Roland Drew (born Walter Goss; August 4, 1900 – March 17, 1988) was an American actor.

Biography

Born in 1900 in New York City, Drew made his first film in 1926 and continued to work until the 1940s. Noted primarily as Dolores del Río's

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

in ''

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

'' in 1928, another of his prominent film roles was as Dr. Robinson in ''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the no ...

'' a decade later. His other appearances include ''From Nine to Nine'', '' Hitler, Beast of Berlin'', '' Bermuda Mystery'', and ''

Two O'Clock Courage ''Two O'Clock Courage'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on novel written by Gelett Burgess. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. It is a remake of ''Two in the Dark'' (1936). ...

''. He also gained fame as

Prince Barin Prince Barin is a character in the Flash Gordon stories. He is king of a region of Mongo called Arboria. Barin becomes one of Flash's best friends, and is deeply in love with Princess Aura. In his appearance, Barin resembles the character of R ...

in the 1940

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ''Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe'' is a 1940 American black-and-white science fiction 12-chapter movie serial from Universal Pictures, produced by Henry MacRae and co-directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The serial stars Buster Crabbe, Ca ...

''. On Broadway, Drew portrayed Jackson Macy in ''Shooting Star'' (1933) and Lieutenant Roget in ''Paths of Glory'' (1935). He retired from acting and became a dressmaker. He enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in September 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Drew married actress

Dorothy Dearing Dorothy Dearing (April 17, 1913 – April 19, 1965) was an American actress. She is best known for appearing in ''Up the River'' (1938), ''Free, Blonde and 21'' (1940) and ''The Great Profile'' (1940). She married actor Roland Drew in 1946 ...

in 1946. On March 17, 1988, he died at his home, aged 87. He was interred with his wife in Angeles Abbey Memorial Park, Compton, California.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Filmography

References

External links

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''New York Times'' Obituary
1900 births 1988 deaths Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American male actors People from Elmhurst, Queens United States Army soldiers American male stage actors Broadway theatre people Film serial actors {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub