Richard Rober (born Richard Steven Rauber; May 14, 1906 – May 26, 1952) was an American stage and film actor. From the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s he featured in numerous theatre productions, including being part of the original cast of Born Yesterday in Chicago, and the long-running Oklahoma!. In 1947 he moved to Hollywood and appeared in dozens of B-movies and film noir-type films, including Call Northside 777 (1948), Sierra (1950), and The Well (1951). He died in an automobile accident in 1952 at the age of 46.

Richard Rober
Rober in Kid Monk Baroni (1952)
Born
Richard Steven Rauber

(1906-05-14)May 14, 1906
DiedMay 26, 1952(1952-05-26) (aged 46)
Resting placeHoly Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester, New York
OccupationActor
Years active1936–1952
Spouse(s)Mary Hay Barthelmess
(m. 1946; div. 19??)

Early life and family

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Richard Steven Rauber was born in Rochester, New York, on May 14, 1906.[1] He was the son of Frederick S. Rauber,[2] an attorney, and Elizabeth Ford.[3]

Career

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Rober began his career as a stage actor in the mid-1930s under his real name, Richard Rauber. Penniless and looking for work after his graduation from the University of Rochester, he landed a small part in a play by the Lyceum Players starring Louis Calhern.[4] He went on to act with nearly every repertory theatre company on the East Coast.[4] He was part of the original Chicago company of Born Yesterday.[3][5] He also performed in the long-running Oklahoma!.[6]

In 1947,[1] Rober embarked on a career in Hollywood, appearing in his first film role in Call Northside 777 (1948). He appeared in many B-movies—including Sierra (1950)—and film noir drama films such as The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) and The Well (1951). In July 1951 it was reported that he had appeared in 26 films in his 3 1/2 years in Hollywood.[4]

While Rober mostly played supporting roles, his career began to go on the ascendancy before his death in 1952. He had a starring role in The Well (1951), and had traveled to Austria to play the lead in the MGM production The Devil Makes Three (1952).[3] The week before his death, he played the lead in Corny Johnson, a television film produced by Bing Crosby Enterprises.[3]

Personal life

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Rober was married twice.[7] His second marriage, at age 40, was to Mary Hay Barthelmess, age 23, daughter of actors Richard Barthelmess and Mary Hay, in New York in January 1946.[7][8] They later divorced.

Death

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Rober died after crashing his car in the San Fernando Valley on May 26, 1952.[3] He had been driving with a passenger, actress Norma Britton. The car swerved off the highway in heavy fog and plummeted over a 75 ft (23 m) embankment, something which, three years earlier, in The File on Thelma Jordon, he actually depicted, sitting next to Barbara Stanwyck.[3][9] Rescuers took the pair to Santa Monica Hospital, where Rober died a few hours later. Britton survived with rib injuries.[3]

Rober was eulogized in Rochester and buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery there.[1][3]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1936 Sheik to Sheik Ali Bin Whoopsie, the Mad Sheik Short (credited as Richard Rauber)
1948 Call Northside 777 Sgt. Larson in Records Department Uncredited
April Showers Al Wilson
Embraceable You Sig Ketch
Larceny Max
Smart Girls Don't Talk Lt. McReady
1949 Illegal Entry Dutch Lempo
Any Number Can Play Lew 'Angie' Debretti
Task Force Jack Southern
I Married a Communist Jim Travers
Port of New York Jim Flannery
1950 The File on Thelma Jordon Tony Laredo
Backfire Solly Blayne
Sierra Big Matt Rango
Deported Bernardo Gervaso
Dial 1119 Police Capt. Henry Keiver Also known as The Violent Hour in the UK
Watch the Birdie Mr. Hugh Shanway
1951 Father's Little Dividend Police Sergeant
Passage West Mike Also known as High Venture in the UK
The Tall Target Lt. Coulter
The Well Sheriff Ben Kellogg
Man in the Saddle Fay Dutcher
1952 Outlaw Women Woody Callaway
Kid Monk Baroni Father Callahan
O. Henry's Full House Chief of Detectives (segment "The Clarion Call")
The Rose Bowl Story Coach James Hadley
The Savage Capt. Arnold Vaugant
The Devil Makes Three Colonel James Terry
1957 Jet Pilot FBI Agent George Rivers Delayed release, final film role

Stage credits

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Year Title Role Notes
1936 Murder in the Old Red Barn William Corder
1938 Richard II Lord Ross
The Man from Cairo Janos
1941-2 Banjo Eyes Harry the Bartender
1942-3 Star and Garter Narrator, District Attorney, Doctor
1943-8 Oklahoma!
1944 Ramshackle Inn Dr. Russell
1946 Born Yesterday

Sources:[6][10][11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Wilson 2016, p. 634.
  2. ^ "Register". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Funeral of Richard Rauber, Actor, Arranged Here Monday". Democrat and Chronicle. May 30, 1952. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com. 
  4. ^ a b c Fogelberg, Burt (July 20, 1951). "Veteran Paramount Actor Doesn't Like The Long Hair". Rapid City Journal. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. 
  5. ^ Blum 1951, p. 242.
  6. ^ a b "Richard Rober". Internet Broadway Database. 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Richard Rober Weds". Calgary Herald. Associated Press. January 21, 1946. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. 
  8. ^ Hopper, Hedda (January 20, 1946). "Barthelmess Wedding Set". Los Angeles Times. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com. 
  9. ^ "ACTOR DIES IN CRASH; Richard Rober Killed in Car Plunge – Actress Injured". The New York Times. May 27, 1952. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Dietz 2010, p. 302.
  11. ^ Mantle 1938, pp. 368, 444.

Sources

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