Roland Drew (born Walter Goss; August 4, 1900 – March 17, 1988) was an American actor.[1]

Roland Drew
Drew in Lady Gangster (1942)
Born
William Goss

(1900-08-04)August 4, 1900
DiedMarch 17, 1988(1988-03-17) (aged 87)
Resting placeAngeles Abbey Memorial Park, Compton, California
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dressmaker
Years active1926–1945
Spouse
(m. 1946; died 1965)
Children1

Biography

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Born in 1900 in New York City, Drew made his first film in 1926 and continued to work until the 1940s. Noted primarily as Dolores del Río's leading man in Ramona[2] in 1928, another of his prominent film roles was as Dr. Robinson in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer a decade later. His other appearances include From Nine to Nine, Hitler, Beast of Berlin, Bermuda Mystery, and Two O'Clock Courage. He also gained fame as Prince Barin in the 1940 film serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe.

On Broadway, Drew portrayed Jackson Macy in Shooting Star (1933) and Lieutenant Roget in Paths of Glory (1935).[3]

He retired from acting and became a dressmaker.[2]

He enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army in September 1942 during World War II.

Drew married actress Dorothy Dearing in 1946. On March 17, 1988, he died at his home, aged 87.[2] He was interred with his wife in Angeles Abbey Memorial Park, Compton, California.[4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1926 Fascinating Youth Randy Furness
1926 Fine Manners Buddy Murphy
1927 Fireman, Save My Child Walter
1928 Ramona Felipe
1928 Lady Raffles Warren Blake
1929 Broadway Fever Eric Byron
1929 Evangeline Gabriel
1929 The Racketeer Tony Vaughan
1930 The Love Trader Tonia
1930 Ex-Flame Umberto
1935 The Seminoles
1936 From Nine to Nine Inspector Vernon
1937 Thunder in the City Frank Uncredited
1937 The Great Gambini Stephen Danby
1937 She Asked for It Randolph Stettin
1937 Some Blondes Are Dangerous Paul Lewis
1938 The Goldwyn Follies Roland, Igor in 'Forgotten Dance' Uncredited
1938 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Dr. Robinson Uncredited
1938 The Lady in the Morgue Sam Taylor
1938 The Last Warning Paul Gomez
1939 Mystery of the White Room Dr. Norman Kennedy
1939 Unmarried Sportsman Uncredited
1939 Hitler – Beast of Berlin Hans Memling
1939 The Invisible Killer Lt. Jerry Brown
1940 Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Prince Barin Serial
1940 The Saint Takes Over Albert 'Rocky' Weldon
1940 Mystery Sea Raider Navigating Officer Uncredited
1940 Wildcat Bus Davis
1941 Underground Gestapo
1941 Sergeant York Officer Uncredited
1941 Bullets for O'Hara Bradford
1941 Manpower Citizen Reporting Power Outage Uncredited
1941 The Smiling Ghost Uncle Hilton Fairchild
1941 Law of the Tropics Hotel Clerk
1941 Blues in the Night Gambler Letting Kay Throw Dice Uncredited
1941 The Body Disappears (scenes deleted)
1941 Steel Against the Sky Weather Man Uncredited
1941 Dangerously They Live Dr. Murdock
1941 You're in the Army Now Captain Uncredited
1942 The Man Who Came to Dinner Reporter Uncredited
1942 All Through the Night Reporter Uncredited
1942 Captains of the Clouds Officer
1942 Bullet Scars Jake
1942 Lady Gangster Carey Wells
1942 I Was Framed Dist. Atty. Gordon Locke
1942 Murder in the Big House 'Mile-Away' Gordon
1942 Larceny, Inc. Dan - McCarthy's Associate Uncredited
1942 Spy Ship Nils Thorson
1942 The Big Shot Faye
1942 Secret Enemies Fred Blosser - Chauffeur
1942 Across the Pacific Capt. Harkness
1942 The Hidden Hand Walter Channing
1943 The Hard Way Roland Uncredited
1943 Princess O'Rourke First Airline Dispatcher Uncredited
1943 The Desert Song French Officer Uncredited
1944 Bermuda Mystery John Best
1944 The Adventures of Mark Twain Editor Uncredited
1944 The Contender Kip Morgan
1944 Silent Partner Harry Keating
1945 Two O'Clock Courage Steve Maitland (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "As Walter Goss -- unknown, as Roland Drew -- famous". The Post-Crescent. Wisconsin, Appleton. November 11, 1927. p. 21. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Roland Drew: Actor, 87". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 19, 1988. p. 33. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ "Roland Drew". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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