Rita La Roy
| Rita La Roy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Ina La Roi Stuart October 2, 1901 Bonners Ferry, Idaho, USA |
| Died |
February 18, 1993 (aged 91) Chula Vista, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1929–1951 (acting) |
| Spouse(s) | Ben Hershfield (m. 1931; div. 1933) |
| Children | 1 |
Rita La Roy, born Ina La Roi Stuart in Idaho in 1901, was an American actress of the early talking picture era, beginning her career in 1929, and having her last significant role in 1940. She appeared in over 50 films, the best known of which was Blonde Venus, which starred Marlene Dietrich. After her acting career, she ran a modeling agency in Los Angeles, the Rita La Roy Modeling School and Agency. Also in the 1940s, she wrote and produced her own television show for KTLA in Los Angeles, for which she won an Emmy Award in 1948.
Early life
While 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.[1] Her early years saw her work as both a dress designer and a stock company actress,[2] 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."[3]
Film career
In 1929, she made her film debut in The Delightful Rogue, starring opposite matinee idol Rod La Rocque.[4] 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.[4]
Post-film life
After 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 Southern California in 1993.[3]
Filmography
| Film title | Year | Character |
|---|---|---|
| The Delightful Rogue | 1929 | Nydra |
| Masquerade | 1929 | Girl |
| Dynamite | 1929 | Good Mixer |
| Check and Double Check | 1930 | Elinor Crawford |
| Lilies of the Field | 1930 | Florette |
| Lovin' the Ladies | 1930 | Louise Endicott |
| Midnight Mystery | 1930 | Madeline Austen |
| Conspiracy | 1930 | Nita Strong |
| Sin Takes a Holiday | 1930 | Grace Lawrence |
| Leathernecking | 1930 | Fortune Teller |
| A Holy Terror | 1931 | Kitty Carroll |
| Traveling Husbands | 1931 | Daisy |
| Playthings of Hollywood | 1931 | |
| Leftover Ladies | 1931 | Vera Lane |
| The Gay Diplomat | 1931 | Natalie |
| The Yellow Ticket | 1931 | Fania Rubinstein |
| A Holy Terror | 1931 | Kitty Carroll |
| The Secret Witness | 1931 | Mrs. Sylvia Folsom |
| So Big | 1932 | Paula Storm |
| Hollywood Speaks | 1932 | Millie Coreen |
| Bachelor's Affairs | 1932 | Sonya Denton |
| The Honor of the Press | 1932 | Daisy Tellem |
| Amateur Daddy | 1932 | Lottie Pelgram |
| While Paris Sleeps | 1932 | Fifi |
| Hot Saturday | 1932 | Camille |
| Blonde Venus | 1932 | Taxi Belle Hooper |
| Sinners in the Sun | 1932 | Lil |
| Hollywood Speaks | 1932 | Millie Coreen |
| The Song of Songs | 1933 | |
| From Hell to Heaven | 1933 | Elsie |
| Name the Woman | 1934 | Marie Denton |
| Whirlpool | 1934 | Thelma |
| Fugitive Lady | 1934 | Sylvia Brooks |
| One Is Guilty | 1934 | Lola Deveroux |
| The Mandarin Mystery | 1936 | Martha Kirk |
| Hollywood Boulevard | 1936 | Nella |
| Lady from Nowhere | 1936 | Mabel |
| King of Gamblers | 1937 | Woman at table |
| Find the Witness | 1937 | Rita Calmette |
| Flight from Glory | 1937 | Molly |
| Mountain Music | 1937 | Mrs. Hamilton B. Lovelace |
| The Hit Parade | 1937 | Woman ex-convict |
| Dangerous to Know | 1938 | Mrs. Barnett |
| Border G-Man | 1938 | Mrs. Barnett |
| Condemned Women | 1938 | Cora |
| Fixer Dugan | 1939 | Patricia 'Pat' O'Connell |
| Hold That Woman! | 1940 | Lulu Driscoll |
| Sergeant York | 1941 | Saloon Girl |
References
- ↑ "Rita La Roy". 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.
- 1 2 "Rita La Roy; Actress, Model Agency Owner". LA Times. February 23, 1993. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- 1 2 "Rita La Roy". AFI. Retrieved August 2, 2014.