Robert Coote
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Coote (4 February 1909 – 26 November 1982) was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady. Coote was born in London and educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex. He began his stage career at the age of 16, performing in Britain, South Africa, and Australia before arriving in Hollywood in the late 1930s. He played a succession of pompous British types in supporting roles, including a brief but memorable turn as Sgt. Bertie Higginbotham in Gunga Din (1939). His acting career was interrupted by his service as a squadron leader in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He played Bob Trubshawe in Powell and Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death (1946), chosen for the first-ever Royal Film Performance on 1 November 1946, before he returned to Hollywood, where his films included The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Forever Amber (1947), The Three Musketeers (1948), and Orson Welles' Othello (1952). In 1956, Coote created the role of Colonel Pickering in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady (1956–62), which he reprised in the musical's 1976–77 Broadway revival. He also originated the role of King Pellinore in the Broadway production of Camelot (1960–63). He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance as Timmy St. Clair in the NBC TV series The Rogues (1964–65). In 1966, Coote appeared with Jackie Gleason and Art Carney in an episode of The Honeymooners entitled "The Honeymooners in England", broadcast on CBS-TV from Miami. In his last feature film performance, Coote portrayed one of the critics dispatched by Vincent Price in Theatre of Blood (1973). His final role was on television, playing orchid nurse Theodore Horstmann in the 1981 NBC-TV series Nero Wolfe, starring William Conrad in the title role. In most film and TV adaptations of Nero Wolfe mysteries, before and since, Horstmann has been a very minor character, but Coote's Horstmann got considerable screen time in the series. The veteran British character actor died in his sleep at the New York Athletic Club in November 1982, at the age of 73. Coote was a close friend of actor David Niven, sharing a house with Niven for a time in the late 1930s and living in a flat over Niven's garage for several years after the Second World War.
Filmography
Filming Othello
Filming Othello
Institute for Revenge
as Wellington
Institute for Revenge
as Wellington
Theatre of Blood
as Oliver Larding
Theatre of Blood
as Oliver Larding
Up the Front
as General Burke
Up the Front
as General Burke
Charley's Aunt
as Col. Sir Francis Chesney
Charley's Aunt
as Col. Sir Francis Chesney
Prudence and the Pill
as Henry Hardcastle
Prudence and the Pill
as Henry Hardcastle
Kenner
Kenner
The Cool Ones
as Stanley Krum
The Cool Ones
as Stanley Krum
The Swinger
as Sir Hubert Charles
The Swinger
as Sir Hubert Charles
Alice Through the Looking Glass
as The Red King
Alice Through the Looking Glass
as The Red King
A Man Could Get Killed
as Hatton / Jones
A Man Could Get Killed
as Hatton / Jones
The Golden Head
The Golden Head
The V.I.P.s
as John Coburn
The V.I.P.s
as John Coburn
The League of Gentlemen
as Bunny Warren
The League of Gentlemen
as Bunny Warren
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
as Baines
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
as Baines
The Horse's Mouth
as Sir William Beeder
The Horse's Mouth
as Sir William Beeder
Merry Andrew
as Dudley Larabee
Merry Andrew
as Dudley Larabee
The Swan
as Capt. Wunderlich
The Swan
as Capt. Wunderlich
The Constant Husband
as The Best Man
The Constant Husband
as The Best Man
The Prisoner of Zenda
as Fritz von Tarlenheim
The Prisoner of Zenda
as Fritz von Tarlenheim
The Merry Widow
as Marquis De Crillon
The Merry Widow
as Marquis De Crillon
Scaramouche
as Gaston Binet
Scaramouche
as Gaston Binet
Othello
as Roderigo
Othello
as Roderigo
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
as British Medical Officer
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
as British Medical Officer
Soldiers Three
as Maj. Mercer
Soldiers Three
as Maj. Mercer
The Elusive Pimpernel
as Sir Andrew ffoulkes
The Elusive Pimpernel
as Sir Andrew ffoulkes
The Red Danube
as Brigadier C.M.V. Catlock
The Red Danube
as Brigadier C.M.V. Catlock
The Three Musketeers
as Aramis
The Three Musketeers
as Aramis
Berlin Express
as James Sterling
Berlin Express
as James Sterling
The Exile
as Dick Pinner
The Exile
as Dick Pinner
Forever Amber
as Sir Thomas Dudley
Forever Amber
as Sir Thomas Dudley
Lured
as Detective Wilson
Lured
as Detective Wilson
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
as Mr. Coombe
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
as Mr. Coombe
A Matter of Life and Death
as Bob Trubshawe
A Matter of Life and Death
as Bob Trubshawe
Cloak and Dagger
as Cronin
Cloak and Dagger
as Cronin
Forever and a Day
as Blind Officer
Forever and a Day
as Blind Officer
Commandos Strike at Dawn
as Robert Bowen
Commandos Strike at Dawn
as Robert Bowen
You Can't Fool Your Wife
as Battincourt
You Can't Fool Your Wife
as Battincourt
Vigil in the Night
as Dr. Caley
Vigil in the Night
as Dr. Caley
Nurse Edith Cavell
as Bungey
Nurse Edith Cavell
as Bungey
Bad Lands
as Eaton
Bad Lands
as Eaton
The House of Fear
as Robert Morton
The House of Fear
as Robert Morton
Gunga Din
as Bertie Higginbotham
Gunga Din
as Bertie Higginbotham
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
as Rollo Venables
Mr. Moto's Last Warning
as Rollo Venables
The Girl Downstairs
as Karl
The Girl Downstairs
as Karl
Blond Cheat
as Gilbert Potts
Blond Cheat
as Gilbert Potts
A Yank at Oxford
as Wavertree
A Yank at Oxford
as Wavertree
The Sheik Steps Out
as Lord Eustace Byington
The Sheik Steps Out
as Lord Eustace Byington
The Thirteenth Chair
as Stanby
The Thirteenth Chair
as Stanby
Rangle River
as Reggie Mannister, Flight-Lieutenant
Rangle River
as Reggie Mannister, Flight-Lieutenant
Loyalties
as Robert
Loyalties
as Robert
Sally in Our Alley
as Waiter At Party
Sally in Our Alley
as Waiter At Party