Joseph Henry Roberts (February 2, 1871 – October 28, 1923) was an American comic actor who appeared in 16 of Buster Keaton's 19 silent short films of the 1920s.

Joe Roberts
Still from The Blacksmith (1922)
Born
Joseph Henry Roberts

(1871-02-02)February 2, 1871
DiedOctober 28, 1923(1923-10-28) (aged 52)
Roberts dragging Buster Keaton in a still from Neighbors (1920)

"Big Joe" Roberts, as he was known in vaudeville, toured the country with his first wife, Lillian Stuart Roberts, as part of a rowdy act known as Roberts, Hays, and Roberts. Their signature routine was "The Cowboy, the Swell and the Lady."[1] At this time, the first decade of the twentieth century, Buster Keaton's father, Joe Keaton, had a summer Actors' Colony for vaudevillians between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake in Michigan, where Roberts got to know the Keaton family.[2]

When Buster's apprenticeship with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle came to an end and Keaton began making his own short films in 1920, he asked Roberts to join him. The hefty 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) Roberts, usually playing a menacing heavy or authority figure, made an amusing contrast next to thin, 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) Keaton.

Roberts played "Roaring Bill" Rivers in 1922's The Primitive Lover starring Keaton's sister-in-law Constance Talmadge and silent film actor Harrison Ford. He also played a drill master in the Clyde Cook comedy The Misfit, released in March 1924, after Roberts' death.[citation needed]

When Keaton began making feature films in 1923, he apparently intended to keep working with Roberts. Roberts had roles in Keaton's Three Ages and Our Hospitality (both 1923). During the latter's filming, Roberts had a stroke but insisted on returning to the set to finish shooting. After completion, he suffered another stroke and died shortly thereafter, aged 52.

Filmography

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Film Year Character Ref
One Week 1920 Piano Mover (uncredited) Short
Convict 13 The Crazed Prisoner
The Scarecrow Farmhand (uncredited)
Neighbors Her Father (uncredited)
The Haunted House 1921 Bank Cashier
Hard Luck Lizard Lip Luke
The High Sign Leader of Buzzards (uncredited)
His Meal Ticket Organ Grinder
The Goat Police Chief
Who's Who
The Devilish Romeo
Little Lord Fauntleroy Buzz Saw Brannigan (uncredited)
The Play House Actor-Stage Manager (uncredited) Short
One Moment, Please
The Paleface 1922 The Indian Chief (uncredited)
Cops Police Chief (uncredited)
The Primitive Lover 'Roaring' Bill Rivers
My Wife's Relations Brother (uncredited) Short
The Blacksmith Blacksmith (uncredited)
The Frozen North The Driver
The Electric House Millionaire (uncredited)
Day Dreams The Mayor (uncredited)
The Love Nest 1923 Captain of the Whaler
Three Ages The Girl's Father
Our Hospitality Joseph Canfield
No Loafing Short
The Misfit 1924 The Drill Master

References

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