Gilbert Roland

Gilbert Roland

Roland in 1952
Born Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso
December 11, 1905
Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Died May 15, 1994 (aged 88)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1923–82
Spouse(s) Constance Bennett (1941–45) (divorced) 2 children
Guillermina Cantu (1954–94) (his death)
Children Lorinda Roland
Gyl Roland (b. 1941)

Gilbert Roland (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994) was a Mexican-born American film actor.

Biography

He was born Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and originally intended to become a bullfighter like his father. When the family moved to the United States, however, he became interested in acting when he was picked at random for a role as an extra. He chose his screen name by combining the names of his favorite actors, John Gilbert and Ruth Roland. He was often cast in the stereotypical "Latin Lover" role.

Roland's first major role was in the collegiate comedy The Plastic Age (1925) together with Clara Bow, to whom he became engaged.[1] In 1927, he played Armand in Camille opposite Norma Talmadge, with whom he was romantically involved, and they starred together in several productions. Roland later appeared in Spanish language adaptations of American films, in romantic lead roles.

Beginning in the 1940s, critics began to take notice of his acting and he was praised for his supporting roles in John Huston's We Were Strangers (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Thunder Bay (1953), and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). He also appeared in a series of films in the mid-1940s as the popular character "The Cisco Kid." He played Hugo, the agnostic (and totally fictional) friend of the three shepherd children in The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, based on the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. In 1953, he starred as Greek-American sponge diver Mike Petrakis in the epic Beneath the 12-Mile Reef. His last film appearance was in the 1982 western Barbarosa.

Personal life

with Constance Bennett in After Tonight (1933)

Roland was married to actress Constance Bennett from 1941 to 1946. He had appeared with Bennett as the romantic lead in After Tonight, a 1933 World War I drama. His second marriage, to Guillermina Cantú in 1954, lasted until his death forty years later.

Death

Gilbert Roland died of cancer in Beverly Hills, California in 1994, aged 88. His remains were cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.

Award nominations

Roland was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award, for his roles in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964). For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Gilbert Roland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6730 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Features:

Television:

Short subjects:

References

  1. ↑ "My life, by Clara Bow". Told to and edited by Adela Rogers St. Johns. Published by Photoplay magazine in February, March and April 1928

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gilbert Roland.