Bonar Colleano
| Bonar Colleano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
14 March 1924 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
18 August 1958 (aged 34) Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1944 – 1958 |
| Spouse(s) |
Tamara Lees (1946 – 1951) Susan Shaw (1954 – 1958, his death) |
Bonar Colleano (14 March 1924 – 18 August 1958) was an American-born British stage and film actor.
Early life
Colleano was born Bonar Sullivan in New York City. Following childhood experiences with the Ringling Brothers Circus and in his family's famous circus, he entered films in 1944. He lived as a British resident, spending several years performing in music halls, the legitimate stage and radio.
Career
His first important role came with the popular wartime drama, The Way to the Stars (also known as Johnny in the Clouds, 1945) and later he starred in a Hollywood production, Stanley Kramer's Eight Iron Men (1952). His later screen roles included Lenny, in the oddball Shakespeare derivation Joe MacBeth (1955).
Colleano's stage work included the role of Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire at the Aldwych Theatre, London, directed by Laurence Olivier and co-starring with Vivien Leigh.
Personal life
He was from a well known Australian circus family and was a nephew of Con Colleano, the first tightrope walker to perform a forward somersault on the wire.
In 1946, he married actress Tamara Lees, but the couple divorced in 1951. His second wife was actress Susan Shaw, who declined into alcoholism after his death. Their son Mark Colleano is also an actor.
In 1950, while living in the U.K., he fathered future Average White Band drummer, Robbie McIntosh. Colleano was not married to McIntosh's mother.
Death
Colleano died at the age of 34, when he crashed his sports car (a Jaguar XK140) in Birkenhead shortly after exiting the Queensway Tunnel. He was driving back from Liverpool's New Shakespeare Theatre, where he had been appearing in a stage production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? His passenger, fellow actor and friend Michael Balfour, required 98 stitches but eventually recovered.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1945 | The Way to the Stars | Joe Friselli | known as Johnny in the Clouds in the USA |
| 1946 | Wanted for Murder | Cpl. Nick Mappolo | |
| A Matter of Life and Death | An American Pilot | Alternative title: Stairway to Heaven | |
| 1947 | While the Sun Shines | Joe Mulvaney | |
| 1948 | Merry-Go-Round | ||
| One Night With You | Piero Santellini | ||
| Good-Time Girl | Micky Malone | ||
| Sleeping Car to Trieste | Sergeant West | ||
| 1949 | Maniacs on Wheels | Tommy Possey | Alternative title: Once A Jolly Swagman |
| Give Us This Day | Julio | ||
| 1950 | Dance Hall | Alec | |
| 1951 | Pool of London | Dan MacDonald | |
| A Tale of Five Cities | Bob Mitchell | Alternative title: A Tale of Five Women | |
| 1952 | Eight Iron Men | Pvt. Collucci | |
| 1953 | Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary? | Cmdr. Laurie Vining | |
| Escape By Night | Tom Buchan | ||
| 1954 | Flame and the Flesh | Ciccio | |
| This Is My Enemy | Roommate | ||
| The Sea Shall Not Have Them | Sgt. Kirby | ||
| 1955 | Joe MacBeth | Lennie | |
| 1956 | Stars in Your Eyes | David Laws | |
| Zarak | Biri | ||
| 1957 | Pickup Alley | Amalio | |
| Fire Down Below | Lt. Sellars | ||
| 1958 | Them Nice Americans | Joe | |
| Death Over My Shoulder | Joe Longo | ||
| No Time to Die | The Polish POW | Also known as Tank Force | |
| The Man Inside | Martin Lomer | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1946 | In the Zone | Davis | TV Film |
| 1957 | ITV Television Playhouse | Sam Pickens | Episode: The Confidence Man |
| 1958 | East End, West End | 1 episode | |
| Doomsday for Dyson | Jackston | TV Film | |
References
- Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies, Harper Collins, 2001, ISBN 0-06-093507-3
1949 movie "Maniacs on Wheels", also released as "Once A Jolly Swagman", starring Dirk Bogarde, Thora Hird and Sid James.
External links
- Bonar Colleano at the Internet Movie Database
- Bonar Colleano at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- The Importance of Being Bonar http://www.november3rdclub.com/08-07/nonfiction/williams.html
- Bonar Colleano at Find a Grave