Anthony Ross (born Rosenthal, February 23, 1909 – October 26, 1955) was an American character actor whose career extended to Broadway stage, television and film. Born in New York City, Ross was the son of Charles M. Rosenthal and Cora S. Rosenthal; he had his name changed legally. He was a graduate of

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and, while living in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, continued his studies at the Sorbonne and the

University of Nancy A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

."Anthony Ross, Actor, Dead at 46; Portrayed Professor in 'Bus Stop'" (''The New York Times'', October 27, 1955, p. 33)
/ref> He may be best remembered for being the first to play the character of the "Gentleman Caller" in the original 1944 production of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

' '' The Glass Menagerie''. Ross made his Broadway debut in ''Whistling in the Dark'' (1932). He also appeared on Broadway as a fictionalized version of

Harold Ross Harold Wallace Ross (November 6, 1892 – December 6, 1951) was an American journalist who co-founded ''The New Yorker'' magazine in 1925 with his wife Jane Grant, and was its editor-in-chief until his death. Early life Born in a prospector' ...

, the founding editor of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', in the 1950

Wolcott Gibbs Wolcott Gibbs (March 15, 1902 – August 16, 1958) was an American editor, humorist, theatre critic, playwright and writer of short stories, who worked for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1927 until his death. He is notable for his 1936 parody ...

comedy ''Season in the Sun.'' Ross appeared in

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

films including '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) and '' The Gunfighter'' (1950); in the

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

courtroom drama '' Perfect Strangers'' (1950) the Nicholas Ray-directed

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

, '' On Dangerous Ground'' (1952), and in the popular serial '' Mysterious Island'' (1951). He also appeared as the "Producer" in ''The Country Girl'', both the movie and the Broadway production as well as the "Professor" in the Broadway production of ''Bus Stop''.Calta, Louis. "Inge's 'Bus Stop' Set to Rehearse / Anthony Ross Is Signed for Featured Role in Play Due to Open Next Month" (''The New York Times'', January 8, 1955, p. 10)
/ref> He appeared in many television productions, including the 1954 CBS series '' The Telltale Clue'' in which he starred as police captain Richard Hale.

Personal Life

He and his wife, Mary Jean Copeland, who was the assistant stage manager for the Broadway production of ''The Glass Menagerie'', were the parents of a son, Stephen.

Death

Ross was 46 when he died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while sleeping in his apartment at 506 East 89th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. A few hours earlier, he had played the supporting role of The Professor at the Tuesday evening performance of '' Bus Stop (play)'' at the

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1921, the Music Box ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Anthony 1909 births 1955 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male television actors American male radio actors Donaldson Award winners 20th-century American male actors Brown University alumni University of Paris alumni American expatriates in France