Willard Robertson

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Willard Robertson
Robertson in the 1930s
Born(1886-01-01)January 1, 1886
DiedApril 5, 1948(1948-04-05) (aged 62)
OccupationActor
Years active1924–1948

Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films from 1924 to 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas and died in Hollywood, California.

Biography[edit]

Robertson first worked as a lawyer in Texas, but he left his profession for a sudden interest in acting[1] after being encouraged to do so by Joseph Jefferson.[2]

Robertson's initial venture onto the stage did not last. He returned to the practice of law as an attorney with the Interstate Commerce Commission. During World War I, he was an administrator in the Chicago office of the federal railway police.[2]

George Barbier, Willard Robertson, Claude Cooper, Allen Jenkins, and William Foran in the original Broadway production of The Front Page (1928)

He appeared on Broadway in 16 plays from 1907 to 1930.[3] Robertson played supporting roles in many Hollywood films from 1930 until the year he died, typically portraying men of authority such as doctors, elected officials, military officers, and lawyers. He played Jackie Cooper's stern but loving father in the drama Skippy (1931) and its sequel Sooky (1931). Robertson also portrayed a flamboyant lawyer in Remember the Night (1940) and the straight sheriff in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).

Robertson wrote the novel Moon Tide (1940), which was turned into Archie Mayo's drama thriller Moontide (1942)[4] starring Jean Gabin and Ida Lupino.

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Willard Robertson at NY Times
  2. ^ a b Coons, Robbin (June 13, 1939). "Hollywood Sights And Sounds". The Bristol News Bulletin. Tennessee, Bristol. p. 4. Retrieved September 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Willard Robertson at IBDB
  4. ^ Babcock, Frederic (April 4, 1943). "Among the Authors". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. p. 12. Retrieved September 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]