Lynne Roberts

For basketball coach, see Lynne Roberts (basketball).
Lynne Roberts
Born Theda Mae Roberts
November 22, 1922
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
Died April 1, 1978 (aged 55)
Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Other names Mary Hart
Lynn Roberts
Occupation Actress
Years active 1936–1958
Spouse(s) William Engelbert, Jr. (1941–1944)
Louis John Gardella (1944–1952)
Hyman B. Samuels (1953–1961)
Don Sebastian (1971–1978)

Lynne Roberts, born Theda May Roberts (November 22, 1922[1] – April 1, 1978) was an American film actress who appeared exclusively in B-movies.

Early Years

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lynne Roberts was the daughter of Hobart M. Roberts, a bookkeeper, and May Holland.[2] The family moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s.

Career

Roberts began working as an actress in the 1930s, under contract to Republic Pictures. At the age of 14, in 1936, she played a role in Bulldog Edition. In 1938, at age 16, she starred in the cliffhangers The Lone Ranger and Dick Tracy Returns, and played a role in The Higgins Family. She was officially listed as having been born in 1919. In 1941 she starred with Sonja Henie and John Payne in Sun Valley Serenade while under contract to 20th Century-Fox. She returned to Republic Pictures in 1944, and stayed under contract until 1948. She starred with Gene Autry in Sioux City Sue in 1946. Roberts appeared in two more films with Autry, Robin Hood of Texas and Saddle Pals, as well as three films with [3]Roy Rogers and one with [Monte Hale]]. After leaving Republic Pictures for the second time, Roberts worked with Autry in outdoor adventures for Columbia Pictures, She also worked with Kirby Grant in Monogram Pictures' mounted-police adventures, and with Tim Holt at RKO Radio Pictures. Roberts appeared in 64 films. Of those, 21 were westerns and two are serials.

Personal life

Lynne Roberts (left), Sally Naiditch, Anne T. Hill (3rd from left), Dr. Leon W. Naiditch, Hyman B. Samuels (front right), Dr. Harry Lehrer (extreme right behind Samuels)

Roberts married four times: first to William Engelbert, Jr., with whom she had one son, Bill.; the marriage ended in divorce. Her second marriage was to Louis John Gardella, which also ended in divorce. In court, Gardella's attorney argued that the couple's Arizona wedding was invalid because Roberts was not legally divorced from William Engelbert, Jr., although Roberts claimed she had a Mexican divorce decree.[4]

In 1953 Roberts married brassiere manufacturer Hyman B. Samuels, with whom she had a daughter, Peri Margaret.[5] Following the divorce from her third husband in 1961, Roberts married pro wrestler Don Sebastian. On December 16, 1977, Roberts fell in the bathroom of her home and struck her head. She lapsed into a coma, and died on April 1, 1978.

Family

Lynne Roberts was the sister of actor John S. Roberts.[6]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "B-Western Heroines, Lynne Roberts". Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  2. ↑ Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, birth certificate of Theda May Roberts
  3. ↑ IMDB
  4. ↑ Daytona Beach Morning Journal - May 25, 1951
  5. ↑ Lynne Roberts Spurns Return to Husband. Los Angeles Times - Aug 4, 1958 p5
  6. ↑ John S. Roberts on the Internet Movie Database

External links