Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones; March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American
character actor
A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen.
Life and career
Born in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, Roberts began his acting career on stage with a stock company there. He left the Tampa company after a year to perform in touring stock theater for five years.
He first appeared on Broadway in May 1931 before making his
motion picture
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
debut in '' Gold Bricks'', a 1936 two-reel comedy short released by
20th Century-Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...
. He appeared in numerous films in secondary parts and returned to perform on Broadway in such productions as '' Twentieth Century'', '' My Sister Eileen'', and '' Carnival in Flanders'' until he began making guest appearances on
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
. After appearing on
Gale Storm
Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009), known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, '' My Litt ...
's '' My Little Margie'' in 1956, he became part of several television series.
In a show that was the precursor to ''
The Love Boat
''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
'', Roberts played the ship's captain for four years in Storm's next hit, ''
Oh! Susanna
"Oh! Susanna" is a folk song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
...
'', which aired on CBS and ABC from 1956 to 1960. He guest-starred in scores of series, including the
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
-themed
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
Brian Keith
Robert Alba Keith (November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997), known professionally as Brian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family ...
's
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
drama, ''Crusader''.
Roberts appeared on four episodes of the CBS
legal drama
Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...
, '' Perry Mason'', including the role of Arthur Janeel in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Malicious Mariner."
During the middle 1960s, Roberts was one of the most recognizable faces on television, and had recurring roles concurrently on a number of popular programs, including:
*Bank president Mr. Cheever on CBS's ''
The Lucy Show
''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
''
*John Cushing, president of the rival Merchants Bank in several episodes of ''
The Beverly Hillbillies
''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...
''
*The judge in ''
The Beverly Hillbillies
''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...
'' "The Clampetts in Court"
*Railroad president Norman Curtis on CBS's '' Petticoat Junction''
*Darrin's father Frank Stephens on ABC's '' Bewitched'', alternating with actor Robert F. Simon depending upon availability.
*Banker Harry Bodkin & Dodge House Proprietor Mr. Dobie on CBS's ''
Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
''
*Neighbor Bruce MacDermott on ABC's '' Our Man Higgins''
*Preston "Press" Wasco and Kelly on the NBC western, '' Laredo''
*"Doc" on John Payne's ''
The Restless Gun
''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...
'' in the 1957 episode "Trail to Sunset"
*Banker George Bristol on NBC's ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
''
*Admiral Rogers on ''
McHale's Navy
''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...
'' (in some episodes, his first name is given as "John" and in others his name is given as "Bruce").
*Capt. Walter A. Bascom in three episodes of the religion
anthology series
An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...
, '' Crossroads''
*The Governor in a season two episode of '' Green Acres'', "One of Our Assemblymen is Missing".
In the 1940s and 1950s, Roberts was a regular in many films noir, including '' Force of Evil'' (1948), '' He Walked by Night'' (1948), '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' The Brasher Doubloon'' (1947), '' Borderline'' (1950) and '' The Enforcer'' (1951). In 1953, he appeared as Vincent Price's character's crooked business partner (and first victim) in '' House of Wax''.
In 1956, he was Colonel Sam Sherman in '' The First Texan''. In 1962 Roberts appeared as John Kemper on the TV western '' Lawman'' in the episode titled "Heritage of Hate".
He appeared in the
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
'' (1974). He also had a small role in the hit 1963
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer (September 29, 1913February 19, 2001) was an American film director and producer, responsible for making many of Hollywood's most famous " message films" (he called his movies ''heavy dramas'') and a liberal movie icon.
comedy, ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...
'' as a police officer. Unfortunately, his role was cut from later television and movie versions to reduce running time. However, Roberts' brief role is included in versions on laserdisc and extended-length DVDs.
Roberts appeared in an episode of the
situation comedy
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' A Touch of Grace'' in 1973. His last television appearance was on the January 21, 1974, CBS broadcast of ''
Here's Lucy
''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's third ...
''. In that installment, "Lucy Is N.G. As An R.N.", Roberts played a veterinarian.
