Larry Roberts (September 28, 1926 – July 17, 1992) was an American actor who was most active during the 1950s. Roberts is best known for his role of playing the voice of Tramp in ''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American animated musical romance film produced by Walt Disney and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. The 15th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hami ...

''. Roberts was little known for other roles, although he did play some minor uncredited roles in ''Bandstand Revue'' and ''Ace High-Hits''.

Biography

Early life

Larry Roberts was born Lawrence Saltzman on September 28, 1926. He was the only child of Robert E. and Mabel (Haber) Saltzman. He was a native of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. After his parents divorced, his father moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. During World War II, Roberts served with General Patton's Third Army in France, Germany and Austria. After his military service, Roberts went to Los Angeles on vacation, but stayed there to help organize the Circle Theatre. He performed with this group under the name Larry Salters, appearing in 1947 in the company's debut production of ''

Ethan Frome ''Ethan Frome'' is a 1911 book by American author Edith Wharton. It is set in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. The novel has been adapted into a '' film of the same name''. Plot The novel is a framed narrative. The framing sto ...

'' as Jotham Powell. Roberts went on to appear in five of the company's first six productions. He appeared in a revival of the play ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway theatre, Broa ...

'' playing the aspiring "hoofer" Harry, a role originated on Broadway by

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

. In 1949, Roberts went on to create and become part owner of the Players Ring, another prominent

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

theater group of the day. At some point in his onstage career, he was discovered for the role of Tramp in ''

'' when a Disney story man saw him performing.

Korean War and main career

Roberts was actively involved in providing entertainment for the troops in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

; he frequently participated in

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

tours to entertain troops, who liked his performance. In 1955, for his efforts, he was awarded a "Certificate of Esteem" by then-

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The s ...

Charles E. Wilson. Roberts was a popular guest on many variety shows in the early days of television including ''Lights, Camera, Action!'', ''Bandstand Revue'', '' The All-Star Revue'', and several of the

Pinky Lee Pincus Leff (May 2, 1907 – April 3, 1993), better known as Pinky Lee, was an American burlesque comic and host of the children's television program ''The Pinky Lee Show'' in the early 1950s. Biography Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Lee got hi ...

television shows. He also did a stint in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

as a stand-up comic. His singing voice was captured on several recordings he made during the fifties with Neely Plumb and his Orchestra on the "Ace-Hi Hits" label. Among his recordings for Ace-Hi were "April in Portugal", "Big Mamou", "Tell Me a Story", and "Wild Horses".

Later years and death

Roberts retired from show business in the mid to late 1950s and returned to Cleveland. He re-assumed the last name Salters and went into the ladies' clothing business. He first worked for Bobbie Brooks, Inc., a company founded by his uncle, Maurice Saltzman. He then moved to New York City and was a designer for Russ Togs, another ladies' clothing manufacturer. Roberts died of AIDS-related causes on July 17, 1992, at his home in New York City. Roberts was 65 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Larry. 1926 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American male actors AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) American fashion designers American male film actors American male stage actors United States Army soldiers Male actors from Cleveland United States Army personnel of World War II