainier Mervyn LeRoy Greer Garson, Philip Dorn, Susan Peters Nominated — Academy Award for Best ActorNominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor 1944 Kismet Hafiz William Dieterle Marlene Dietrich, James Craig, Edward Arnold, Joy Ann Page Technicolor1947 The Late George Apley George Apley Joseph L. Mankiewicz Peggy Cummins, Edna Best A Double Life Anthony John George Cukor Signe Hasso, Edmond O'Brien, Shelley Winters Academy Award for Best ActorGolden Globe Award for Best Actor 1950 Champagne for Caesar Beauregard Bottomley Richard Whorf Celeste Holm, Vincent Price, Barbara Britton, Art Linkletter 1956 Around the World in 80 Days Great Indian Peninsular Railway Official Michael Anderson David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Newton Todd-AOEastmanColor 1957 The Story of Mankind The Spirit of Man Irwin Allen Vincent Price, Cedric Hardwicke Technicolor, (final film role)
Short film appearances as himself