Norman Wooland

Norman Wooland

Norman Wooland (16 March 1905 – 3 April 1989) was an English character actor who appeared in many major films, including several Shakespearean adaptations, who was born in Düsseldorf, Germany to British parents. During the Second World War he was a junior radio announcer, reporting the news for the BBC. His acting break came when he played Horatio in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948), and in which his "fine work" was noted by The New York Times. Then came Catesby in Olivier's film of Richard III, and Paris in Romeo and Juliet (1954). He also had supporting roles in Quo Vadis (1951), Ivanhoe (1952), Background (1953), The Guns of Navarone (1961), Life for Ruth (1962) and International Velvet (1978). Wooland kept a herd of cows, each of which was named after a Shakespearean character. He died in 1989, aged 79.

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