Theodore Roberts — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

When mention is made of this veteran, it is generally as “Dad” Roberts, or as the “grand old man of the screen.”

But his [Theodore Roberts] record of service on the stage is even longer, and he is known internationally as a character actor. He was one of the first actors on the Paramount lot and has appeared in many successes. His cigar, usually tilted pugnaciously at an angle of forty-five degrees, is a familiar part of his “make-up.”

He was born at San Francisco on October 8, 1861. For more than forty years before joining the Hollywood film colony, he worked as an actor in Broadway successes, barnstorming companies, in vaudeville, with stock companies and other theatrical organizations.

He once taught elocution in his home city, and went on the stage in support of James O’Neill in Richelieu. He played in the same company with Fanny Davenport and also appeared with Robson [May Robson], Crane and other noted actors.

He has taken many famous roles, among them Svengali in Trilby, Simon Legree in Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Tabywana in The Squaw Man.

He was seventeen years old when he became an actor, and at sixty-one was scoring some of the most notable triumphs of his career as a member of a leading film stock company.

“The Call of the North” was his first picture, made in 1914. He was not one of the featured players in this production, but his acting convinced officials and admirers that he was ideally fitted to the screen.

Among the many productions of note in which he has appeared are “Old Wives for New,” Male and Female, “Everywoman,” Forbidden Fruit, “Something to Think About,” “The Love Special,” The Affairs of Anatol, “Miss Lulu Bett,” “Saturday Night,” “Judy of Rogues Harbor,” “The Furnace” and “The Old Homestead.”

Mr. Roberts is six feet, one inch tall, and weighs 245 pounds. His early education was obtained in the California Military Academy, at Oakland, and in the Boys’ high school in San Francisco.

His eyes are blue and generally twinkling with humor. He has a home on one of the hilltops overlooking Los Angeles and Hollywood. It contains a library which holds a remarkable collection of volumes, as well as mementos of his long stage and screen career.

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“Daddy” Roberts enjoying the California sunshine in his garden.

The Hollywood home of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Roberts.

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)