Biography

Beverly Roberts

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Spotted singing in a New York City nightclub by a Warner Brothers talent scout, Beverly Roberts' first role was in The Singing Kid (1936) with Al Jolson. A young Humphrey Bogart was her co-star in Two Against the World (1936). China Clipper (1936), a loose depiction of the founding of Pan American Airways, teamed her with Pat O'Brien. God's Country and the Woman (1937) was Warner Brothers first Technicolor production, filmed at Mt. St. Helens, Washington, it was her most prestigious film. Subsequently, she returned to singing and acting on the stage. In the late 1940s and early 1950s she appeared on numerous radio and TV shows.

In 1954 she was appointed administrator of the Theater Authority, whose members comprised the five entertainment unions. The organization exercised jurisdiction over the appearance of performers at charity events and telethons. She retired in 1977 to Laguna Niguel, California. In March 2002 Beverly was honored at the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz, California, when "China Clipper" was shown at its grand re-opening. She was also honored at the Cinecon Film Festival in Hollywood in August, 2002.
- IMDb mini biography by: Chris Baker <cdb@saber.net>

Lived with Wynne Gibson for many years until the latter's death in 1987 of a cerebral thrombosis in Laguna Niguel, California, after suffering an attack in the home they shared.
Studied under Maria Ouspenskaya
Known for her assertive, tough-edged dames in Warner Bros. potboilers, her lady characters did everything from running a lumber camp and operating a fleet of buses to running medical missions overseas.
Head of Theatre Authority for 24 years.
Accepted as a teenager for dramatic training at Eva Le Gallienne's Civic Repertory Theatre company.

In my time, when an actress reached 30 and passed that so-called sexually desired age, that was it. Unless you were Joan Crawford or Greta Garbo. Older women have more opportunities now.

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