Joe Roberts (actor)
Joe Roberts (born February 2, 1871 in Albany , New York , † October 28, 1923 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American comedy actor .
life and career
Joe Roberts initially had a long career as a comedian in vaudeville shows. The joint appearances with his first wife Lillian Stuart took Roberts across the United States.
Roberts came to Hollywood in 1920, when he was almost fifty . He made his film debut as a lazy and rude piano supplier on honeymoon in the prefabricated house next to Buster Keaton . By 1923, Roberts was used in a total of 19 films alongside Buster Keaton. Keaton was well known with his co-actor Roberts since childhood, as Roberts had performed on vaudeville stages with Keaton's father Joe Keaton for years . With his overweight, 1.91 meters tall and a mustache, Roberts was the counterpart to the slim looking, boyish Keaton. Hence, he often played physically superior antagonists; often villains, fathers or authority figures, from whom Keaton has to suffer in the course of the film. Roberts took on roles in 17 of the 19 Buster Keaton short films, becoming the only regular supporting actor that Keaton has ever had.
Outside of his appearances with Keaton, Roberts made only a few films, including several short film comedies with Bobby Dunn and the romantic comedy The Primitive Lover (1922) with Constance Talmadge . In Keaton's first feature films Three Ages and Verflixte Hospitality from 1923, he played the father of the female lead. His bigger appearance in Darn Hospitality as the vengeful patriach of a family clan offered Roberts the chance for a more serious character role. He suffered his first stroke on the set of Hospitality Itch , but insisted on finishing the film. Just a few weeks after filming was finished, Joe Roberts suffered a second stroke, from which he died at the age of 52.
Filmography (selection)
_and_Joe_Roberts_in_the_movie_Neighbors_(1920).jpg)
With Keaton
- 1920: Honeymoon in a prefabricated house ( One Week , short film)
- 1920: Buster Keaton as a convict ( Convict 13 , short film)
- 1920: Buster Keaton's wedding with obstacles ( The Scarecrow , short film)
- 1920: Neighborhood in Klinch ( Neighbors , short film)
- 1921: Buster Keaton fights the bloody hand ( The High Sign , short film)
- 1921: The enchanted house ( The Haunted House , short film)
- 1921: Hard Luck (short film)
- 1921: The Goat ( The Goat , short film)
- 1921: In the theater ( The Playhouse , short film)
- 1922: The Pale Face ( The Paleface , short film)
- 1922: Buster and the Police ( cops , short film)
- 1922: My Wife's Relations (short film)
- 1922: The farrier ( The Blacksmith , Short)
- 1922: In the far north ( The Frozen North , short film)
- 1922: The all-electric house ( The Electric House , short film)
- 1922: Day Dreams , short film
- 1923: An Adventurous Sea Voyage ( The Love Nest , short film)
- 1923: Three era (Three Ages)
- 1923: Darn hospitality (Our Hospitality)
Without Keaton
- 1921: His Meal Ticket (short film)
- 1921: Who's Who (short film)
- 1921: The Devilish Romeo (short film)
- 1921: The Little Lord (Little Lord Fauntleroy)
- 1922: The Primitive Lover
- 1923: The Fourflusher (short film)
- 1923: No Loafing (short film)
- 1924: The Misfit (short film)
Web links
- Joe Roberts in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Roberts, Joe |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American comedy actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 2, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Albany , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 28, 1923 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California |