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Henry Rowland (actor)

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Henry Rowland
Rowland in That Nazty Nuisance (1942)
Born
Heinrich Wilhelm von Bock

(1913-09-24)September 24, 1913
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedApril 26, 1984(1984-04-26) (aged 70)
Northridge, California, U.S.
Resting placeLos Angeles National Cemetery
Other namesHenry Roland, Cpl. Henry Rowland
Years active1940–1979

Henry Rowland (born Heinrich Wilhelm von Bock;[1] December 28, 1913 – April 26, 1984) was an American film and television actor. He is remembered for his role as Count Kolinko in the Zorro television series.

Biography

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Rowland was born in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] His father left Germany before World War I began and became a professor of German at the University of Nebraska. Following the war, Rowland was educated in Germany through the secondary level. He returned to the United States and studied acting in Pasadena.[1]

While Rowland was born in the American Midwest, he was frequently cast as German characters, particularly as Nazis in films made during or, later, about World War II. Rowland "heiled" and "achtunged" his way through a variety of films, ranging from Casablanca (1943) to Russ Meyer's Supervixens (1975). Conversely, he showed up as an American flight surgeon in 1944's Winged Victory, billed under his Army rank as Corporal Henry Rowland.

In his last years, Rowland had continued playing such Germanic characters as the Amish farmer in The Frisco Kid (1979). These included bit part or cameo roles in most of Russ Meyer's 1970s sexploitation films, which included, in addition to Supervixens, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979). In the Meyer films, Rowland always depicting a disguised and fictionalized version of Nazi Party official Martin Bormann as a cross-movie running gag.[3]

He appeared six times on the western series Annie Oakley, starring Gail Davis and Brad Johnson. He was also cast in the television series Brave Eagle, Fury, The Lone Ranger, Zorro, The Rifleman, Tales of Wells Fargo (episode "Laredo"), and Gunsmoke.

He was buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery.[4] For his contribution to the television industry, Henry Rowland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6328 Hollywood Boulevard.[5]

Partial filmography

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Selected Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1953 Death Valley Days Fred Season 1, Episode 12, "Swamper Ike"
1960 The Rebel Jake Rollins Episode "The Unwanted"
1964 Gunsmoke Frank Episode "Trip West" (S9E31)

References

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  1. ^ a b Bolton, Whitney (October 19, 1949). "Minor Actor Deplores Nazi Roles". News-Press. Florida, Fort Myers. p. 4. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Another Omahan Makes the Grade, Too". Omaha World Herald. November 7, 1948. p. 4 F. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Williams, Tony (November 21, 2016). "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls: Vulgarity as Satire". FilmInt.nu. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  5. ^ "Henry Rowland". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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