Death
Roberts died in St. Vincent's Hospital 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 ...
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
.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.
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...
'' (1944) - Crawford (uncredited)
* ''
Roger Touhy, Gangster
''Roger Touhy, Gangster'' is a 1944 American gangster film based on the life of Chicago mob figure Roger Touhy, directed by film noir specialist Robert Florey.
Parts of the film were shot at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, Illinoi ...
Behind Green Lights
''Behind Green Lights'' is a 1946 American crime film directed by Otto Brower and starring Carole Landis, William Gargan and Mary Anderson (actress, born 1918), Mary Anderson.Tsika p.113 It was produced and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. ...
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
''Miss Grant Takes Richmond'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon, starring Lucille Ball, William Holden, and Janis Carter, and produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released under the alternative title ''I ...
The Second Face
''The Second Face'' is a 1950 romantic drama film directed by Jack Bernhard and starring Ella Raines as a plain woman whose life is drastically changed by plastic surgery.
Plot
Claire Elwood runs to her car and speeds away. Phyllis Holmes chases ...
The Man with a Cloak
''The Man with a Cloak'' is a 1951 American film noir crime- thriller-drama directed by Fletcher Markle and starring Joseph Cotten, Barbara Stanwyck, Louis Calhern, and Leslie Caron, and based on "The Gentleman from Paris", a short story by ...
'' (1951) - Policeman
* '' My Favorite Spy'' (1951) - Johnson - FBI Man (uncredited)
* '' The Cimarron Kid'' (1952) - Pat Roberts
* '' The Big Trees'' (1952) - Judge Crenshaw
* ''
Hoodlum Empire
''Hoodlum Empire'' is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph Kane starring Brian Donlevy, Claire Trevor, Forrest Tucker, Vera Ralston, Luther Adler and John Russell (actor), John Russell.. It was inspired by the United States Sena ...
Big House, U.S.A.
''Big House, U.S.A.'' is a 1955 American crime film noir directed by Howard W. Koch and written by John C. Higgins. The film stars Broderick Crawford, Ralph Meeker, Reed Hadley, William Talman, Lon Chaney Jr., and Charles Bronson. The fi ...
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...
'' (1956) - Maj. Carson
* '' The First Texan'' (1956) - Col. Sam Sherman
* '' The Boss'' (1956) - Tim Brady
* '' Yaqui Drums'' (1956) - Matt Quigg
* ''
The White Squaw
''The White Squaw'' is a 1956 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring David Brian, May Wynn and William Bishop (actor), William Bishop.
Plot
A Swedish settler (David Brian) starts a war when he tries to drive ...
The Restless Gun
''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...
'' (1957) as Kitt Springer in Episode "The Gold Buckle"
* '' The Underwater City'' (1962) - Tim Graham
* '' Kid Galahad'' (1962) - Jerry Bathgate
* '' Lawman'' (1962 episode titled "Heritage of Hate") - John Kemper
* '' The Chapman Report'' (1962) - Alan Roby
* ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American Technicolor epic comedy film in Ultra Panavision 70 produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, from a screenplay by William and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all ...
Those Calloways
''Those Calloways'' is a 1964 American family drama film, adapted from the 1950 children's novel ''Swiftwater'' by Paul Annixter. The film was produced by Walt Disney and directed by Norman Tokar. It was the last credit for veteran film composer ...
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
'' (1967) - Bailey
* ''Tammy and the Millionaire'' (1967) - Gov. Alden
* ''Cry for Poor Wally'' (1969) - Doctor
* '' Some Kind of a Nut'' (1969) - Mr. Burlingame
* '' The Million Dollar Duck'' (1971) - The Judge (uncredited)
* '' The Outfit'' (1973) - Sheriff Bob Caswell
* ''
Chinatown
Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
'' (1974) - Mayor Bagby
* ''
The Strongest Man in the World
''The Strongest Man in the World'' is a 1975 American science fiction comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn (in his first of two posthumous roles) and Eve Arden. It ...