Ross Alexander

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Ross Alexander (* 27. July 1907 in Brooklyn , New York as Alexander Ross Smith ; † 2. January 1937 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor.

Live and act

Born in Brooklyn, Ross Alexander began his acting career in the mid-1920s on Broadway , where he appeared in several productions by the theater producer and songwriter John Golden . Paramount Pictures noticed the young actor and cast him in The Wiser Sex alongside Claudette Colbert in a good supporting role. The response was disappointing, however, and he returned to Broadway at times. In 1934 he signed a studio contract with Warner Brothers and quickly became one of the studio's hopes in boyish, often comedic roles.

Alexander played his best-known roles in 1935 as the rejected Demetrius in the lavish Shakespeare film A Midsummer Night's Dream by Max Reinhardt and as the unhappily convicted Jeremy Pitt in Errol Flynn's breakthrough film Under Pirate Flag . In smaller films, especially comedies like Here Comes Carter or Hot Money , he was also used as a leading actor by Warner Brothers. He often cultivated a carefree and refined, slightly cynical image in these films.

In contrast to his initial professional success in Hollywood, his private life was tragic. In December 1935, his wife Aleta Freel - an unsuccessful actress - committed suicide with a pistol after an argument . In September 1936 he married the actress Anne Nagel , but despite the marriage, vehement rumors that he was homosexual and had only married as a disguise did not stop. There were also financial problems. The 29-year-old Alexander shot himself on January 2, 1937, the exact motives are no longer reconstructable, but the aforementioned events are likely to have been important.

His last film, Ready, Willing and Able , was only released after his death, and Alexander received excellent reviews in the preview of the film. The future US President Ronald Reagan - at that time radio host in Iowa - is said to have been obliged to replace Alexander in his next role.

Filmography

  • 1932: The Wiser Sex
  • 1934: Social Register
  • 1934: 1929 - Manhattan NY
  • 1934: Gentlemen Are Born
  • 1934: Flirtation Walk
  • 1935: Maybe It's Love
  • 1935: Going Highbrow
  • 1935: We're in the Money
  • 1935: A Midsummer Night's Dream (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
  • 1935: Shipmates Forever
  • 1935: Under the pirate flag (Captain Blood)
  • 1936: Boulder Dam
  • 1936: Brides Are Like That
  • 1936: Small town with tradition (I Married a Doctor)
  • 1936: Hot Money
  • 1936: China Clipper
  • 1936: Here Comes Carter
  • 1937: Ready, Willing and Able

literature

  • John Franceschina: Ross Alexander: The Life and Death of a Contract Player . Albany, Verlag BearManorMedia, 2020. 446 pages, English.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ross Alexander. Retrieved July 4, 2020 .
  2. ^ David K. Frasier: Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases . McFarland, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4766-0807-5 ( google.de [accessed July 4, 2020]).
  3. ^ Nick Benton, Nicholas Benton: Extraordinary Hearts: Reclaiming Gay Sensibility's Central Role in the Progress of Civilization . Lethe Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1-59021-392-6 ( google.de [accessed July 4, 2020]).
  4. ↑ Ross Alexander. Retrieved July 4, 2020 .
  5. ↑ death report in a newspaper
  6. ↑ Max von Meyerling: HOW REAGAN GOT INTO THE MOVIE BUSINESS - IBRnews. Retrieved July 4, 2020 (American English).
personal data
SURNAME Alexander, Ross
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smith, Alexander Ross (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York
DATE OF DEATH January 2, 1937
Place of death Los Angeles , California