John van Dreelen (born Jacques Theodore van Drielen Gimberg; 5 May 1922 – 4 September 1992) was a Dutch actor, who frequently performed on television from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Early years

Van Dreelen was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, the son of Dutch actor Louis van Dreelen Gimberg and the Countess de Labouchere of Paris. He attended the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

and was fluent in several languages. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, his stage career was interrupted by the German invasion of the Netherlands. He escaped the Emslandlager labor camp near Papenburg by disguising himself as one of the German officers, a role he would later play so often on both big and small screens. Until 1950, his stage name was Jack Gimberg, at which time he changed it to John van Dreelen.

Television

Though he appeared in many European films, van Dreelen is best remembered as an A-list guest star in dozens of American television shows from the early 1960s to the mid-1980s, such as '' 12 O'Clock High'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' (" The Jeopardy Room"), ''

The Man from UNCLE ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a sec ...

'', ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...

'', '' The Wild Wild West'', ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American so ...

'', ''

Blue Light Blue Light or Blue light may refer to: Science and technology * Portion of the visible spectrum related to the blue color ** Blue laser ** Blue LED * Cherenkov radiation, the physical phenomenon responsible for the characteristic blue glow in nucl ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'' and ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

''. In 1962, he played the part of Ulrich in the episode "The Immigrants" on CBS's '' Rawhide''. In 1964 he played a film producer (and murderer) in the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' episode, "The Case of the Bountiful Beauty." In 1965 he was again cast as the murderer in the episode, "The Case of the Feather Cloak."

Film

Never a major player in theatrical films, he nonetheless scored a few choice roles, including the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

concert pianist who rescues and woos

Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized pe ...

during an extended sequence in '' Madame X'' in 1966. Four episodes of ''Blue Light'' were edited together to create the theatrical film ''

I Deal in Danger ''I Deal in Danger'' is a 1966 American DeLuxe Color spy film compiled from the first four episodes of a television series, ''Blue Light'', which aired on ABC-TV in early 1966. Directed by Walter Grauman, it starred Robert Goulet as David Mar ...

'', which was released in December 1966 and included his appearance. His other film credits included roles in ''

Von Ryan's Express ''Von Ryan's Express'' is a 1965 World War II adventure film starring Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, and Raffaella Carrà, and directed by Mark Robson. Produced in CinemaScope, the film depicts a group of Allied prisoners of war ( POWs) who cond ...

'' (1965), '' Topaz'' (1969), ''

Lost Horizon ''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called '' Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamas ...

'' (1973), '' The Big Game'' (1973), ''The Clone Master'' (1978), '' The Formula'' (1980), ''

The Money Pit ''The Money Pit'' is a 1986 American comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, book ...

'' (1986) and '' Born to Fight'' (1989), as well as TV miniseries such as '' The Rhinemann Exchange'', '' The Word'' and '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors''.

Stage

Van Dreelen had an international stage career and starred in a Dutch staging of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

''. He starred as Baron Von Trapp for 40 weeks in as the original American touring production of ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

''. (According to the actor, Richard Rodgers wanted van Dreelen and Audrey Hepburn to play the film's leads.)

Filmography

*''Niet tevergeefs'' (1948) *'' But Not in Vain'' (1948) – Minor Role (uncredited) *'' Gigi'' (1949) – Bit Part (uncredited) *' (1952) –

Lemmy Caution Lemmy Caution is a fictional character created by British writer Peter Cheyney (1896–1951). Caution was first portrayed as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, and in later stories as a private detective. Cheyney's first book with the ...

(segment "Je suis un tendre") *''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

'' (1952) – Bit part (uncredited) *'' Red Roses, Red Lips, Red Wine'' (1953) – Hans Westhoff *''

Heartbroken on the Moselle ''Heartbroken on the Moselle'' (german: Moselfahrt aus Liebeskummer) is a 1953 West German romantic comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Will Quadflieg, Elisabeth Müller, and Oliver Grimm. It was based on a 1932 novella by Rudolf ...

'' (1953) – Bernd Zagler *'' Monte Carlo Baby'' (1953) – Rudy Walter *'' Daybreak'' (1954) *''Ein Mädchen aus Paris'' (1954) *''

The Last Ten Days ''The Last Ten Days'' (german: Der letzte Akt) is a 1955 Austrian-German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst. It was the first film in post-World War II Germany to feature the character of Adolf Hitler. It follows him and others in what were th ...

