Theodore Roberts
Theodore Roberts ( born October 8, 1861 in San Francisco, California, USA, † December 14, 1928 in Hollywood, California ) was an American film and theater actor.
Life
The son of a captain of the United States Navy enjoyed a corresponding military training at the California Military Academy in Oakland, but decided at 17 years, as an actor in the theater to try. After a decade, the Roberts spent on smaller stages and at the Vaudeville, he celebrated in May 1899, the piece We'Uns of Tennessee made its debut on Broadway.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Roberts was a sought-after actor on Broadway, whose best-known pieces of Uncle Tom's Cabin (April to June 1901 listed ) and Much Ado About Nothing, however, this was only seen for a few days in March, 1904, belonged. One of the pieces listed at the longest, in which Roberts was seen, scored the presented from November 1912 to February 1913 Hamlet.
Roberts' film career is thanks to Cecil B. DeMille when he signed him in 1914 for his film drama The Call of the North. Although he was then seen only 14 years before the camera, Roberts starred in more than 100 silent films. The now well-known among them the 1923 is produced Bible epic The Ten Commandments, in which Roberts embodied the biblical prophet Moses. These and other roles, but also the distinctive design helped that Roberts the affectionate nickname "The Grand Duke of Hollywood" (English: "The great Duke of Hollywood" ) received.
Private counted Roberts to one of the richest actors of his time. His fortune was estimated at $ 20,000; next he owned a yacht valued at an additional $ 10,000. He was married from 1905 until her death in August 1925 with the actress Florence Smythe. The couple had no children.
The death of his wife was able to stomach Roberts never, so he withdrew increasingly into private life. He died three years later at the age of 67 years at a uremia. How popular Roberts was in his time, shown by the fact that were to his funeral, in Los Angeles, about 2,000 people in attendance.
Today a star on the Walk of Fame is reminiscent of Theodore Roberts.