Roland Varno

Roland Varno (March 15, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American character actor from Utrecht, Netherlands. Varno's father was a tea planter, Martin Fredrick Vuerhard, and his mother was a concert pianist. Although they hoped for him to have a military career, he began acting when he was 16 years old, the youngest member of the royal Dutch theater at that time. After he graduated from college in Leyden, he traveled and continued to study dramatics. He went to Hollywood after a talent scout for MGM saw him in a German film in 1931. Varno worked in vaudeville, performing and designing scenery. He appeared in dozens of films in the 1930s and 1940s. During World War II, Varno served in the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency. Varno also appeared on TV series including Space Patrol, the Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and 77 Sunset Strip. Born Jacob Frederik Vuerhard, he was the father of Martin Varno, author of the 1958 science fiction film Night of the Blood Beast. He was married to Elizabeth Alderson. They also had a daughter, Jillian Mariana. Varno died on May 24, 1996, in Lancaster, California.