Ruth Roland
Encyclopedia
Ruth Roland was an American stage and film actress and film producer
.
, her father managed a theatre and she became a child actress who went on to work in vaudeville
. She was hired by director Sidney Olcott
who had seen her on stage in New York City
, she appeared in her first film for Kalem Studios in 1909 and along with Gene Gauntier
was soon billed as a "Kalem Girl." Roland was eventually sent to Kalem's West Coast
studio where she was the lead actress and overseer of "Kalem House" where all the actors lived. At 12 years old, Roland was the youngest student at Hollywood High School
.
Roland left Kalem and went on to even more fame at Balboa Films, where she was under contract from 1914-1917. In 1915 she appeared in a 14-episode adventure film
serial
titled The Red Circle
. A shrewd businessperson, she established her own production company and signed a distribution deal with Pathé
to make six new multi-episode serials that proved very successful.
Between 1909 and 1927, Roland appeared in more than 200 films. She appeared in an early color feature film Cupid Angling
(1918) made in the Natural Color process invented by Leon F. Douglass
, and filmed in the Lake Lagunitas
area of Marin County, California
.
Roland left the film business until 1930 when she made her first talkie. Although her voice worked well enough on screen, now entering her forties she returned to performing in live theatre, making only one more film appearance in 1935.
in 1929. Bard also had stage acting in common and ran a Hollywood acting school after they married. They were together until the end of Roland's life.
in 1937, aged 45, in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Ruth Roland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6220 Hollywood Blvd.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Early life and career
Born in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, her father managed a theatre and she became a child actress who went on to work in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. She was hired by director Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott
Sidney Olcott was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter.-Biography:Born John Sidney Alcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great directors of the motion picture business...
who had seen her on stage in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, she appeared in her first film for Kalem Studios in 1909 and along with Gene Gauntier
Gene Gauntier
Gene Gauntier was an American screenwriter and actress who was one of the pioneers of the motion picture industry. A writer, director and actress in films from early 1906 to 1920, she wrote screenplays for 31 films...
was soon billed as a "Kalem Girl." Roland was eventually sent to Kalem's West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
studio where she was the lead actress and overseer of "Kalem House" where all the actors lived. At 12 years old, Roland was the youngest student at Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School
Hollywood High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California.-History:...
.
Roland left Kalem and went on to even more fame at Balboa Films, where she was under contract from 1914-1917. In 1915 she appeared in a 14-episode adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
titled The Red Circle
The Red Circle (serial)
The Red Circle is a 1915 drama film serial directed by Sherwood MacDonald. The film is considered to be lost. The Red Circle was Ruth Roland's first serial role.-Plot summary:...
. A shrewd businessperson, she established her own production company and signed a distribution deal with Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
to make six new multi-episode serials that proved very successful.
Between 1909 and 1927, Roland appeared in more than 200 films. She appeared in an early color feature film Cupid Angling
Cupid Angling
Cupid Angling is a silent film, the fifth feature film photographed in color.The film was produced by Leon F. Douglass's National Color Film Company in the Lake Lagunitas area of Marin County, California, and was made in the Douglass Natural Color process, the only feature film made in this process...
(1918) made in the Natural Color process invented by Leon F. Douglass
Leon Douglass
Leon Forrest Douglass was an American inventor and co-founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company who registered approximately fifty patents, mostly for film and sound recording techniques.-Life and professional career:...
, and filmed in the Lake Lagunitas
Lake Lagunitas
Lake Lagunitas is a reservoir on Lagunitas Creek in Marin County, California.It is one of seven reservoirs providing potable water to the Marin Municipal Water District. Built in 1873, it is the oldest and smallest lake in the Mount Tamalpais watershed....
area of Marin County, California
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
.
Roland left the film business until 1930 when she made her first talkie. Although her voice worked well enough on screen, now entering her forties she returned to performing in live theatre, making only one more film appearance in 1935.
Personal life
Roland married actor Ben BardBen Bard
Ben Bard was a movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedian Jack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedy duo in vaudeville...
in 1929. Bard also had stage acting in common and ran a Hollywood acting school after they married. They were together until the end of Roland's life.
Death
Ruth Roland died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1937, aged 45, in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Ruth Roland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6220 Hollywood Blvd.
Selected filmography
- The Scarlet Letter (1908)
- The Cardboard Baby (1909)
- Her Indian Mother (1910)
- He Who Laughs Last (1911)
- Pulque Pete and the Opera Troupe (1912)
- The Raiders from Double L Ranch (1913)
- Gertie Gets the Cash (1914)
- The Pursuit of Pleasure (1915)
- The Red CircleThe Red Circle (serial)The Red Circle is a 1915 drama film serial directed by Sherwood MacDonald. The film is considered to be lost. The Red Circle was Ruth Roland's first serial role.-Plot summary:...
(1915) - The Sultana (1916)
- The Fringe of Society (1917)
- Cupid AnglingCupid AnglingCupid Angling is a silent film, the fifth feature film photographed in color.The film was produced by Leon F. Douglass's National Color Film Company in the Lake Lagunitas area of Marin County, California, and was made in the Douglass Natural Color process, the only feature film made in this process...
(1918) - The Adventures of RuthThe Adventures of RuthThe Adventures of Ruth is a 1919 film serial directed by George Marshall. It is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Ruth Robin* Herbert Heyes - Bob Wright * Thomas G...
(1919) - Ruth of the RockiesRuth of the RockiesRuth of the Rockies is a 1920 Western film serial directed by George Marshall. Two of the 15 episodes survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Bab Murphy* Herbert Heyes - Justin Garret* Thomas G...
(1920) - The Avenging ArrowThe Avenging ArrowThe Avenging Arrow is a 1921 western film serial directed by William Bowman and W. S. Van Dyke. It is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Anita Delgado* Edward Hearn - Ralph Troy* Virginia Ainsworth - Luiza Traganza* S.E...
(1921) - White EagleWhite Eagle (1922 serial)White Eagle is a 1922 Western film serial directed by Fred Jackman and W. S. Van Dyke. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Ruth Randolph* Earl Metcalfe - Phil Stanton* Harry Girard - Jim Loomis* Virginia Ainsworth - Julia Wells...
(1922) - The Timber QueenThe Timber QueenThe Timber Queen is a 1922 action film serial directed by Fred Jackman. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Ruth Reading* Bruce Gordon - Don Mackay* Val Paul - James Cluxton* Leo Willis - Bull Joyce* Frank Lackteen - Vance...
(1922) - The Haunted Valley (1923)
- Dollar DownDollar Down-Cast:* Ruth Roland - Ruth Craig* Henry B. Walthall - Alec Craig* Mayme Kelso - Mrs. Craig* Earl Schenck - Grant Elliot* Claire McDowell - Mrs. Meadows * Roscoe Karns - Gene Meadows* Jane Mercer - Betty Meadows...
(1925) - The Masked Woman (1927)
- Reno (1930)
- From Nine to Nine (1935)