Anthony K. Roberts
Encyclopedia
Anthony Kalani Roberts, also known as Kal Roberts, (born July 14, 1939, died March 21, 2005), was an actor
and photographer, best known as the recipient of a 1974 Pulitzer Prize
for photojournalism
.
. There, his activities as a surfer and hot rod
racer brought him to the attention of Hollywood, where his dark looks and natural athleticism won him work in commercials and as an advertising model. Yet his acting career stalled after a single film in 1965, only to be resumed twenty years later in character roles. In the interim he won considerable acclaim as a photographer, garnering the profession's top awards and producing both serious photojournalism and popular images of celebrities.
Long a fixture of the music and video scene in Nashville, Tennessee
, he died of prostate cancer in Phoenix, Arizona
at the age of 65.
(subsequently also marketed as Monster from the Surf and Surf Terror). Later hailed as a campy "laugh riot with lots of bongos, murders and girls in bikinis," , the film, starring Jon Hall
and featuring a surf music soundtrack by Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, was notably affected by budget limitations, and in post-production Roberts' dialogue was hurriedly overdubbed by another actor, obliterating the distinctive baritone that would become a hallmark of later performances . Roberts was inactive as a performer for the next twenty years, working instead as a photographer. In 1986, when commissioned to take still photographs of the remake
of the 1939 John Wayne
classic Stagecoach
, he was recruited by director Ted Post
to play the role of the outlaw Hank Plummer. The mature Roberts now projected a persona evocative of the Old West, with an imposing beard and patriarchal demeanor. He went on to play a similar role in the Johnny Cash
and Kris Kristofferson
vehicle The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James, and in several music videos.
, which nominated them for the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. The series, entitled "Fatal Hollywood Drama", won not only the Pulitzer but the Sigma Delta Chi Award
, given by the Society of Professional Journalists
.
Moving to Nashville in the 1980s, Roberts opened Studio 333, a downtown photography studio that also doubled as a casual venue for informal concerts. His work included album covers and other promotional photographs for Johnny Cash
, Waylon Jennings
, Kris Kristofferson
, Tanya Tucker
, among others. He was honored by the County Music Association as a notable industry contributor upon his passing in 2005.
, his co-star on The Beach Girls and the Monster
, from 1960 until his death. Their daughter Moana
Roberts
, also a photographer, now serves as the official archivist of his work. Their son, Jason Roberts
, is a writer of fiction and nonfiction.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and photographer, best known as the recipient of a 1974 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
Biography
Born into a naval family in Honolulu, Hawaii, Roberts spent his teenage years in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. There, his activities as a surfer and hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
racer brought him to the attention of Hollywood, where his dark looks and natural athleticism won him work in commercials and as an advertising model. Yet his acting career stalled after a single film in 1965, only to be resumed twenty years later in character roles. In the interim he won considerable acclaim as a photographer, garnering the profession's top awards and producing both serious photojournalism and popular images of celebrities.
Long a fixture of the music and video scene in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, he died of prostate cancer in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
at the age of 65.
As an actor
Roberts was cast to type as a surfer in his film debut, playing the role of "Brad" in The Beach Girls and the MonsterThe Beach Girls and the Monster
The Beach Girls and the Monster is a horror film in the beach party style. Unlike most beach party films, it was shot in black & white. For some release prints, the surfing footage was printed in color...
(subsequently also marketed as Monster from the Surf and Surf Terror). Later hailed as a campy "laugh riot with lots of bongos, murders and girls in bikinis," , the film, starring Jon Hall
Jon Hall
Jon Hall was an American film actor.-Biography:Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
and featuring a surf music soundtrack by Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, was notably affected by budget limitations, and in post-production Roberts' dialogue was hurriedly overdubbed by another actor, obliterating the distinctive baritone that would become a hallmark of later performances . Roberts was inactive as a performer for the next twenty years, working instead as a photographer. In 1986, when commissioned to take still photographs of the remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1939 John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
classic Stagecoach
Stagecoach (TV film)
Stagecoach is a 1986 made-for-TV film.It is a remake of the classic 1939 film Stagecoach andstars Kris Kristofferson as the Ringo Kid, the part originally played by John Wayne. Willie Nelson portrays famous gunslinger and dentist Doc Holliday. Johnny Cash portrays Marshal Curly Wilcox and Waylon...
, he was recruited by director Ted Post
Ted Post
Ted Post is an American TV and film director.Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started his career in show business in 1938 working as an usher at Loew's Pitkin Theater. He abandoned plans to become an actor after training with Tamara Daykarhanova, and turned to directing summer theater...
to play the role of the outlaw Hank Plummer. The mature Roberts now projected a persona evocative of the Old West, with an imposing beard and patriarchal demeanor. He went on to play a similar role in the Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
vehicle The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James, and in several music videos.
As photojournalist
Taking up freelance photography as a profession, Roberts was carrying his camera in 1973, when he encountered a man attempting to abduct a woman from a Hollywood parking lot in broad daylight. Brandishing and clicking the camera in an attempt to deter the assailant, he captured the struggle and subsequent fatal shooting of the attacker by a security guard. The resulting series of pictures ran in the following day's Los Angeles Times, and were carried by the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, which nominated them for the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. The series, entitled "Fatal Hollywood Drama", won not only the Pulitzer but the Sigma Delta Chi Award
Sigma Delta Chi Award
The Sigma Delta Chi Awards are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists for excellence in journalism.- History :The Awards, according to the SPJ, did not begin in 1932 when the society chose six individuals for their contributions to journalism. In 1939 the awards program began...
, given by the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
.
As commercial photographer
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
, among others. He was honored by the County Music Association as a notable industry contributor upon his passing in 2005.
Family
Roberts was married to Gloria NeilGloria Neil
Gloria Neil is an American television and film actress. She is best known for her roles on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Beverly Hillbillies, as well as the sixties-era films The Beach Girls and the Monster and The Karate Killers.-Early life:Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Neil moved to Palm Springs,...
, his co-star on The Beach Girls and the Monster
The Beach Girls and the Monster
The Beach Girls and the Monster is a horror film in the beach party style. Unlike most beach party films, it was shot in black & white. For some release prints, the surfing footage was printed in color...
, from 1960 until his death. Their daughter Moana
Moana
Moana is a documentary film, the first docufiction in the history of cinema, directed by Robert J. Flaherty, the creator of Nanook of the North . Moana was filmed in Samoa in the villages of Safune on the island of Savai'i...
Roberts
Roberts
- Places :United States* Roberts, Idaho* Roberts, Illinois* Roberts, Wisconsin* Roberts County, Texas* Mount Roberts , a summit in the Ossipee Mountains- Other uses :* Roberts class monitor, a class of British warship...
, also a photographer, now serves as the official archivist of his work. Their son, Jason Roberts
Jason Roberts (author)
Jason Roberts is an American writer of fiction and nonfiction. He is best known for the bestselling A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler , a biography of James Holman, the blind adventurer of the early 19th century...
, is a writer of fiction and nonfiction.
External links
- Hollywood Teen Movies appreciation page for The Beach Girls and the Monster.
- Online Archive of selected works by Anthony K. Roberts