Emma Allene Roberts (September 1, 1928 – May 9, 2019) was an American actress.

Early years

Roberts was born in

Fairfield, Alabama Fairfield is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area and is located southeast of Pleasant Grove. The population was 10,000 at the 2020 census. Fairfield is home to Miles C ...

, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Roberts. In 1941, she won the "America's Most Charming Child" contest sponsored by the ''

New York Daily Mirror The ''New York Daily Mirror'' was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the ''Evening Journal'' and '' ...

'', receiving $1,000 in cash and a $1,000 contract with Warner Bros. studio.

Career

Roberts appeared in twelve movies from 1947 to 1954, and on TV in ''

Four Star Playhouse ''Four Star Playhouse'' (syndicated as Star Performance) is an American anthology series that ran from September 25, 1952, through September 27, 1956. Overview Four Star Playhouse was owned by Four Star International. Its episodes ranged an ...

'', '' Adventures of Superman'' and '' Dragnet''. Her first big picture was '' The Red House'' (1947) starring

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

Julie London Julie London (born Julie Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch song, torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty album ...

and Edward G. Robinson. That movie was considered by the critics to be the "

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

" of the year. Roberts' other films included ''

Knock on Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The movie was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthro ...

'' (1949), ''

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

'' (1950),Silver, p. 303. and '' Bomba on Panther Island'' (1949).

Death

On May 9, 2019, Roberts died in Huntsville, Alabama, at age 90.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Allene Roberts
at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

Allene Roberts: True to her roots
1928 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from Fairfield, Alabama 21st-century American women {{US-screen-actor-1920s-stub