Olaf Pooley (born 13 March 1914) is an English actor and writer. Pooley was born of an English father and Danish mother in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, England. He studied Architecture and then painting in London. In 1946 he married actress Irlin Hall and together they had a daughter, the actress Kirstie Pooley (born 1954) and son comedian Seyton Pooley. In 1982 he married director Gabrielle Beaumont, although they are now separated.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 The Godsend. Beaumont directed the film. Pooley's other writing credits include the 1982 TV film Falcon's Gold and being an uncredited writer on the 1985 sci-fi horror film Lifeforce. Pooley's TV guest appearances since the 1950s 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, entitled First Principles (1978). His other appearances include the 1958 BBC Radio play Ambrose In Paris and Sebastian in a 1956 film production of The Tempest. Pooley had a major career in West End theatre appearing in such notable productions such as Noël Coward's Peace In Our Time and Shakespeare's The Tempest and Othello.Pooley is one of only 25 actors to appear in both the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises and is the oldest living Doctor Who actor. He emigrated to the United States in 1986 and lives in Southern California, with an art studio in Santa Monica where he devotes his time to painting. He turned 100 in March 2014 and became the oldest surviving Doctor Who actor with the death of Zohra Sehgal on July 10, 2014.
It seems to me that the art of painting must be one of the most difficult forms of art there is - though I hasten to add they are all difficult. How many truly great works are produced in this medium per century, let alone per annum - particularly considering the miles of canvas that receives its quota of expensive pigment each year? It has to be admittedly, mighty few. I have personally witnessed an artist whose early etchings rank with those of Rembrandt, and who was in his day one of the most sought after English portrait painter, banging his head with his fist and moaning over and over again "my work is not good enough, my work is not good enough! And indeed stories of artists similarly expressing this sort of despair are innumerable. I have personally acted out that scene, but perhaps the knowledge that one's work is not good enough is the very thing that keeps one on a tether to one's easel for six hours or so a day! It is a privilege to be an artist and I am fortunate in this respect.
After Zohra Segal, he was the second Doctor Who (1963) cast member to have reached the age of 100. With Segal's death on July 10, 2014 at the age of 102, he became the oldest surviving Doctor Who (1963) actor. He held the title until his own death on July 14, 2015 when it was passed on to Earl Cameron.
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With the death of Ellen Albertini Dow on May 4, 2015, he became the oldest surviving "Star Trek" actor. He held the title until his own death on July 14, 2015 when it was passed on to Norman Lloyd.
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He is an Artist and paints at the Santa Monica Art Studios at 3026 Airport Avenue at the Santa Monica Airport.
He is one of only 25 actors to have speaking roles in both the "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who" franchises. He played Professor Stahlman/Director Stahlman in Doctor Who: Inferno: Episode 1 (1970) and an elderly cleric in Star Trek: Voyager: Blink of an Eye (2000).
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He was a close friend of Sir Alec Guinness for many years.
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