Willis Robards

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Willis Robards
Born
Willis Lewis Robards

1873
U.S.
DiedNovember 3, 1921
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Burial placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Other namesWalter Edwards
OccupationActor

Willis Lewis Robards (1873–1921) also known as Walter Edwards, was an American actor, film director, and film producer.[1][2] He acted in stage, and in cinema during the silent film era. He is known for his work on the films When Shadows Fall (1916), Mothers of Men (1917), and The Three Musketeers (1921).

Biography[edit]

Robards worked for the St. Louis Motion Picture Company in Santa Paula in Ventura County, California.[3][2] He served as the producer for the animated series, Mutt and Jeff.[2] During the production of the silent film Mothers of Men (1917), he created the film production company, Robards Film Company of Santa Cruz, California.[4] He served as the manager of the Robard Players,[1] and O.E. Goebel's Rainbow Players.[5]

He married Grace Rosetta Maud Blake, and together they had three children,[3] including actor Willis Robards Jr. (also known as Willis Robards III; 1912–1984). Robards died of a heart attack on November 3, 1921, in Hollywood, California,[6][3] and is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Filmography[edit]

Director[edit]

Actor[edit]

Writer[edit]

  • Night Shadows (1916), a two-reel western[11][12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Dramatic Mirror of Motion Pictures and the Stage. Dramatic Mirror Company. 1917. p. 23.
  2. ^ a b c Justice, Fred C.; Smith, Tom R. (1914). Who's Who in the Film World: Being Biographies with Photographic Reproductions of Prominent Men and Women who Through Their Genius and Untiring Energy Have Contributed So Greatly Toward the Upbuilding of the Moving Picture Industry. Film World Publishing Company. p. 168.
  3. ^ a b c "Former Santa Paulan Passes Away in L.A." Ventura Free Press. November 11, 1921. Retrieved 2023-05-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Fleming, E. J. (2013-11-08). Wallace Reid: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Idol. McFarland. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7864-7725-8.
  5. ^ Moving Picture World and View Photographer. World Photographic Publishing Company. 1915. p. 1334.
  6. ^ "Willis L. Robards, Movie Actor Dies". The San Francisco Examiner. November 5, 1921. Retrieved 2023-05-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Langman, Larry (2015-07-11). The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996. McFarland. p. 295. ISBN 978-1-4766-0925-6.
  8. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (2014-01-10). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 274. ISBN 978-0-7864-8610-6.
  9. ^ "McLean's Next". Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World. Dramatic Mirror Incorporated. 1921. p. 1015.
  10. ^ Canadian Moving Picture Digest. Vol. 13. 1921. p. 22.
  11. ^ Motography. Vol. XVI. 1916. p. 890.
  12. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries Part 1B, Group 2. Library of Congress Copyright Office. 1916. p. 1140.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

External links[edit]