'' (1955) – Major Brinkmann *'' Bedevilled'' (1955) – Michel Trevelle (uncredited) * ''

In Hamburg When the Nights Are Long ''In Hamburg When the Nights Are Long'' (German: ''In Hamburg sind die Nächte lang'') is a 1956 West German crime film directed by Max Michel and starring Barbara Rütting, Erwin Strahl and Dorit Kreysler.Meier p.339 It was shot at the Göttingen ...

'' (1956) – Peter Drante *''Zwei Herzen voller Seligkeit'' (1957) – Dieter Lorenz *''

A Time to Love and a Time to Die ''A Time to Love and a Time to Die'' is a 1958 Eastmancolor CinemaScope drama war film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring John Gavin and Liselotte Pulver. Based on the book by German author Erich Maria Remarque and set on the Eastern Front ...

'' (1958) – Political Officer *''

The Flying Fontaines ''The Flying Fontaines'' is a 1959 American film about trapeze artists. It stars Michael Callan. Plot Cast *Michael Callan as Rick Rias *Evy Norlund as Suzanne Fontaine * Joan Evans as Jan Fontaine *Rian Garrick as Bill Rand *Joe De Santis as ...

'' (1959) – Victor Fontaine *''

The Leech Woman ''The Leech Woman'' is a 1960 black-and-white US horror film from Universal-International, produced by Joseph Gershenon, directed by Edward Dein, and starring Coleen Gray, Grant Williams, Gloria Talbott, and Phillip Terry. The film was actual ...

'' (1960) – Bertram Garvay *'' The Enemy General'' (1960) – Gen. Bruger *''

Beyond the Time Barrier ''Beyond the Time Barrier'' is a 1960 American science fiction film. It was released in September 1960 on a double bill with '' The Angry Red Planet''.Warren, Bill (1986). "Keep Watching The Skies Volume 2". McFarland & Co., Inc. . Page 730 It sta ...

'' (1960) – Dr. Bourman *''

13 Ghosts ''13 Ghosts'' is a 1960 American supernatural horror film produced and directed by William Castle, written by Robb White and starring Rosemary DeCamp, Margaret Hamilton, Charles Herbert, Martin Milner, Jo Morrow, John van Dreelen, and Donald ...

'' (1960) – Van Allen *''

The Wizard of Baghdad ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1960) – Sultan Jullnar *''

'' (1965) – Col. Gortz *'' Madame X'' (1966) – Christian Torben *''

'' (1966) – von Lindendorf *' (1967, TV Series) – Mark Lissen *' (1968) – Lawyer Kellermann *'' Topaz'' (1969) – Claude Martin *' (1972) – Jan Eckmann *''

'' (1973) – Dr. Verden *'' The Big Game'' (1973) – Lee *''Rufus'' (1975) – Marcel *'' Too Hot to Handle'' (1977) – MacKenzie Portman *''The Clone Master'' (1978) – Salt *'' The Formula'' (1980) – Hans Lehman, Prefect of Police Berlin *''

Hart to Hart ''Hart to Hart'' is an American mystery television series that premiered on August 25, 1979, on ABC. The show stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, respectively, a wealthy couple who lead a glamorous jetset life ...

'' (1983) – Henri Beaumont *''

'' (1986) – Carlos *''Mascara'' (1987) – Minister Weinberger *''Odyssée d'amour'' (1987) – Dr. Alexander De Winter *'' Zoeken naar Eileen'' (1987) – Philips vader *'' Born to Fight'' (1989) – Gen. Weber *''

Gummibärchen küßt man nicht ''Gummibärchen küßt man nicht'' (English title – ''Real Men Don't Eat Gummy Bears'') is a 1989 West German comedy film. Despite featuring mainly American actors, the film was never released outside of Germany. Cast *Christopher Mitchum ...

'' (1989) – Geyer *''Operation Las Vegas'' (1990) – Parker *' (1991) – Albert

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dreelen, John van 1922 births 1992 deaths Dutch male film actors Dutch male television actors Male actors from Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch male actors Dutch male stage actors University of Paris alumni Dutch expatriates in France