Roland Curram

Roland Curram (6 June 1932 – 1 June 2025) was an English actor and author renowned for his versatile supporting roles in film, television, and theatre over more than four decades, with a breakthrough performance as the gay photographer Malcolm in the 1965 satirical drama Darling, co-starring Julie Christie.^[1]^[2] Born in Hove, East Sussex, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) after being evacuated to Ayr, Scotland, during World War II, and began his career in the late 1950s with appearances in films like Dunkirk (1958) and The Green Helmet (1961).^[1]^[2] Curram's dapper charm and precise delivery made him a fixture in British entertainment, including notable television roles such as Freddie Martin, one of the first openly gay characters in a soap opera, in BBC's Eldorado (1992), and guest spots in series like Dixon of Dock Green (1963), Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976), and Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em (1978).^[1]^[2] On stage, Curram performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in productions such as Little Murders (1967) and appeared in West End revivals of works by Noël Coward, Alan Ayckbourn, and Tom Stoppard, including Noises Off and Design for Living (1982).^[1]^[2] His film credits extended to comedies like Every Home Should Have One (1970) and Ooh … You Are Awful (1972), as well as dramas such as Madame Sousatzka (1988) and Parting Shots (1998).^[1]^[2] After largely retiring from acting in the 1990s, he turned to writing, publishing his memoir Which Way to Love? in 2021 and four novels that drew on his experiences in the entertainment industry.^[1]^[2] Curram's personal life reflected his evolving identity; he was married to actress Sheila Gish from 1964 to 1985, with whom he had two daughters, Lou (who died in 2006) and Kay.^[1]^[2] He came out as gay in the 1990s, entered a civil partnership with Paul Linn in 2006 (later dissolved), and spent his later years with partner Clive Castle.^[1]^[2] Curram died from kidney failure and prostate cancer at age 92, leaving a legacy as a trailblazing figure in portraying queer characters during a time of social change in British media.^[2]

Early life

Family background

Roland Curram was born Roland Kingsford Bernard Curram on 6 June 1932 in Hove, East Sussex, England.^[1] He was the only child of his parents.^[1] His father, Bernard Curram, worked as an insurance agent and died when Roland was seven years old, around 1939.^[1] His mother, Phyllis (née Ashdown), was a milliner who later became a pub landlady; she raised him as a single parent following her husband's death.^[1] During World War II, Curram was evacuated from the south coast to Ayr, Scotland, where he attended Ayr Academy.^[1] He later returned to the Brighton area and completed his education at Brighton College.^[1]

Education and training

Curram was born in Hove, East Sussex, in 1932, during the early years of the Great Depression, to a middle-class family; his father worked as an insurance agent.^[1] During the Second World War, as a young child, he was evacuated to Ayr in Scotland for safety, where he received his initial schooling at Ayr Academy.^[1]^[2] Following the war, Curram returned to southern England and attended Brighton College, a prestigious independent school in Brighton, from 1945 to 1948.^[3]^[2] There, he developed an early interest in the performing arts, though specific academic achievements from this period are not widely documented. Brighton College provided a rigorous classical education, which laid the groundwork for his future career in theatre and film.^[1] After completing his secondary education, Curram pursued formal acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, enrolling in 1948 at the age of 16 and earning his Diploma in Acting in 1950.^[4]^[1] This intensive program honed his skills in classical and contemporary techniques, preparing him for professional stage work. To gain practical experience, he also trained with the Bognor Regis Repertory Company, a regional theatre group, where he performed alongside emerging actors such as Rosemary Harris and Michael Hawkins.^[5] This repertory training emphasized versatility in roles and rapid production cycles, essential for building a sustainable career in British theatre during the post-war era.^[6]

Professional career

Theatre and early roles

Curram began his professional acting career in 1952, following training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he enrolled at age 16. His professional debut occurred that year in repertory theatre, starting at Carlisle Repertory Theatre, marking the start of a diverse theatre journey that initially focused on repertory work across the UK.^[6]^[1] Between 1952 and 1958, Curram honed his craft in provincial repertory theatres, performing in a range of roles that built his versatility as a character actor. He started at Carlisle Repertory Theatre, where he met future director John Schlesinger, and continued at venues in Nottingham, Eastbourne, and Worthing. During this period, he trained further at Bognor Regis Repertory Company alongside peers such as Rosemary Harris and Michael Hawkins.^[1]^[5] Curram's transition to London stage work began in 1961 with his debut at the Royal Court Theatre in The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, directed by Tony Richardson and featuring Robert Shaw and Mary Ure. This production highlighted his ability to handle classical and intense dramatic roles. In 1964, he took on the lead role of Gary Essendine in Noël Coward's comedy Present Laughter at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where he met actress Sheila Gish, whom he later married. By 1967, Curram joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) for a West End transfer at the Aldwych Theatre, portraying an existential cleric in Jules Feiffer's Little Murders. These early theatre engagements established Curram as a reliable supporting performer in both repertory and prestigious ensemble productions, laying the groundwork for his subsequent film and television success.^[1]

