Robert Howard Ober (May 10, 1881 – December 7, 1950) was an American stage and silent-screen actor.

Early life

Robert Howard Ober was born on May 10, 1881, in

Bunker Hill, Illinois Bunker Hill is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,630 at the 2020 census, down from 1,774 in 2010. History Settlement The original inhabitants of the Bunker Hill area were the Peoria people, Kickapoo peopl ...

, to parents Robert Howard Ober Sr. and Joella W. Ober (née Davis). He attended Divoll grade school in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He graduated from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Career

Ober started his theater career in

at the Century Theatre. His first stage appearance was with the Colonel Hopkins Stock Company in the play ''

In Mizzoura ''In Mizzoura'' is a lost 1919 American silent Western film starring Robert Warwick and directed by Hugh Ford. This film is based on the 1890s stage play ''In Mizzoura'' by Augustus Thomas. The play was previously filmed in 1914. Cast * Robe ...

''. He also played in ''

My Friend from India ''My Friend from India'' is a 1927 silent film comedy directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Franklin Pangborn and Elinor Fair. It was produced by DeMille Pictures and distributed by Pathé Exchange. A previous film of this story was made in ...

'' and ''

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

''. He went on tour in the production of ''

Madame X ''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...

''. He then performed with the Harry Davis Company in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Ober appeared in '' The Little Gray Lady'', '' Gallops'', '' Brewster's Millions'' and '' Ready Money''. He appeared with

Fay Templeton Fay Templeton (December 25, 1865 – October 3, 1939) was an American actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian. Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. Templeton excelled ...

in ''

Forty-five Minutes from Broadway ''Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway'' is a three-act musical by George M. Cohan written about New Rochelle, New York. The title refers to the 45-minute train ride from New Rochelle to Broadway. The musical debuted on January 1, 1906 at the New ...

''. He also appeared with

Arnold Daly Arnold Daly (October 22, 1875 – January 13, 1927) was an American actor, playwright, and producer. He was the father of actress and Algonquin Round Table personality Blyth Daly. Biography He was born Peter Christopher Arnold Daly in Brook ...

in '' You Can Never Tell'' and, in 1917, with

Madge Kennedy Madge Kennedy (April 19, 1891 – June 9, 1987) was a stage, film and TV actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her as "the ...

in ''

Fair and Warmer ''Fair and Warmer'' is a three-act comedy play by the American writer Avery Hopwood. It was first staged at the Eltinge Theatre in New York City on November 15, 1915, running for 377 performances, featuring Madge Kennedy, John Cumberland, Janet ...

''. He also appeared in '' You Can't Take It With You''. He appeared in

Maude Fulton Maude Fulton (May 14, 1881 – November 9, 1950) was an American actress, playwright, stage director, theater manager, and later a Hollywood screenwriter. Early life Born in 1881 in El Dorado, Kansas, she was the daughter of newspaperman Titu ...

's play '' The Humming Bird''. He also appeared in early motion pictures.

Filmography

Ober acted in the following films: *''

Introduce Me ''Introduce Me'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by George J. Crone and produced by and starring Douglas MacLean. It was released through Associated Exhibitors.

'' (1925) *''

Time, the Comedian ''Time, the Comedian'' is an American 1925 silent drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard that stars Mae Busch and Lew Cody Lew Cody (born Louis Joseph Côté; February 22, 1884 – May 31, 1934) was an American stage and film actor whose ...

'' (1925) *''

Souls for Sables ''Souls for Sables'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James C. McKay and starring Claire Windsor. It was produced and released by Tiffany Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine reviews, Fred Garlan is devoted to his wif ...

'' (1925) *''

The Big Parade ''The Big Parade'' is a 1925 American silent war drama film directed by King Vidor, starring John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Tom O'Brien, and Karl Dane. Written by World War I veteran, Laurence Stallings, the film is about an ...

'' (1925) *''

The Mystic ''The Mystic'' is a 1925 American MGM silent drama film directed by Tod Browning, who later directed MGM's ''Freaks'' (1932). It was co-written by Browning and Waldemar Young, writing a similar storyline to their earlier 1925 hit film ''The Un ...

'' (1925) *''

Butterflies in the Rain ''Butterflies in the Rain'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Edward Sloman and starring Laura La Plante, James Kirkwood and Dorothy Cumming.Munden p.730 The film is set in England and is based on a novel by the British ...

'' (1926) *'' The Idle Rich'' (1929)

Personal life

Ober first married actress and lyricist Ruth Boyd in 1917. They divorced in 1919. He later married playwright and actress Maude Fulton in 1920. They divorced in 1926. He then married actress

Mabel Taliaferro Mabel Taliaferro (born Maybelle Evelyn Taliaferro; May 21, 1887 – January 24, 1979) was an American stage and silent-screen actress, known as "the Sweetheart of American Movies." Early years Taliaferro was born as Maybelle Evelyn Taliaferro i ...

. Ober died on December 7, 1950, at the age of 69, at

Lenox Hill Hospital Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) is a nationally ranked 450-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, servicing the tri-state area. LHH is one of the region's many unive ...

in New York City.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ober, Robert 1881 births 1950 deaths Washington University in St. Louis alumni American male stage actors American male silent film actors