Madeleine Robinson (1916 - 2004)

Actress. She is best remembered for her films “Une Si Jolie Petit Plage” (1949), “L’Invité du Mardi” (1950), “Dieu a Besoin des Hommes” (1950), “Le Garçon Sauvage” (1951), “Les Possédées” (1956), “Le Procés” (1962), “Une Histoire Simple” (1978), “Siete Días de Enero” (1979), “Camille Claudel” (1988) and “L’Ours en Peluche” (1994). In 2001 she was […]

Kathleen Eileen Hooker Robinson (1922 - 1958)

Actress.  Born Eileen Hooker, she won the first Miss Nampa beauty pageant in 1938 and the 1938 Miss Idaho contest (part of a national Miss USA competition), and was runner-up to Miss Idaho the following year in 1939. In the middle 1940s, she was signed to a dancing contract by Darryl F. Zanuck, then vice […]

Frances Robinson (1916 - 1971)

Actress. American motion picture figure who appeared in many films of the 1930s through the 1970s. Appeared with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland in the 1944 comedy “Lady in the Dark.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Parents:  James Arad Ladd (1879 – 1925)  Alice Ellen Grime Ladd (1883 – 1974)  Sibling:  Clyde W. Ladd […]

Joan Roberts (1917 - 2012)

Actress. She will be best remembered for her origination of the part of Laurey in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s long-running Broadway production of “Oklahoma!” (1943 to 1948). Her acting roots professionally began at the age of five with a part in the “Our Gang” film series. Her association with Rodgers and Hammerstein began with the musical […]

Florence Roberts (1861 - 1940)

American film actress. Roberts is best known for playing roles of little old ladies and motherly figures. She appeared in the films, “Young As You Feel” (1940), “On Their Own” (1940), “Quick Millions” (1939), “Down On The Farm” (1938), “Every Saturday Night” (1936), “Public Opinion” (1935), “Hoopla” (1933), “Everything’s Rosie” (1931), “The Eyes of The […]

Edith Roberts (1901 - 1935)

American Silent Film Actress.  A petite (5 ft. 105 lb.) brunette, Edith Josephine Roberts made her performing debut in vaudeville at age six.  She entered motion pictures as an extra, appearing in comedies with the Nestor, Ince and Christie companies. She joined Universal Pictures in the 1914, and spent a decade there. Films she either […]

Denise Lynne Roberts (1961 - 2003)

Actress. She appeared in the films “Stepmonster” (1993), “Body Of Influence” (1993), “Anything That Moves” (1992), “Love Is Like That” (1992), and “Other People’s Money” (1991). She also made television guest appearances on “Renegade” and “Melrose Place.” Also a Hollywood stuntwoman, she did stunts for many films such as “Star Trek: Insurrection” (1998), “The Hunted” […]

Lotus Robb (1893 - 1969)

Actress. Starred in the film “A Star Is Born”, played the park of Mrs. Markham.  (bio by: Laurie)  Family links:  Parents:  Idell Lorraine Buchanan Robb (1870 – 1938)

Amina Rizk (1913 - 2003)

Actress. Rizk who was born in Egypt on April 10, 1913, was considered an Egyptian film icon. She appeared in the films, “Ard El Ahlam” (1993), “The Water-Carrier Is Dead” (1977), “Kandil Om Hashem” (1968), “Love In The Shadows” (1953), “Angels In Hell” (1947), “The Hand Of God” (1946), “Les Miserables” (1944), “Who Is The […]

Marika Rivera (1919 - 2010)

Dancer, Actress. Following a successful ballet and stage career she earned praise in British movies. Raised in Paris, she was the child of noted Mexican painter Diego Rivera and one of his mistresses, Russian artist Marevna Vorobieff. Rivera never officially claimed her as his daughter, and when he abandoned his family in 1921 Marevna was […]

Dorothy Fay Southworth Ritter (1915 - 2003)

Actress. A native of Prescott, Arizona, she was born Dorothy Fay on April 4, 1915. She was married to cowboy actor and singer, Tex Ritter from June 14, 1941, until his death on January 2, 1974, with whom she had 2 children. Between 1938 and 1941 she appeared in many films including ‘B’ movies with […]

Adele Ritchie (1874 - 1930)

American stage actress. Divorced from actor Guy Bates Post. Ritchie was the aggressor in a bizarre murder-suicide. Her victim was a friend and fellow supporter of a local legitimate theater. When Ritchie discovered that her friend was planning to replace her as manager of the theater, she shot her, and then killed herself.  Family links: […]

Victoria Risk (1915 - 1992)

Stage, motion picture, and television actress. She appeared in the 1950s era TV series “Dragnet.” The 1970s series “Apple’s Way” and the 1973 motion picture “A Reflection of Fear” are also among her credits. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Parents:  Wolf A. Risk (1885 – 1948)  Mareena Risk (1894 – 1930)  Sibling:  Victoria Risk […]

