Theodore Roberts
Theodore Roberts (October 8, 1861 – December 14, 1928)[1] was an American film and stage actor.
Early life
Roberts was born in San Francisco, California.[2] He was a cousin of the stage actress Florence Roberts.[citation needed] His choice of a career disappointed his mother (who wanted him to become a minister) and his father (who wanted him to learn a trade).[3]
Career
Roberts debuted on stage at the Baldwin Theatre in San Francisco in 1880.[4] He went on to act with a barnstorming troupe on the West Coast but tired of that lifestyle after several years and left acting for a time to command a schooner owned by his father.[4]
On stage in the 1890s he acted with Fanny Davenport in her play Gismonda (1894)[citation needed] and later in The Bird of Paradise (1912). His Broadway career began with We'Uns of Tennessee (1899) and ended with Believe Me Xantippe (1913).[5]
[[File:Theodore Roberts in The Ten Commandments.jpg|thumb|[[File:Signed drawing of Theodore Roberts by Manuel Rosenberg for the Cincinnati Post 1926.jpg|thumb|Signed drawing of Theodore Roberts by Manuel Rosenberg for the Cincinnati Post 1926]]Roberts as Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1923)]] He started his film career in the 1910s in Hollywood, and was often associated in the productions of Cecil B. DeMille.[citation needed] He portrayed Moses in the biblical prologue of DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1923).[6] One of his last film appearances was as the heroine's father in The Cat's Pajamas (1926).[7]
Roberts also performed in vaudeville.[8] After the end of a marriage, he spent six months in a New York jail because he refused to pay alimony.[3]
Death
Roberts died of uremic poisoning in Hollywood, California at age 67 and is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.[1]
Selected filmography
Year | Title |
---|---|
1914 | The Ghost Breaker |
The Man from Home | |
What's His Name | |
The Call of the North | |
1915 | Temptation |
The Arab | |
The Wild Goose Chase | |
The Woman | |
The Captive | |
The Unafraid | |
After Five | |
The Girl of the Golden West | |
The Unknown | |
1916 | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine |
The Dream Girl | |
Common Ground | |
The Storm | |
1917 | Nan of Music Mountain |
The Devil-Stone | |
The Little Princess | |
Joan the Woman | |
1918 | The Squaw Man |
The Hidden Pearls | |
We Can't Have Everything | |
Old Wives for New | |
M'Liss | |
Such a Little Pirate | |
Arizona | |
1919 | Don't Change Your Husband |
The Winning Girl | |
The Poor Boob | |
For Better, for Worse | |
The Woman Thou Gavest Me | |
Love Insurance | |
Male and Female | |
What Every Woman Learns | |
Everywoman | |
1920 | Suds |
Double Speed | |
Judy of Rogue's Harbor | |
Something to Think About | |
1921 | Forbidden Fruit |
Sham | |
The Affairs of Anatol | |
Miss Lulu Bett | |
Hail the Woman | |
You're Fired | |
1922 | Across the Continent |
Our Leading Citizen | |
Saturday Night | |
Night Life in Hollywood | |
1923 | Grumpy |
The Ten Commandments | |
1925 | Locked Doors |
1929 | Noisy Neighbors |
References
- ^ a b Ellenberger, Allan R. (May 2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Fox, Charles Donald; Silver, Milton L. (1920). Who's who on the Screen. Ross publishing Company. p. 14. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "Shows tragedy in life of actor". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. Associated Press. December 22, 1928. p. 8. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hits of the Month". The Theatre. XVIII (132): 117. October 1913. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ "Theodore Roberts". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Liebman, Roy (February 6, 2017). Broadway Actors in Films, 1894-2015. McFarland. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-0-7864-7685-5. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Neste, Dan Van (March 15, 2017). The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Films of Ricardo Cortez. BearManor Media. p. 231. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Wjote, Forest (February 23, 1924). "Theodore Roberts Ill And Moviedom Grieves; Film's 'Grand Old Man'". The Ithaca Journal. New York, Ithaca. p. 7. Retrieved August 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Theodore Roberts at IMDb
- Photographs and literature on Theodore Roberts
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