Frank Ross (August 4, 1904 – February 8, 1990) was a film producer, writer, and actor.

Biography

Ross was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, the son of a Dublin-born Irish immigrant tailor, Frank Joseph Ross Sr., and his wife, the former Dorothy Dellano. A graduate of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, Ross began acting (in an uncredited role) in 1929's '' The Saturday Night Kid'', starring

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

and

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

. He married Arthur in 1932. He only appeared in two more films. He began working behind the screen at Hal Roach Studios. Ross' first (associate) producing credit was for the 1939 film ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

''. Other notable productions include the comedies ''

The Devil and Miss Jones ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' is a 1941 comedy film starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Directed by Sam Wood from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, the film was the product of an independent collaboration between Krasna and p ...

'' (1941) and ''

The More the Merrier ''The More the Merrier'' is a 1943 American comedy film by Columbia Pictures starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn, and directed by George Stevens. The film script — from "Two's a Crowd", an original screenplay by Garson Kan ...

'' (1943), both starring his wife,

swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

The Flame and the Arrow ''The Flame and the Arrow'' is a 1950 American Technicolor swashbuckler film made by Warner Bros. and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Nick Cravat. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Harold Hecht and Frank Ross from ...

'', co-produced with Norma Productions and starring Burt Lancaster, and Biblical epics ''

The Robe ''The Robe'' is a 1942 historical novel about the Crucifixion of Jesus, written by Lloyd C. Douglas. The book was one of the best-selling titles of the 1940s. It entered the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list in October 1942, four weeks later ...

'' (1953) and ''

Demetrius and the Gladiators ''Demetrius and the Gladiators'' is a 1954 American biblical drama film and a sequel to '' The Robe''. The picture was made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was written by Philip Dunne ...

'' (1954). Ross also formed his own film production company Frank Ross Productions. Ross and Jean Arthur divorced in 1949. The following year, he married another actress,

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. In th ...

. She had large roles in two Ross-produced films, ''

The Lady Says No ''The Lady Says No'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Frank Ross, starring Joan Caulfield and David Niven, photographed by James Wong Howe, and featuring sequences filmed at Fort Ord, Pebble Beach and Carmel, California. The supporti ...

'' (1952) and '' The Rains of Ranchipur'' (1955), and starred in her husband's TV series, the short-lived ''Sally'' and the more successful ''

My Favorite Husband ''My Favorite Husband'' is the name of an American radio program and network television series. The original radio show, starring Lucille Ball, evolved into the groundbreaking television sitcom '' I Love Lucy''. The series was based on the novels ...

''. The couple had one son before divorcing in 1960. Ross shared an honorary

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for the short film '' The House I Live In'', starring Frank Sinatra, and was nominated three times:

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for producing ''The Robe'', and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Best Story, both for ''The More the Merrier''. On February 8, 1990, Ross died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

at the age of 85 from complications arising from brain surgery.

Filmography

As producer

*''

'' (1939) (associate producer) *''

'' (1941) (producer) *'' A Lady Takes a Chance'' (1943) (producer) *'' The House I Live In'' (1945) (producer) *''

'' (1950) (producer) *''

'' (1951) (director and producer) *''

'' (1953) (executive producer, TV series) *''

'' (1953) (producer) *''

'' (1954) (producer) *'' The Rains of Ranchipur'' (1955) (producer) *''Sally'' (1957) (producer, TV series) *''

Kings Go Forth ''Kings Go Forth'' is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the 1956 novel of the same name by Joe David Brown, and the film was direct ...

'' (1958) (producer) *''

One Man's Way ''One Man's Way'' is a 1963 American drama film directed by Denis Sanders and written by John W. Bloch and Eleanore Griffin. The film stars Don Murray as the preacher and author Norman Vincent Peale. The cast also includes Diana Hyland, Willia ...

'' (1964) (producer) *'' Mister Moses'' (1965) (producer) *''Where It's At'' (1969) (producer) *'' Maurie'' (1973) (producer)

As actor

*'' The Saturday Night Kid'' (1929) (uncredited) *''Sweetie'' (1929) (uncredited) *''

Young Eagles The Young Eagles is a program created by the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The pr ...

'' (1930)

As writer

*''

'' (1943) (screenplay and story) *'' Walk Don't Run'' (1966) (story)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Frank 1904 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters American male film actors American male screenwriters Film producers from Massachusetts Golden Globe Award-winning producers Male actors from Boston Princeton University alumni Screenwriters from Massachusetts