Rita La Roy (born Ina La Roi Stuart; October 2, 1901 – February 18, 1993) was an American actress and dancer, beginning her career in 1929, and having her last significant role in 1940.
Rita La Roy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) La Roy in The Mandarin Mystery (1936) | |
| Born | Ina La Roi Stuart October 2, 1901 Bonners Ferry, Idaho, U.S. |
| Died | February 18, 1993 (aged 91) Chula Vista, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1929–1951 |
| Spouse |
Ben Hershfield
(m. 1931; div. 1933) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editLa Roy appeared in over 50 films, the best known of which was Blonde Venus, which starred Marlene Dietrich. After her acting career, she had a school for models in Hollywood.[1]
Early life
editWhile the studio publicity machine claimed she had been born in Paris, France, she was actually born in the small town of Bonners Ferry, Idaho in 1901.[2] Her early years saw her work as both a dress designer and a stock company actress,[3] before moving onto vaudeville, where she became a dancer.
Performing on the Pantages and Orpheum theater circuits, she was known for erotic acts, which included dances such as the "frog dance", the "peacock dance" and the "cobra dance" in which her feet and legs were tied together under a stylized snakeskin so that she danced by undulating her torso.[4]
Film career
editIn 1929, she made her film debut in The Delightful Rogue, starring opposite matinee idol Rod La Rocque.[5]
Over the next several years, working as part of the RKO Radio Pictures stable, she appeared in both starring and supporting roles. While her final significant role was in the 1940 comedy-mystery Hold That Woman!, she had several small roles during the 1940s, including in such films as Sergeant York and You're My Everything.[5]
Post-film life
editAfter retiring from film, for the most part, in the early 1940s, she ran the Rita La Roy Modeling School and Agency. She later wrote and produced her own shows for the local television station in Los Angeles, KTLA. For one of those programs she won an Emmy in 1948. She died of pneumonia in Chula Vista, California in 1993, aged 91.[4]
Filmography
edit| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masquerade | 1929 | Girl | |
| The Love Trap | 1929 | Mary Harrington | |
| The Delightful Rogue | 1929 | Nydra | |
| Dynamite | 1929 | Good Mixer | Uncredited |
| Lilies of the Field | 1930 | Florette | |
| Lovin' the Ladies | 1930 | Louise Endicott | |
| Midnight Mystery | 1930 | Madeline Austen | |
| Conspiracy | 1930 | Nita Strong | |
| Leathernecking | 1930 | Fortune Teller | |
| Check and Double Check | 1930 | Elinor Crawford | |
| Sin Takes a Holiday | 1930 | Grace Lawrence | |
| Playthings of Hollywood | 1930 | Virginia King | |
| A Holy Terror | 1931 | Kitty Carroll | |
| Traveling Husbands | 1931 | Daisy | |
| The Gay Diplomat | 1931 | Natalie | |
| Left Over Ladies | 1931 | Vera Lane | |
| The Yellow Ticket | 1931 | Fania Rubinstein | |
| The Secret Witness | 1931 | Mrs. Sylvia Folsom | Uncredited |
| Amateur Daddy | 1932 | Lottie Pelgram | |
| So Big | 1932 | Paula Storm | Uncredited |
| While Paris Sleeps | 1932 | Fifi | |
| Sinners in the Sun | 1932 | Lil | |
| Hollywood Speaks | 1932 | Millie Coreen | |
| Bachelor's Affairs | 1932 | Sonya Denton | |
| The Honor of the Press | 1932 | Daisy Tellem | |
| Blonde Venus | 1932 | Taxi Belle Hooper | |
| Hot Saturday | 1932 | Camille | |
| From Hell to Heaven | 1933 | Elsie Ruby | |
| I've Got Your Number | 1934 | Sassy Call Girl | Uncredited |
| Whirlpool | 1934 | Thelma | |
| One Is Guilty | 1934 | Lola Deveroux | |
| Name the Woman | 1934 | Marie Denton | |
| Fugitive Lady | 1934 | Sylvia Brooks | |
| After Office Hours | 1935 | Branch's Society Girlfriend | Uncredited |
| Hollywood Boulevard | 1936 | Nella | |
| The Mandarin Mystery | 1936 | Martha Kirk | |
| Lady from Nowhere | 1936 | Mabel Donner | |
| Find the Witness | 1937 | Rita Calmette | |
| King of Gamblers | 1937 | Woman at table | Uncredited |
| The Hit Parade | 1937 | Woman ex-convict | Uncredited |
| Mountain Music | 1937 | Mrs. Hamilton B. Lovelace | |
| Flight from Glory | 1937 | Molly | |
| Dangerous to Know | 1938 | Mrs. Barnett | Uncredited |
| Condemned Women | 1938 | Cora | |
| Border G-Man | 1938 | Mrs. Rita Browning | |
| Smashing the Rackets | 1938 | Reluctant Witness | Uncredited |
| Fixer Dugan | 1939 | Patricia 'Pat' O'Connell | |
| Hold That Woman! | 1940 | Lulu Driscoll | |
| Sergeant York | 1941 | Saloon Girl | Uncredited |
| Hangmen Also Die! | 1943 | Girl | Uncredited |
| You're My Everything | 1949 | Fashion Editor | Uncredited |
References
edit- ^ Hopper, Hedda (April 5, 1946). "Hollywood". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 45. Retrieved August 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rita La Roy profile". 123 Movies TV. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ^ "Rita La Roy: Biography". MSN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Rita La Roy; Actress, Model Agency Owner". LA Times. February 23, 1993. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Rita La Roy". AFI. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
External links
edit