Film appearances

Curram began his film career in the post-war British cinema landscape, securing small supporting roles in comedies and dramas during the 1950s. His screen debut came in Something Money Can't Buy (1952) as a juvenile delinquent, followed by the farce Up to His Neck (1954), directed by John Paddy Carstairs, where he appeared alongside comedy stalwarts Ronald Shiner, Hattie Jacques, and Brian Rix in a plot involving a bumbling inventor and a submarine mishap.^[1] A year later, he had a minor part as a carpenter in the crime drama The Good Beginning (1953), but it was roles like Thomas the footman in Lewis Gilbert's class-satire adaptation The Admirable Crichton (1957)—starring Kenneth More as the unflappable butler—that began to establish his presence in ensemble casts.^[7] In 1958, Curram contributed to the ensemble of the war film Dunkirk, directed by Leslie Norman, which dramatized the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops, featuring John Mills and Richard Attenborough in lead roles.^[1] The 1960s marked a shift toward more distinctive character parts, blending Curram's stage-honed precision with the era's evolving cinematic styles. He played an uncredited young man in a sports car in Michael Powell's infamous psychological horror Peeping Tom (1960), a film that explored voyeurism and shocked audiences with its unflinching gaze, co-starring Carl Boehm and Moira Shearer.^[8] Curram also appeared in lighter fare, such as the naval comedy The Captain's Table (1959) and the medical romp Doctor in Love (1960), part of the popular "Doctor" series. His role in the racing drama The Green Helmet (1961), with Bill Moss as a motorcycle racer, highlighted his ability to handle action-oriented supporting turns.^[9] Curram's most acclaimed film performance arrived in John Schlesinger's Darling (1965), where he portrayed Malcolm, the witty, openly gay fashion photographer and confidant to Julie Christie's social-climbing antiheroine Diana Scott. This Swinging London satire, co-starring Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey, earned critical praise for its sharp commentary on fame and morality, with Christie's Best Actress Oscar underscoring the ensemble's impact; Curram's nuanced depiction of Malcolm added authenticity to the film's bohemian milieu.^[1]^[10] Building on this visibility, he took on eccentric roles in films like the satirical comedy I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), opposite Oliver Reed, reflecting the decade's permissive trends.^[11] In the 1970s and beyond, Curram's film work leaned into genre pieces and occasional reunions with past collaborators. He featured in the Marty Feldman vehicle Every Home Should Have One (also known as Think Dirty, 1970), a bedroom farce critiquing advertising culture, and the bawdy Ooh... You Are Awful (1972), a Carry On-style comedy with Dick Emery.^[1] Later entries included the sex comedy Let's Get Laid (1978), directed by James Gambier and starring Robin Askwith in a World War II-set romp.^[1] Reuniting with Schlesinger, Curram played a menswear salesman in the musical drama Madame Sousatzka (1988), supporting Shirley MacLaine's portrayal of a demanding émigré piano instructor guiding a young prodigy.^[1] His final screen credit was a supporting role in Michael Winner's dark comedy Parting Shots (1998), a vigilante tale starring Christopher Cazenove, capping a filmography that spanned over 25 features, primarily in character parts that emphasized his dry wit and reliability.^[1]^[12]

