Olaf Pooley

Olaf Pooley (13 March 1914 – 14 July 2015) was an English actor and writer.

Early life

Pooley was born of an English father and Danish mother in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. He studied architecture and then painting in London.

Career

He wrote and appeared in the film The Corpse (released in the United States as Crucible of Horror), starring Michael Gough, and wrote, directed and appeared in The Johnstown Monster. He also wrote the screenplay for a film version of Bernard Taylor's novel The Godsend (1980). Beaumont directed the film. Pooley's other writing credits include the television film Falcon's Gold (1982) and being an uncredited writer on the sci-fi horror film Lifeforce (1985).

Pooley's TV guest appearances from the 1950s onwards include Dixon of Dock Green, Paul Temple, Jason King, MacGyver and Star Trek: Voyager. He played Professor Stahlman and his parallel Earth counterpart Director Stahlmann in the Doctor Who serial Inferno (1970). He also played Lars Torvik in the first episode of The Sandbaggers ("First Principles", 1978). His other appearances include the BBC Radio play Ambrose In Paris (1958) and Sebastian in a BBC Television Sunday Night Theatre production of Shakespeare's The Tempest (1956). Pooley had a major career in West End theatre appearing in such notable productions as Noël Coward's Peace In Our Time and revivals of The Tempest and Othello.