Olaf Pooley

Olaf Pooley (13 March 1914 – 14 July 2015) was an English actor and writer.

Pooley was born of an English father and Danish mother in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. He studied architecture and then painting in London.

He wrote and appeared in the film The Corpse (released in the United States as Crucible of Horror), starring Michael Gough, and wrote, directed and appeared in The Johnstown Monster. He also wrote the screenplay for a film version of Bernard Taylor's novel The Godsend (1980). Beaumont directed the film. Pooley's other writing credits include the television film Falcon's Gold (1982) and being an uncredited writer on the sci-fi horror film Lifeforce (1985).

Pooley's TV guest appearances from the 1950s onwards include Dixon of Dock Green, Paul Temple, Jason King, MacGyver and Star Trek: Voyager. He played Professor Stahlman and his parallel Earth counterpart Director Stahlmann in the Doctor Who serial Inferno (1970). He also played Lars Torvik in the first episode of The Sandbaggers ("First Principles", 1978). His other appearances include the BBC Radio play Ambrose in Paris (1958) and Sebastian in a BBC Television Sunday Night Theatre production of Shakespeare's The Tempest (1956). Pooley had a major career in West End theatre appearing in such notable productions as Noël Coward's Peace In Our Time and revivals of The Tempest and Othello.

Pooley is one of 28 actors to appear in both the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises.

In 1946 Pooley married actress Irlin Hall and together they had a daughter, the actress Kirstie Pooley (born 1954) and a son, comedian Seyton Pooley. In 1982 he married director Gabrielle Beaumont, although they later separated. Pooley emigrated to the United States in 1986 and lived in Southern California, with an art studio in Santa Monica where he devoted his time to painting. He turned 100 in March 2014 and became the oldest surviving Doctor Who actor with the death of Zohra Sehgal on 10 July 2014. Pooley became the oldest surviving Star Trek actor with the death of Ellen Albertini Dow on 4 May 2015.

Death

He died on 14 July 2015, aged 101. Pooley was survived by his two children, Seyton and Kirstie, and four grandchildren.

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Film

Television