Robert Arden

Acting

Robert Arden

Born 1922-12-11 · London, England, UK

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Arden (11 December 1922 – 25 March 2004) was an American film, television and radio actor born in London who worked and lived mostly in the United Kingdom. Arden was born from an American father and an English mother. His father had a successful career as a professional boxer after World War I. He attended "a combination of English and American schools." Arden's most famous film appearance was as lead character Guy Van Stratten in Mr. Arkadin (1955), written and directed by Orson Welles. Welles had worked with Arden on the Harry Lime radio series, produced in London, and later cast the little-known actor in Mr. Arkadin, in the central role of the investigator who uncovers Arkadin's past. Reportedly, Arden was shocked that Welles might consider him for the part and initially thought that the director's phone inquiry was a crank call. Arden's performance in Mr. Arkadin was panned by some critics : The New York Times called it "hopelessly inadequate". Film historian Jonathan Rosenbaum has defended Arden's performance, locating the problem not in the actor's work but in "the unsavoriness and obnoxiousness of the character", who was intended by Welles to be unattractive even though he occupied in the film "the space normally reserved for charismatic heroes". The credits of one the film's Spanish versions misspelled Arden's name as "Bob Harden". Another Spanish print actually credited him as "Mark Sharpe". Mr. Arkadin did poorly at the box-office. Afterwards, Arden played a few other lead roles, in films such as The Depraved (1957) or The Child and the Killer (1959), but he worked mostly as a character actor, appearing in film, television and stage productions. he worked mostly as a character actor, appearing in film, television and stage productions.

Acting credits

Little Shop of Horrors poster
7.0

Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's; a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for it’s supper.

Little Shop of Horrors

1986

Never Take Sweets from a Stranger poster
7.3

Peter Carter, his wife Sally and their young daughter Jean move to a sleepy Canadian village, where Peter has been hired as a school principal. Their idyll is shattered when Jean becomes the victim of an elderly, and extremely powerful, paedophile. The film was neither a box office nor a critical success, it garnered criticism for breaking a significant public taboo.

Never Take Sweets from a Stranger

1960

The Final Conflict poster
5.8

Damien Thorn has helped rescue the world from a recession, appearing to be a benign corporate benefactor. When he then becomes U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Damien fulfills a terrifying biblical prophecy. He also faces his own potential demise as an astronomical event brings about the second coming of Christ.

The Final Conflict

1981

The Hills of Donegal poster
4.5

Eileen Hannay (Dinah Sheridan) is the singing star of an Irish operatic society but gives up to marry Terry O'Keefe (John Bentley).

The Hills of Donegal

1947

A Matter of Life and Death poster
7.8

A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.

A Matter of Life and Death

1946

Mr. Arkadin poster
6.8

Claiming that he doesn't know his own past, a rich man enlists an ex-con with an odd bit of detective work. Gregory Arkadin says he can't remember anything before the late 1920s, and convict Guy Van Stratten is happy to take the job of exploring his new acquaintance's life story. Guy's research turns up stunning details about his employer's past, and as his work seems linked to untimely deaths, the mystery surrounding Mr. Arkadin deepens.

Mr. Arkadin

1955

Ragtime poster
7.0

A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.

Ragtime

1981

A King in New York poster
6.7

A recently-deposed "Estrovian" monarch seeks shelter in New York City, where he becomes an accidental television celebrity. Later, he's wrongly accused of being a Communist and gets caught up in subsequent HUAC hearings.

A King in New York

1957

Condorman poster
5.5

Comic artist and writer Woody performs a simple courier operation for his friend Harry who works for the CIA. But when he successfully fends off hostile agents, he earns the respect of the beautiful Natalia, who requests his assistance for her defection. Woody uses this request as leverage to use the CIA's resources to bring his comic book creation, Condorman, to life to battle the evil Krokov.

Condorman

1981

Call Me Bwana poster
5.8

A returning moon capsule goes off course and lands in Africa where a little-known tribe finds it. Washington sends Matthew Merriwether to recover it—thinking he's an expert on the region—when in fact he's no such thing. However, a foreign power sends Secret Agent Luba to try and acquire the capsule for itself and, when Matthew and Luba reach their destination, they find that the tribe believes the capsule to be sacred and won't give it up.

Call Me Bwana

1963

Death Drums Along the River poster
5.3

A British colonial policeman in Africa investigates a murder in a hospital up river.

Death Drums Along the River

1963

Two Thousand Women poster
6.9

During the Second World War, three downed English airmen hide out with women's internment camp in France.

Two Thousand Women

1944

Churchill and the Generals poster
9.0

The complicated relationship between Winston Churchill and the leaders of the British army during World War II.

Churchill and the Generals

1979

Reunion at Fairborough poster
5.8

World War II vets travel to England for a reunion at their old base. Stars Judi Trott, Barry Morse, Red Buttons, Deborah Kerr, Shane Rimmer, Robert Mitchum

Reunion at Fairborough

1985

Among Wolves poster
4.4

An American general with highly confidential defence information has been kidnapped by terrorists and is being held in a cliff-top fortress in the Mediterranean.

Among Wolves

1985

The Counterfeit Plan poster
6.2

An escaped murderer flees France to England, where he forces an ex-forger, now established as a reputable estate owner, and the forger's daughter who knew nothing of his past, to counterfeit 5-pound notes for mass distribution around the countryside.

The Counterfeit Plan

1957

The Depraved poster
4.5

Fed up with her wealthy but abusive husband, Tom (Basil Dignam), young English homemaker Laura Wilton (Anne Heywood) conspires with her lover, American Army captain Dave Dillon (Robert Arden), to have her boozy spouse meet an "accidental" demise. But a nosy copper (Denis Shaw) suspects foul play, and soon the lovers' crafty scheme deteriorates into fear, distrust and betrayal. Paul Dickson directs this vintage noir thriller.

The Depraved

1957

No artwork available
7.0

A young private with a pistol deals with the aftershock of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Pistol

1965

The Man from Morocco poster
6.0

With the ending of the Spanish Civil War, a dispirited band of volunteers from the International Brigades seeks refuge in France. But on reaching the frontier, the band is disarmed, and all are detained as political prisoners. Then come instructions from Vichy that all fit prisoners are to be sent to Morocco to work on the Sahara railway for the Germans. However, one man manages to escape to London with vital information for the Allies.

The Man from Morocco

1945

Bermuda Affair poster
10.0

Chuck Walters and Bob Scoffield are old war buddies who run a cargo airplane service in Bermuda. Walters is happily married to Chris while Scoffield chases after every woman who looks his way. Though Walters doesn't suspect anything, Chris isn't nearly as happy as he is and has started a romance with Scoffield on the side. When Walters finally finds out about the affair, he's devastated by the betrayal and runs out into the jungle.

Bermuda Affair

1956

Spin a Dark Web poster
6.3

A boxer and war-time Telephone Engineer (Lee Patterson) is lured into a murder cover-up plot by a scheming woman ( Faith Domergue).

Spin a Dark Web

1956

The Child and the Killer poster
7.0

Joe Marsh (Robert Arden) is a U.S. Army captain who goes on the run in Britain after committing murder. He breaks into a family's home and forces 7-year-old Tommy Martin (Richard Williams) to guide his escape through the surrounding rural territory. A bond begins to form between the child and the desperate fugitive, but Marsh's criminal nature cannot help but show itself again before the chase comes to an end.

The Child and the Killer

1959

The Story of Ruth poster
6.0

The nightmare experience of a young American housewife, confronted by a dark secret from her childhood.

The Story of Ruth

1982