Ross Alexander
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Ross Alexander
Biography
A stage actor from age 16, arrow-narrow American leading man Ross Alexander hit Broadway at 18, appearing opposite Blanche Yurka in Enter Madame. He made his first film, The Wiser Sex, in 1932. Two years later he was signed to a long-term Warner Bros. contract, playing second leads in such films as Flirtation Walk (1934) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) and winning top billing in programmers like Here Comes Carter (1936). Four months to the day after his marriage to second-wife, actress Anne Nagel, Ross Alexander shot himself to death; authorities believed that he was still despondent over the 1935 suicide of his first wife, stage actress Aleta Freile. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviFilmography:
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Ross Alexander
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Ross Alexander
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| Ross Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander Ross Smith July 27, 1907 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 2, 1937 (aged 29) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1920–1937 |
| Spouse | Aleta Freel (1934-1935) Anne Nagel (1936-1937) |
Ross Alexander (July 27, 1907 – January 2, 1937) was an American stage and film actor.
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Early life
Born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn, New York, Alexander began his acting career in Broadway productions during the 1920s. By 1926 he was regarded as a promising leading man, with good looks and an easy and charming style and began appearing in more substantial roles. He was signed to a film contract by Paramount Pictures but his film debut in The Wiser Sex (1932) was not a success, so he returned to Broadway. In 1934 he was signed to another film contract, this time by Warner Bros.
Career
Alexander was better suited to the Warner Bros. style of film, and the studio persevered with him, gradually increasing the stature of his roles commensurate with his growing popularity with film audiences. His biggest successes of the period were A Midsummer Night's Dream and Captain Blood (both 1935). He married actress Aleta Freel in 1934. The marriage ended the following year when Freel committed suicide on December 7, 1935.[1]
Alexander soon after married another actress, Anne Nagel with whom he had appeared in the films China Clipper and Here Comes Carter (both 1936). In 1936 he starred in an under-rated Warner comedy that was well written as a business venture type of film, Hot Money. It was a defining role in his persona as a glamorous, wore-clothes-well leading man, not in the usual Warner gangster mold of rough hewn stars like Edward G. Robinson or Paul Muni. Warner Bros. had decided by this time that Alexander's potential as an actor was limited, and that his personal problems did not allow him to focus completely on his career. Although they continued casting him in films, the importance of his roles was greatly diminished.
Death
With his professional and personal lives in disarray, and deeply in debt, Alexander shot himself in the head in the barn behind his home. Alexander used the same gun his wife Aleta Freel shot herself with two years earlier.[2] His final film, Ready, Willing and Able, was released posthumously.
Lou Cannon wrote in his book Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power that a young Ronald Reagan, then working as a radio broadcaster in Iowa, was hired in part by Warner Brothers to replace the recently deceased Alexander.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The Wiser Sex | Jimmy O'Neill | |
| 1934 | Social Register | Lester Trout | |
| 1934 | Gentlemen Are Born | Tom Martin | |
| 1934 | Flirtation Walk | Oskie | |
| 1935 | Maybe It's Love | Rims O'Neil | |
| 1935 | Going Highbrow | Harley Marsh | |
| 1935 | We're in the Money | C. Richard Courtney, aka Carter | |
| 1935 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Demetrius - In love with Hermia | |
| 1935 | Shipmates Forever | Lafayette "Sparks" Brown | |
| 1935 | Captain Blood | Jeremy Pitt | |
| 1936 | Boulder Dam | Rusty Noonan | |
| 1936 | Brides Are Like That | Bill McAllister | |
| 1936 | I Married a Doctor | Erik Valborg | |
| 1936 | Hot Money | Chick Randall | |
| 1936 | China Clipper | Tom Collins | |
| 1936 | Here Comes Carter | Kent Carter | Alternative title: The Voice of Scandal |
| 1937 | Ready, Willing, and Able | Barry Granville | Released posthumously |
Footnotes
- ^ "Milestones". Time. 1935-12-07.
- ^ Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. pp. 38. ISBN 1-84449-430-6.
- ^ Cannon, Lou (2003). Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power. PublicAffairs. pp. 49. ISBN 1-58648-030-8.
References
- Appleton, Wisconsin Post Crescent, Anne Nagel's Death Revives Old Mystery, August 29, 1966, Page 11.
External links
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Mentioned in
Brides Are Like That
(1936 Comedy Film)
We're in the Money
(1935 Comedy Film)
Ready, Willing and Able
(1937 Musical Film)
Saturday's Children
(1940 Drama Film)
Shipmates Forever
(1935 Musical Film)
» More