Born in Richmond, Surrey, England. Orphaned at 16, he began work as an office boy with the British Steamship Company, a position he held for five years, during which he dabbled in amateur dramatics. Invalided out of WWI service on the French front, he turned to the stage in 1916. He played bits in some short British films and in 1918 began appearing in features. In 1920 he emigrated to the US and for a couple of years seemed to be getting nowhere, either on stage or in films. The turning point came in 1923, after Lillian Gish saw him in a play and chose him as her leading man in THE WHITE SISTER (1923). From there on, Colman developed into one of Hollywood's most popular romantic stars and was one of the few screen personalities who managed to sustain a dominant position in both silent and sound films. Suave, dignified, and gentle, he personified the aristocratic, gentlemanly, romantic hero who did not go out of style after the switch to sound. His silent period was highlighted by a commanding performance in BEAU GESTE (1926) and a series of romantic dramas co-starring Vilma Banky. His mellow, richly modulated voice became an additional asset with the advent of the talkies. Among his most striking performances in sound films were those in ARROWSMITH (1931), A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935), LOST HORIZON (1937), and IF I WERE KING (1938). He won an Academy Award toward the end of his career for a less-impressive performance, a dual role in A DOUBLE LIFE (1947), as an actor playing Othello both on and off stage. Other notable (unnominated) screen appearances include THE ETERNAL CITY (1923), HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE (1924), THE DARK ANGEL and STELLA DALLAS (both 1925), KIKI (1926), THE MAGIC FLAME (1927), TWO LOVERS (1928), RAFFLES (1930), THE UNHOLY GARDEN (1931), THE MAN WHO BROKE THE BANK AT MONTE CARLO (1935), UNDER TWO FLAGS (1936), THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937), THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942), KISMET (1944), AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (1956) and his last film, THE STORY OF MANKING (1957). His second wife (1938 until his death) was actress Benita Hume. He is the subject of a biography, Ronald Colman -- A Very Private Person (1975), written by his daughter, Juliet Benita Colman.  Nominated for Actor 1929-30: CONDEMNED and BULLDOG DRUMMOND  Nominated for Actor 1942: RANDOM HARVEST  Actor 1947: A DOUBLE LIFE 3 nominations, 1 Award