Richard Rosson | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, New York, U.S. | April 4, 1893
Died | May 31, 1953 60) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S. | (aged
Occupation(s) | Film director, actor |
Years active | 1911–1943 |
Spouse | Vera Sisson (m.1916) |
Relatives | Arthur Rosson (brother) Harold Rosson (brother) Helene Rosson (sister) |
Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American film director and actor. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film Come and Get It .
Rosson's first directorial effort was the 1926 American black and white silent comedy film Fine Manners , initially directed by Lewis Milestone [1] for Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures. After an argument with actress Gloria Swanson, Milestone walked off the set, leaving the film to be completed by Rosson, [2] who had picked up directorial tricks while working as an assistant director to Allan Dwan. [3] The success of the film, being Rosson's first directorial effort since he co-directed Her Father's Keeper in 1917 with his brother Arthur Rosson, [4] won him a long-term contract with Famous Players–Lasky. [4]
Rosson was the younger brother of director Arthur Rosson; his younger sister Helene became a movie actress, and his younger brother Harold became a well-known director of photography who won the first Academy Award for color cinematography. Richard Rosson died from suicide from carbon monoxide poisoning at his home in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 60. A year later, Rosson's wife, Vera Sisson, committed suicide by barbiturate overdose. [5]
On May 1, 1939, Rosson was arrested on a charge of espionage in Vienna, Austria, with his wife and two other British nationals, by the Gestapo, allegedly for filming military hardware. They were held in solitary confinement for 34 days and released. [6]
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in Grand Hotel (1932), as Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1934), as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa! (1934), and his title role in The Champ (1931), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Beery appeared in some 250 films during a 36-year career. His contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stipulated in 1932 that he would be paid $1 more than any other contract player at the studio. This made Beery the highest-paid film actor in the world during the early 1930s. He was the brother of actor Noah Beery and uncle of actor Noah Beery Jr.
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Vera Sisson was an American actress of the silent era.
Fine Manners is a 1926 American black-and-white silent comedy film directed initially by Lewis Milestone and completed by Richard Rosson for Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures. After an argument with actress Gloria Swanson, director Milestone walked off the project, causing the film to be completed by Rosson, who had picked up directorial tricks while working as an assistant director to Allan Dwan. The success of the film, being Rosson's first directorial effort since he co-directed Her Father's Keeper in 1917 with his brother Arthur Rosson, won him a long-term contract with Famous Players–Lasky.
Wilfrid North, also spelled Wilfred North, was an Anglo-American film director, actor, and writer of the silent film era. He directed 102 films, including short films; acted in 43 films; and wrote the story for three films.