Television work

Curram's television career spanned over four decades, beginning with guest appearances in established British series during the 1960s. He featured in two episodes of the long-running police drama Dixon of Dock Green in 1963, marking an early foray into episodic television.^[2] The 1970s saw Curram transition to more substantial roles in dramas and comedies that showcased his versatility in portraying complex characters. In 1972, he starred alongside his then-wife Sheila Gish in the television play My Secret Husband, a domestic drama exploring marital secrets.^[2] That decade also included his portrayal of Rupert Warner, a family friend entangled in emotional turmoil, in the ITV serial Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976), a seven-episode adaptation of Andrea Newman's novel that delved into middle-class sexual and psychological tensions.^[13] The same year, he played Terry, a gay resident in the Thames Television comedy-drama The Crezz, a 12-week series centered on life in a modern apartment block.^[2] Curram appeared as a guest in the popular BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em in 1978, contributing to its chaotic humor alongside Michael Crawford's bumbling Frank Spencer.^[2] He also took on the recurring role of Brian Pillbeam, the Medfords' annoying neighbor, in three episodes of the BBC sitcom Terry and June during its 1979 first series.^[14] Into the 1980s, Curram continued with character-driven parts, including the accident-prone Harold Perkins in the BBC comedy series Big Jim and the Figaro Club (1981), a six-episode run following a group of misfit friends in a social club.^[2]^[13] One of Curram's most notable television roles came in the 1990s with the BBC soap opera Eldorado (1992–1993), where he portrayed Freddie Martin, a middle-aged, lonely retired nurse and one of the first openly gay characters in a British TV soap. The series, set among British expats on Spain's Costa del Sol, featured Curram in 114 episodes before its cancellation after one year and 156 episodes total due to low ratings.^[1]^[2] Later in the decade, he appeared as Stanley Woodcock in the episode "Old Flames" of the ITV period drama Doctor Finlay (1995), a series based on A.J. Cronin's stories set in 1940s Scotland.^[15] Curram's final significant television appearance was in 2001, playing Ted Carver in the episode "Borrowed Time" of the BBC medical drama Holby City, contributing to its early exploration of hospital ethics and patient stories.^[16] Throughout his TV career, Curram often brought nuance to supporting roles in both dramatic and comedic contexts, reflecting his stage-honed ability to convey emotional depth.^[1]

Writing career

Novels and memoirs

In the late 1990s, after more than four decades in acting, Curram transitioned to a writing career, self-publishing four novels that explored themes of personal identity, relationships, and societal change, often drawing from his own life experiences. His debut novel, Man on the Beach (2004), follows Ioan Williams, an international male model and gay hustler navigating risky encounters during a holiday in Gran Canaria, highlighting themes of desire and vulnerability in the gay community.^[17] This was followed by The Rose Secateurs (2007), a story centered on familial secrets and emotional reckonings in a rural English setting. Curram's subsequent novels continued to delve into introspective narratives. Mother Loved Funerals (2009) is a semi-autobiographical tale recounting the childhood of Billy Bartlett, who in 1938 witnesses his mother's scandalous affair amid the Munich crisis, blending historical backdrop with themes of betrayal and youthful disillusionment. His final novel, The Problem with Happiness (2012), examines the complexities of pursuing fulfillment in modern relationships, reflecting Curram's evolving perspectives on love and self-acceptance. In 2021, Curram published his memoir Which Way to Love?, a candid self-published account of his romantic and sexual journey, including his marriage, divorce, coming out as gay after 21 years, and subsequent civil partnership and relationships.^[1] The book details his struggles with love, lust, and identity, offering humorous and poignant insights into his post-acting life and personal transformation.^[18]

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Curram married actress Sheila Gish in 1964, having met her while both were performing in Noël Coward's Present Laughter at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.^[1]^[2] The couple had two daughters: Lou Gish, an actress who died of cancer in 2006, and Kay Curram, a restaurateur.^[1]^[2] Their marriage ended in divorce in 1984.^[1]^[2] Following the divorce, Curram came out as gay in the 1990s and began a relationship with singer-songwriter Paul Linn, with whom he lived in Chiswick.^[1]^[2] The pair entered a civil partnership in 2006, which was later dissolved.^[1]^[2] In his 2021 memoir Which Way to Love?, Curram recounted his experiences of coming out after two decades of marriage, describing the process as liberating while emphasizing his ongoing closeness to his first family.^[19]^[20] In his later years, Curram lived with Clive Castle, an online tarot reader he met on holiday in Gran Canaria around 2019.^[1]^[2] The couple resided together in west London until Curram's death in 2025, with Castle surviving him.^[1]^[2] Kay Curram also survives him, along with two grandsons, Joe and Frank.^[1]

Later years and death

By the early 2000s, Curram retired from acting to pursue writing full-time. He remained active socially, regularly attending West End theatre premieres and visiting the gym until shortly before his death. Curram was predeceased by his elder daughter, Lou (2006), and Gish (2005); he is survived by his younger daughter, Kay, a restaurateur, and two grandsons.^[2]^[1] Curram died on 1 June 2025 at his home in west London, aged 92, from kidney failure and prostate cancer.^[2]