- Born
- Died
- Birth nameOle Krohn Pooley
- He was born in Parkstone, Dorset, England. His father was English and his mother was Danish. Olaf was a student of architecture at the Architectural Association, London, and of painting at the Chelsea School of Art. In Paris, he studied under the tutelage of Marcel Grommaire, at the Acedemie Colorossi. He has exhibited in Europe, including with the London Group and the Bloomsbury Gallery, London; in Paris at the Gallerie d'Alsace, the Centre Culturel Saint Severin, and L'Imagerie - and in Mallorca, at La Residencia and the Galleria Ortez, Palma de Mallorca. Alongside his work as a painter, he has been a working actor since his days in England. His first full time employment was in the Design Department at Pinewood Film Studios in England. He subsequently worked in Theatre Décor. He was a member of the BBC Radio Drama Reparatory Company. He went onto working successfully as an actor in London's West End Theatre and the various alternative media.
Upon immigrating to the United States in 1986, Olaf continued his acting career while his second wife, Gabrielle Beaumont, pursued a very successful TV Director career. He had a reoccurring role as Professor Stahlman in the Doctor Who television series. He is one of only 25 actors to have speaking roles in both the "Star Trek" and the "Doctor Who" franchises. He still receives mail from fans around the world who follow the Dr. Who series and admire his work. He has written numerous screen plays and was a close friend of Sir Alec Guinness for many years.
Olaf Pooley's current studio location is at the Santa Monica Art Studios located at 3026 Airport Drive, Santa Monica, CA 90405. For more information about his paintings, email: inharmony@aol.com.- IMDb mini biography by: Olaf Pooley
- SpousesGabrielle Beaumont(1982 - 1993) (divorced, 1 child)Irlin Hall(1946 - ?) (divorced, 2 children)
- Children
- RelativesJuliet Holland-Rose(Grandchild)
- With the death of Ellen Albertini Dow on May 4, 2015, he became the oldest surviving "Star Trek" actor. He held the title until his own death on July 14, 2015 when it was passed on to Norman Lloyd.
- At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving actor to have appeared in either the "Star Trek" or "Doctor Who" franchises.
- He was a close friend of Sir Alec Guinness for many years.
- He is one of only 25 actors to have speaking roles in both the "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who" franchises. He played Professor Stahlman/Director Stahlman in Inferno: Episode 1 (1970) and an elderly cleric in Blink of an Eye (2000).
- He is an Artist and paints at the Santa Monica Art Studios at 3026 Airport Avenue at the Santa Monica Airport.
- It seems to me that the art of painting must be one of the most difficult forms of art there is - though I hasten to add they are all difficult. How many truly great works are produced in this medium per century, let alone per annum - particularly considering the miles of canvas that receives its quota of expensive pigment each year? It has to be admittedly, mighty few. I have personally witnessed an artist whose early etchings rank with those of Rembrandt, and who was in his day one of the most sought after English portrait painter, banging his head with his fist and moaning over and over again "my work is not good enough, my work is not good enough! And indeed stories of artists similarly expressing this sort of despair are innumerable. I have personally acted out that scene, but perhaps the knowledge that one's work is not good enough is the very thing that keeps one on a tether to one's easel for six hours or so a day! It is a privilege to be an artist and I am fortunate in this respect.
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