Roger Converse (June 26, 1911 – September 21, 1994) was an American motion picture actor and

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

contract player of the late 1930s, who made a name for himself portraying gentlemen, boyfriends, and blue collar guys.

Life and career

He was born on June 26, 1911, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, and was educated at

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

where he was noted as being both an intellectual academic and a star athlete who graduated with several scholastic achievements in 1929. He had intended on furthering his education going onto medical school but following the

Stock Market 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 ...

, he choose to take other ventures and went straight into the workforce as a men's clothing model followed by a turn as a fitness instructor with the

Los Angeles Athletic Club Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) is a privately owned Sports club, athletic club and social club in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1880, the club is today best known for its John R. Wooden Award pr ...

. In 1936, he was teaching an exercise class one day and was discovered by a talent scout who brought him to MGM Studios to be screen and wardrobe tested for motion pictures, the scout describing him, a blue-eyed, brown-haired man, who was 5 feet 8 inches in height, as appearing to be a "fine figure of masculinity with a nice round face". He began his career in 1937, in the motion picture ''The Bad Guy'' and went on to appear in 20 more films, some of which were ''

My Dear Miss Aldrich ''My Dear Miss Aldrich'' is a 1937 low-budget comedy film starring Maureen O'Sullivan, Walter Pidgeon, and Edna May Oliver about a young woman who inherits a New York City newspaper and decides to become a reporter rather than a publisher. Plot M ...

'' (1937), ''

The Shopworn Angel ''The Shopworn Angel'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by H. C. Potter and starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, and Walter Pidgeon. The MGM release featured the second screen pairing of Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart followin ...

'' (1938), ''Snow Gets in Your Eyes'' (1938), ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

'' (1938), and ''

Calling Dr. Kildare ''Calling Dr. Kildare'' is a 1939 film in the Dr. Kildare series. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet, it stars Lew Ayres as the young Dr. Kildare and Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Gillespie, his mentor. The second of MGM's series of Kildare films, it intro ...

'' (1939). He tested for the role of Rhett Butler for ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' but was one of many men who lost out to

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

. He retired in 1939 to focus on marriage and fatherhood. He was financially secure from wise investments and was married to Wilhelmina Schulte from 1939 until his death in 1994. They had one son who predeceased the both of them in 1954. He spent the rest of his life living in Los Angeles, California, was supportive of the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

hearings of the 1940s, even listing names of supposed communists as well, and he was active in

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politics. He was also a

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

and a devout

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

who was active within his local church. He died from natural causes on September 21, 1994, and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Converse, Roger 1911 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American male actors California Republicans Methodists from California Male models from California Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Hollywood High School alumni 20th-century American memoirists