Roger Williams (actor)

Roger Grimes Williams (February 8, 1898 – December 18, 1964) was an American actor of the 1930s. Born on February 8, 1898, in Denver, Colorado, his family would move to the Los Angeles area during the early 1900s. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I, being awarded several decorations. Married several times, he would enter the film industry in the early 1930s, where he would work for several years. Married three times, he had a short film career during the 1930s, after which not much is known of his life, until his death in Los Angeles in 1964.

Roger Williams
Lobby card for Men of the Plains (1936) with Roger Williams and Rex Bell
Born
Roger Grimes Williams

(1898-02-08)February 8, 1898[1]
Denver, Colorado, United States
DiedDecember 18, 1964(1964-12-18) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1933–1939
Spouse(s)Vera Paloma Bennett (1916–17)
Ruby B. Noe (1920-?)
Ellen C. Williams (?-1964 (his death))

Early life

Williams was born in Denver, Colorado, on February 8, 1898, to Charles H. Williams and Evangeline Lloyd.[2][3] He was the oldest of seven children.[4] By 1910 the family had moved to California, and were living Belvedere, which was in Los Angeles County.[5] He enlisted in the army during the mid-1910s, lying about his age, which would later cause some confusion about his true date of birth, which several sources still incorrectly report.[6][7] Press releases during his film career claim that he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Croix de Guerre during World War I.[8] He was married for the first time on June 6, 1916, to Vera Paloma Bennett of Utah. At the time, he claimed to be a motion picture actor, however no records can be found of his involvement in the film industry at this time.[3] By the time he registered for the draft for World War I, he was already divorced from his first wife.[6] In 1920 he would marry his second wife, Ruby B. Noe, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on February 7, 1920.[9] By 1930, he had divorced and remarried for the third and final time, to his wife, Ellen, by which point the couple had two children.[10] During the 1920s he would work as a tradesman in Los Angeles.[1]

Film career

Williams made his film debut in 1933, in a supporting role in Trouble Busters.[11][12] During his time in films, he would be given roles across the gamut of acting, from bit roles as in 1935's Saddle Aces,[13] to supporting parts, as in Riders of the Whistling Skull,[14] to starring roles as in Heroes of the Alamo.[15] During his short 7-year career he appeared in over 100 films, the vast majority of them westerns.[1]

Personal life

Williams and his third wife, Ellen, would have four children, two daughters (Waneta and Delores) and two sons (Roger and Arthur);[16] he would remain married to Ellen until his death in 1964.[17] After leaving the film industry, he spent some time as an engineer for Douglas Aircraft.[16] Williams died on December 18, 1964, in Los Angeles, California.[18]

Partial filmography

References
  1. "Roger Williams". b-westerns.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  2. "Roger Williams, United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  3. "California, County Marriages, 1850–1952". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. "United States Census, 1920". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. "United States Census, 1910". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  6. "United States World War I Registration Cards". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  7. "Roger Williams (I)". IMDB. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  8. Song of the Trail Pressbook. Ambassador Pictures. 1936. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. "Utah, Marriages, 1887–1966". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  10. "United States Census, 1930". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  11. "Trouble Busters". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  12. "Roger Williams Filmography". b-westerns.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  13. "Saddle Aces". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  14. "The Riders of the Whistling Skull". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  15. "Heroes of the Alamo". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  16. "United States Census, 1940". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  17. "Roger G Williams". Find a Grave. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  18. "California, Death Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  • Roger Williams at IMDb Note that this record has incorrect biographical details including birth and death dates and places
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