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Colin Tapley

Colin Tapley

Actor · Died December 1, 1995, aged 88 · Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Colin Tapley (7 May 1907 – 1 December 1995) was a British actor. Born in New Zealand, he served in the Royal Air Force and an expedition to Antarctica before winning a Paramount Pictures talent contest and moving to Hollywood. He acted in several films before returning to Britain during the Second World War as a flight controller with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He returned briefly to New Zealand before returning once again to Britain to renew his acting career. His most famous role is as William Glanville in The Dam Busters but he spent much of his later career typecast as a police inspector, a role he played in several films and TV series before retiring to Gloucestershire. Description above from the Wikipedia article Colin Tapley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.                    ​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 7, 1907
Died
December 1, 1995 (aged 88)
From
Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand
Works as
Actor
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 34% in 30 days

What are Colin Tapley's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
35%
Bonds
28%
Power
10%
Survival
9%
Self
9%
Ideas
9%
Loyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role
  • Threshold guardianas Insp. Davis in Cloudburst (1951)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
5
Thrilling
4
Dread
2
Contemplative
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Bittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Colin Tapley's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Colin Tapley's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page.

  • Richard the Lionheart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 2 episodes · as Chamberlain · as Steward

  • Strongroom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Haynes

  • Emergency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Dr. Lloyd

  • Gang War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Paul Alexis

  • The Lamp in Assassin Mews (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Inspector

  • So Evil, So Young (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Inspector

  • The Sundowners(1960)

    as Palmer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Compelled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Inspector

  • An Honourable Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Casca

  • Man Accused (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Inspector

  • Innocent Meeting(1959)

    as Stannard

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Safecracker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    as Colonel Charles Mercer

  • Stranger in Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Henry Ryland

  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Everard · as Lord Vanton

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Murder on Approval(1955)

    as Lord Valchrist

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Dam Busters(1955)

    as Doctor W.H. Glanville, C.B., C.B.E.

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Diamond Wizard(1954)

    as Sir Stafford Beach

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • White Fire(1953)

    as Arnold Winslow

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Steel Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Dr. Crabtree

  • Noose for a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Major Fergusson

  • Strange Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Charles ('Strange Journey')

  • Wide Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Mannering

  • Wings of Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Inspector Maxwell

  • Angels One Five (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Adjutant

  • Cloudburst(1951)

    as Inspector Davis

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Samson and Delilah(1949)

    as Prince

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Arizona(1940)

    as Bart Massey

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • North West Mounted Police(1940)

    as Mountie

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The Light That Failed(1939)

    as Gardner

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Storm Over Bengal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Hallett

  • If I Were King(1938)

    as Jehan LeLoup

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Booloo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Captain Robert Rogers

  • Souls at Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Donaldson (uncredited)

  • Night of Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Chester Greene

  • King of Gamblers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Joe

  • The Crime Nobody Saw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Dr. Brooks

  • Maid of Salem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Roger's Friend (Uncredited)

  • Bulldog Drummond Escapes(1937)

    as Dixon

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Thank You, Jeeves! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Tom Brock

  • The Return of Sophie Lang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Larry

  • Early to Bed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Doctor Vernon

  • Too Many Parents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Miller

  • The Preview Murder Mystery(1936)

    as Studio Manager

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • My Marriage(1936)

    as Sir Philip Burleigh

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Peter Ibbetson(1935)

    as Clerk (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Last Outpost(1935)

    as Lieutenant Prescott

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Black Room(1935)

    as Paul Hassel as a young lieutenant

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Becky Sharp(1935)

    as William Dobbin

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Lives of a Bengal Lancer(1935)

    as Barrett

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Father Brown, Detective (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Maître d' (uncredited)

  • Wagon Wheels(1934)

    as Mountaineer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Murder at the Vanities(1934)

    as Stage Manager (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Double Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Dr. John Lucas

Career shape

Star power in the 82nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 53 titles from 1934 to 1962.

Biggest box office

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

$3.3M worldwide

Highest rated

The Dam Busters (1955)

Midcredits 91st

Film career

  • 1935Screen debut· The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
  • 1955Career best· The Dam Busters

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting53 of 53: 53 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score56th

By decade

1930s25 · acting1940s3 · acting1950s16 · acting1960s9 · acting

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Colin Tapley's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 23 titles divides audiences: 14 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed2

Most loved · actor

The Dam Busters (1955)

Midcredits 91st · 81% liked

Reviewers score the acting 69/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Colin Tapley work with?

People who share at least 2 of Colin Tapley's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Milan Roder shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers