Edmund Purdom, Actor Who Worked With Olivier, Dead at 85

By Kenneth Jones
January 13, 2009

Edmund Purdom, a British actor who played Prince Karl in the 1954 M-G-M musical "Student Prince," and was a protégé of actor-director Laurence Olivier, died Jan. 1 of natural causes in Rome, Italy, according to published reports. He was 85.

He worked with Olivier for a number of years on stage, appearing on Broadway with Olivier and Vivien Leigh in the Olivier-produced rep productions of Antony and Cleopatra and Caesar and Cleopatra, in 1951-52. He also appeared in Child of Fortune.

Olivier reportedly introduced Mr. Purdom to Hollywood, where his movie credits included "The Egyptian" and "Julius Caesar" with Marlon Brando and John Gielgud. He moved to Italy in the 1960s and lived there until his death. His film credits in Italy included "Mr. Scarface," "Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks" and "Horror Safari." He dubbed many Italian films into English.