Roland Bartrop(1925-1969)
- Actor
His father worked for Scotland Yard's Special Branch, but young Rowland
decided to pursue a career in acting. Born in Walthamstow on 21
December 1925, Rowland Thomas Bartrop joined the London Stage Academy
in 1943 and was initially promoted for juvenile parts. During the war
he toured with NAAFI and ENSA in French Without Tears playing support
to Rex Harrison and Anna Neagle. He did a good deal of theatre work in
both London and the provinces, and performed in Shakespeare on records,
notably Coriolanus starring Richard Burton. In the 1950s Bartrop moved
to television and it was on the series Sword of Freedom (1957) that he
became a good friend of Edmund Purdom. The two actors decided to
further their careers in Europe, mainly in costume movies. Bartrop's
memorable roles were Horatio Nelson in The Battle of Austerlitz (1960)
and friend-of-the-hero to Steve Reeves in The Son of Spartacus (1962).
In Europe, Bartrop (who spoke several languages) shortened his first
name to "Roland." However, when he played a German officer in two
Italian films it was the idea of the producer, as a little joke, to
bill him in the credits as "Roland von Bartrop." Bartrop's death went
largely unreported, but his family believe that his early death at 43
was due to a suspected heart attack, surprisingly since he kept himself
extremely fit for action roles. At the time of his death the actor was
living in Switzerland. His widow, actress
Colette Bartrop, had appeared with him
in Faces in the Dark (1960).
