Roy Roberts

Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones; March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American character actor. 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, 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 debut in Gold Bricks, a 1936 two-reel comedy short released by 20th Century-Fox. 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. After appearing on Gale Storm's My Little Margie in 1956, he became part of several television series.
In a show that was the precursor to The Love Boat, Roberts played the ship's captain for four years in Storm's next hit, Oh! Susanna, which aired on CBS and ABC from 1956 to 1960. He guest-starred in scores of series, including the western-themed crime drama, Sheriff of Cochise, the western series, My Friend Flicka, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (as Texas cattle baron Shanghai Pierce, and The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, and Brian Keith's Cold War drama, Crusader.
Roberts appeared on four episodes of the CBS legal drama, 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
John Cushing, president of the rival Merchants Bank on CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies (several episodes)
Judge The Beverly Hillbillies (TV Series) The Clampetts in Court (1963)
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 on CBS's Gunsmoke
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 in the 1957 episode "Trail to Sunset"
Banker George Bristol on NBC's Bonanza
Admiral Rogers on McHale's Navy (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, 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-noirs The Outfit (1973) and Chinatown (1974). He also had a small role in the hit 1963 Stanley Kramer comedy, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 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 Touch of Grace in 1973. His last television appearance was on the January 21, 1974, CBS broadcast of Here's Lucy. 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, California, of a heart attack on May 28, 1975, and was interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas.
Selected filmography
Guadalcanal Diary (1943) - Capt. James Cross
The Fighting Sullivans (1944) - Father Francis
Tampico (1944) - Crawford (uncredited)
Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944) - Frank Williams - FBI Chief (uncredited)
Wilson (1944) - Ike Hoover - Chief White House Butler (uncredited)
Circumstantial Evidence (1945) - Marty Hannon
The Caribbean Mystery (1945) - Capt. Van den Bark
A Bell for Adano (1945) - Col. W.W. Middleton - Provost Marshal
Within These Walls (1945) - Martin 'Marty' Deutsch
Colonel Effingham's Raid (1946) - Army Capt. Rampey
Behind Green Lights (1946) - Max Calvert
Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) - J.P. Hartley
Strange Triangle (1946) - Harry Matthews
Smoky (1946) - Jeff Nix
It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog (1946) - 'Mitch' Mitchell
My Darling Clementine (1946) - Mayor
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) - Mr. Foster
The Brasher Doubloon (1947) - Police Lt. Breeze
The Foxes of Harrow (1947) - Tom Warren
Nightmare Alley (1947) - McGraw - Final Carnival Owner (uncredited)
Gentleman's Agreement (1947) - Mr. Calkins (uncredited)
Daisy Kenyon (1947) - Quint - Dan's Attorney (uncredited)
Captain from Castile (1947) - Capt. Alvarado
Fury at Furnace Creek (1948) - Al Shanks
The Gay Intruders (1948) - Charles McNulty
Joan of Arc (1948) - Wandamme (Burgundian captain)
No Minor Vices (1948) - Mr. Felton (uncredited)
He Walked by Night (1948) - Police Capt. Breen
Force of Evil (1948) - Ben Tucker
Chicken Every Sunday (1949) - Harry Bowers
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949) - Marshal Peak
Flaming Fury (1949) - Capt. S. Taplinger
Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) - Construction Foreman Roberts (uncredited)
The Reckless Moment (1949) - Nagel
Chicago Deadline (1949) - Jerry Cavanaugh
A Kiss for Corliss (1949) - Uncle George
Bodyhold (1949) - Charlie Webster
Chain Lightning (1950) - Maj. Gen. Hewitt
Borderline (1950) - Harvey Gumbin
The Palomino (1950) - Ben Lane
Sierra (1950) - Sheriff Knudsen
The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) - Mayor of New York
Wyoming Mail (1950) - Charles De Haven
The Second Face (1950) - Allan Wesson
Stage to Tucson (1950) - Jim Maroon
The Enforcer (1951) - Capt. Frank Nelson
Santa Fe (1951) - Cole Sanders
Fighting Coast Guard (1951) - Captain Gibbs
I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) - Father Novac
The Tanks Are Coming (1951) - Major General (uncredited)
The Man with a Cloak (1951) - Policeman
My Favorite Spy (1951) - Johnson - FBI Man (uncredited)
The Cimarron Kid (1952) - Pat Roberts
The Big Trees (1952) - Judge Crenshaw
Hoodlum Empire (1952) - Police Chief Thales
Skirts Ahoy! (1952) - Capt. Graymont
Cripple Creek (1952) - Marshal John Tetheroe
One Minute to Zero (1952) - Lt. Gen. George Thomas (uncredited)
Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952) - Maj. Gladwin
Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) - Maj. George Porter Houston
The Man Behind the Gun (1953) - Sen. Mark Sheldon
San Antone (1953) - John Chisum
The Lone Hand (1953) - Mr. Skaggs
House of Wax (1953) - Matthew Burke
The Glory Brigade (1953) - Sgt. Chuck Anderson
Second Chance (1953) - Charley Malloy
Sea of Lost Ships (1953) - Captain of the 'Eagle'
Tumbleweed (1953) - Nick Buckley
The Outlaw Stallion (1954) - Hagen
Dawn at Socorro (1954) - Doc Jameson
They Rode West (1954) - Sgt. Creever
Big House, U.S.A. (1955) - Chief Ranger Will Erickson
Stranger on Horseback (1955) - Sam Kettering
Wyoming Renegades (1955) - Sheriff McVey
The Eternal Sea (1955) - Review Board captain (uncredited)
I Cover the Underworld (1955) - District Attorney
The Last Command (1955) - Dr. Summerfield
Backlash (1956) - Maj. Carson
The First Texan (1956) - Col. Sam Sherman
The Boss (1956) - Tim Brady
Yaqui Drums (1956) - Matt Quigg
The White Squaw (1956) - Edward Purvis
The King and Four Queens (1956) - Sheriff Tom Larrabee
The Restless Gun (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 (1963) - Policeman Outside Irwin & Ray's Garage
Those Calloways (1965) - E.J. Fletcher
I'll Take Sweden (1965) - Ship's Captain
Hotel (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 (1974) - Mayor Bagby
The Strongest Man in the World (1975) - Mr. Roberts (final film role)
References
External links
1906 births
1975 deaths
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
People from Dade City, Florida
Male actors from Tampa, Florida
Male actors from Greater Los Angeles
Burials in Texas
20th-century American male actors