- Richard Marner
Infobox actor
caption = Richard Marner asColonel Kurt Von Strohm in the sitcom series'Allo 'Allo!
birthname = Alexander (Sacha) Molchanoff
birthdate = birth date|1921|3|27|df=yes
birthplace =Petrograd (now St. Petersburg),Russia
deathdate = death date and age|2004|3|18|1921|3|27|df=yes
deathplace = Perth,Scotland
othername = Alexander (Sacha) Molchanoff
occupation =Actor
yearsactive = 1950-2002
spouse = Pauline Farr (1947-2004)Alexander (Sacha) Molchanoff (
27 March ,1921 -18 March ,2004 ) was aRussia n-born Britishactor . He was probably best known for his role asColonel Kurt Von Strohm in the British sitcom "'Allo 'Allo! ".Biography
Early life
Marner was born Alexander Molchanoff in Petrograd,
Soviet Union and was fluent in Russian, English, French and German. Marner was the eldest son of Colonel Paul Molchanoff, of the Semionovsky regiment, one of the two regiments that were set-up for children of children who had played with Peter the Great of Russia. In 1924, his entire family leftRussia and went toFinland and thenGermany before ending up inLondon , where Alexander's grandmother, Olga Novikov (known in the family as "Babushka London") lived inHarley Street .After being educated at
Monmouth School inWales , Sacha became an assistant to the Russian tenorVladimir Rosing where he performed atCovent Garden . DuringWorld War II he joined the RAF and was posted to South Africa with theAir Training Corps . After being invalided out he changed his name to Richard Marner and began his long successful career as a stage and film actor.Career
One of his early stage roles - as Dracula - is still regarded by some as the definitive interpretation of the role. His films include "You Only Live Twice", "The Boys from Brazil", "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "
The African Queen ", and the Swiss film "Four in a Jeep ", in which he did all the Russian dialogue. He was also in the television movie "Birth of the Beatles ", as the Club Boss, and in'Allo 'Allo! .Recent work includes guest shots in "
Lovejoy " (1994) and the movie "The Sum of All Fears " (as the Russian President).He died in Perth,
Scotland and left a wife, actressPauline Farr , who retains Molchanoff as her off-stage name. He is also survived by a daughter, Helen and three grandchildren.External links
*imdb|id=0549424
Persondata
NAME = Marner, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Molchanoff, Alexander 'Sacha'
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Actor
DATE OF BIRTH =1921-03-27
PLACE OF BIRTH = Petrograd,Soviet Union
DATE OF DEATH =2004-03-18
PLACE OF DEATH =Perth, Scotland
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