Roger Converse (June 26, 1911 – September 21, 1994) was an American motion picture actor and

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

contract player of the late 1930s, who made a name for himself portraying gentlemen, boyfriends, and blue collar guys.

Life and career

He was born on June 26, 1911, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and was educated at

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. His ...

where he was noted as being both an intellectual academic and a star athlete who graduated with several scholastic achievements in 1929. He had intended on furthering his education going onto medical school but following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, he choose to take other ventures and went straight into the workforce as a men's clothing model followed by a turn as a fitness instructor with the

Los Angeles Athletic Club Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) is a privately owned Sports club, athletic club and social club in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1880, the club is today best known for its John R. Wooden Award pr ...

. In 1936, he was teaching an exercise class one day and was discovered by a talent scout who brought him to MGM Studios to be screen and wardrobe tested for motion pictures, the scout describing him, a blue-eyed, brown-haired man, who was 5 feet 8 inches in height, as appearing to be a "fine figure of masculinity with a nice round face". He began his career in 1937, in the motion picture ''The Bad Guy'' and went on to appear in 20 more films, some of which were ''

My Dear Miss Aldrich ''My Dear Miss Aldrich'' is a 1937 American comedy drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, and Edna May Oliver about a young woman who inherits a New York City newspaper and decides to become a repo ...

'' (1937), ''

The Shopworn Angel ''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followi ...

'' (1938), ''Snow Gets in Your Eyes'' (1938), ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

'' (1938), and ''

Calling Dr. Kildare ''Calling Dr. Kildare'' is a 1939 film in the Dr. Kildare series. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet, it stars Lew Ayres as the young Dr. Kildare and Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie, his mentor. The second of MGM's series of Kildare films, it intro ...

'' (1939). He tested for the role of Rhett Butler for ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' but was one of many men who lost out to

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

. He retired in 1939 to focus on marriage and fatherhood. He was financially secure from wise investments and was married to Wilhelmina Schulte from 1939 until his death in 1994. They had one son who predeceased the both of them in 1954. He spent the rest of his life living in Los Angeles, California, was supportive of the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

hearings of the 1940s, even listing names of supposed communists as well, and he was active in Republican politics. He was also a

diabetic Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and a devout

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

who was active within his local church. He died from natural causes on September 21, 1994, and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Converse, Roger 1911 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American male actors California Republicans Methodists from California Male models from California Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Hollywood High School alumni 20th-century American memoirists