Beverly Roberts

Beverly Roberts (born May 19, 1914) was an American film actress and stage actress of the 1930s, and entertainment business executive through the 1970s.

Career

Roberts, born Beverly Louise Roberts in Brooklyn, New York, was first spotted by a Warner Bros. talent scout while singing in a nightclub in 1935. Having performed as a stage actress prior to that, she was signed to a contract with Warner Bros, starring in her first film in 1936, titled "The Singing Kid", in which she appeared opposite Al Jolson. That same year she starred opposite future Hollywood screen legend Humphrey Bogart in "Two Against the World". The following year, in 1937, she would star in her biggest film, "God's Country and the Woman", which would be Warner Bros first technicolor film and in which she starred opposite George Brent.

From 1937 to 1939 she starred in sixteen films. Despite her having a successful film acting career on track, by 1940 she had returned to singing and stage acting. In the late 1940s and early 1950s she had several radio and television appearances. In 1954 she was appointed administrator of the "Theater Authority", whose members comprised the five entertainment unions. The organization exercised juristiction over performers appearing at charity functions and telethons.

Roberts retired in 1977 to Laguna Niguel, California. In 2000 she was featured in the documentary "I Used to Be in Pictures", which revisited Hollywood's early years and featured interviews with former actresses and actors of the day. In 2002 Roberts was honored by the "Del Mar Theater" in Santa Cruz, California, and her 1936 film "China Clipper" was shown at its grand opening. That same year she was honored at the "Cinecon Film Festival" in Hollywood.

References

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730859/bio Beverly Roberts bio]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730859/ Beverly Roberts filmography]