Earle Ross (March 29, 1888 – May 21, 1961) was an American radio and film actor. While in school he became interested in dramatics and was usually cast as a villain or an old man because of his unusual voice characteristics. In 1908 he worked with Colonel Bill Selig in his first 5-reel movie film ''The Holy Cross''. In 1912, he ventured to the East Coast and worked on Broadway in such shows as ''

Where the Trail Divides ''Where the Trail Divides'' is a 1914 American silent Western film directed by James Neill and written by William Otis Lillibridge. The film stars Robert Edeson, Theodore Roberts, J. W. Johnston, Winifred Kingston, James Neill and Constance ...

'' and ''

Cost of Living Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time can be operationalized in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a c ...

''. From there, he started his own chain of theaters but went broke in the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

. Actor

Wilton Lackaye Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel ''Trilby'') in both stage and film. Early life William Andrew Lackey was born in Loudoun Count ...

suggested a career on stage for Ross after he saw him perform in a high school play. After making his professional debut on stage, Ross acted in ''The Holy City'' (1908), "the first American five-reel film". Ross headed the Earle Ross Players at the Warrington Theatre in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...

, beginning in 1927. From 1929 to 1932, he led a school of fine arts in Oak Park. After working as a producer, Ross returned to acting in 1935 with the Olvera Street Theater. Ross became a radio broadcast pioneer and had his own show, ''The Earle Ross Theater of the Air'' and also starred in ''Inspector Post'', a continuing radio drama. In 1936 he appeared in various films such as ''

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

'', '' Stormy Trails'', and ''

Riders of the Whistling Skull ''Riders of the Whistling Skull'' is a 1937 " Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie of the weird western genre starring Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and ventriloquist Max Terhune with his dummy Elmer. It was directed by Mack V. Wright, p ...

''. On Radio, Ross portrayed Judge Horace Hooker on ''

The Great Gildersleeve ''The Great Gildersleeve'' is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built a ...

'' and Howie MacBrayer on Point Sublime. Earle Ross died of cancer, aged 73, on May 21, 1961.

References

External links

* 1888 births 1961 deaths Male actors from Chicago American male radio actors American radio personalities American male film actors Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American male actors {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub