Frank Ross (August 4, 1904 – February 18, 1990) was a film producer, writer, and actor.

Biography

Ross was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, 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 film and theater 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 Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and, through its TV production subsidiary, Hal Roach Television Corporation, television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and busin ...

. Ross' first (associate) producing credit was for the 1939 film ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

''. Other notable productions include the comedies ''

The Devil and Miss Jones ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Sam Wood and starring Jean Arthur, Robert Cummings, and Charles Coburn. Its plot follows a department store tycoon who goes undercover in one of his Manhattan shops to ...

'' (1941) and '' The More the Merrier'' (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, and guile, and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, ...

'' The Flame and the Arrow'', co-produced with

Norma Productions Norma may refer to: * Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) ** Norma Lizbeth Ramos, a Mexican bullying victim Astronomy *Norma (constellation) * 555 Norma, a minor asteroid * Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral ...

and starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

, 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 lat ...

'' (1953) and ''

Demetrius and the Gladiators ''Demetrius and the Gladiators'' is a 1954 American Technicolor/CinemaScope epic biblical drama film directed by Delmer Daves and produced by Frank Ross for 20th Century Fox. A sequel to '' The Robe'' (1953), the screenplay was written by Phi ...

'' (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. Ear ...

. 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 (producer), Frank Ross, starring Joan Caulfield, David Niven and James Robertson Justice, photographed by James Wong Howe, and featuring sequences filmed at Fort Ord, Peb ...

'' (1952) and ''

The Rains of Ranchipur ''The Rains of Ranchipur'' is a 1955 American drama and disaster film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Frank Ross (producer), Frank Ross from a screenplay by Merle Miller, based on the 1937 novel ''The ...

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

My Favorite Husband ''My Favorite Husband'' was an American radio program and network television show. The original radio show, starring Lucille Ball, shaped into the famous sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. The series was based on the novels ''Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Recor ...

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

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the short film '' The House I Live In'', starring

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, and was nominated three times:

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

for producing ''The Robe'', and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Best Story, both for ''The More the Merrier''. On February 18, 1990, Ross died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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) *'' The Flame and the Arrow'' (1950) (producer) *''

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

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

'' (1953) (producer) *''

'' (1954) (producer) *''

'' (1955) (producer) *''Sally'' (1957) (producer, TV series) *'' Kings Go Forth'' (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, Willi ...

'' (1964) (producer) *''

Mister Moses ''Mister Moses'' is a 1965 American adventure film about a con man blackmailed into persuading an entire African village into relocating for their own safety. It was directed by Ronald Neame and stars Robert Mitchum and Carroll Baker. The film wa ...

'' (1965) (producer) *''Where It's At'' (1969) (producer) *''

Maurie Maurie is a masculine given name, sometimes a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Maurice. People named Maurie include: * Maurie Beasy (1896–1979), Australian rules footballer * Maurie Collins (1876–1943), Australian rules footballer * Maurie C ...

'' (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 and 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The pr ...

'' (1930)

As writer

*'' The More the Merrier'' (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 Deaths from complications of brain surgery