Michelle Risi (1981 - 1997)

Actress. She appeared in the films, “Mr. Headmistress” (1998), “54” (1998), and “Nothing To Good For A Cowboy” (1998. She also appeared in the role of ‘Becca’ in the television series, “Goosebumps” in an episode called “Teacher’s Pet.” A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, she passed away from meningitis at the age of 16. (bio […]

Elizabeth Risdon (1887 - 1958)

Actress.  Born in London,  she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her silent screen debut in 1913.  Small,  curvy and versatile,  Risdon was very popular with British audiences and in 1915 was voted England’s Favorite Movie Star.  In 1916 she married  George Loane Tucker,  the director of some of her best […]

Marjorie Riordan (1921 - 1984)

American motion picture actress of the 1940s and 50s. Appeared with actor Basil Rathbone in the 1945 Sherlock Holmes mystery “Pursuit To Algiers.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Allan Schlaff (1926 – 1972)* *Calculated relationship

Ita Tamara Djordjevic Rina (1907 - 1979)

Actress. Ostermayer company from Berlin noticed her in a contest for Miss 1926 and invited her to a screen test. Her moust popular film was “Erotikon” (1929). (bio by: Jelena)

Leni Riefenstahl (1902 - 2003)

Motion Picture Filmmaker. Born Helene Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl, she was an actress and dancer who became a film pioneer and one of the most controversial film directors in the 20th century.  Her parents, Alfred and Bertha Sherlach Riefenstahl, did not want her to become an actress, but she loved dancing, performing in Berlin, Munich, and […]

Suzanne Ridgeway (1918 - 1996)

Actress. She appeared in over 40 movies in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, including “Gone With the Wind”, “The Road To Morocco”, and “The Best Years Of Our Lives”. She also appeared in a number of Three Stooges shorts, including “Loose Loot” and “Tricky Dicks”. Upon her passing, she was cremated and her ashes were […]

Shirley Jean Rickert (1926 - 2009)

Child Actress. She played “Shirley Jean” in five of the “Our Gang” comedies from the early 1930s. Born to a stereotypical “stage mother”, she was pushed into acting as a youngster. After appearing in the “Our Gang” series, she left to join Mickey Rooney’s rival “Mickey McGuire” comedies, where she also acted in five episodes. […]

Rotraut Richter (1915 - 1947)

Actress. At age 16 she attended “die Staatliche Schauspielschule” (National Acting School) in Berlin. Her first stage role was in the play “Die Ratten” in Darmstadt in 1932. Spotted by director Joe May (see his memorial on this website), he hired her for the film “Das erste Recht des Kindes,” her film debut, but the […]

Natasha Jane Richardson (1963 - 2009)

British Actress. She is best remembered for her role of Sally Bowles in the Broadway musical “Cabaret” (1998) and as Elizabeth James in the movie “The Parent Trap” (1998). A member of the acting Redgrave family, she was born Natasha Jane Richardson, the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson, and niece of […]

Carmen Belén Richardson (1930 - 2012)

Puerto Rican Actress, Comedian. In a career that spanned 57 years, she was considered to be a pioneer of Puerto Rican television. When she was nine years old, she auditoned for, and won, a children’s role on a radio soap opera. In high school, she had the lead in the plays in which she participated. […]

Billie Mae Dinsmore Richards (1921 - 2010)

Actress. Known primarily for voice characterizations, she shall be remembered as the title lead in the 1964 television special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Raised in Toronto, she was dancing by age two and at five was appearing in a revue titled “The Merry Makers”. During World War II she joined the Royal Canadian Navy and […]

Ann Richards (1917 - 2006)

Actress.  Shirley Ann Richards was born to an American father and a New Zealand mother and educated in Australia.  Her acting career began at the Sydney Players Club when her amateur talent was recognized by Cimesound Productions.  In 1937 she was given a role in noted Australian producer and director Ken Hall’s film, “It Isn’t […]

Viola Richard (1904 - 1973)

Actress. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada,  she was a vivacious leading lady in several Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase comedies of the 1920s. They include “Why Girls Love Sailors”, “Sailors Beware”,  “Do Detectives Think?”,  “Flying Elephants”,  “Leave ‘Em Laughing”,  “Should Married Men Go Home?”,  “Dumb Daddies”,  and “Limousine Love”.  Richard left films when talkies […]

Lillian Rich (1900 - 1954)

Actress. Rich played in a number of Jack Hoxie Westerns before she found her way into a DeMille picture and from there went to play society women. Actress in 66 films from 1919 to 1940 including: “The Man From Wyoming” (silent), “Ship of Souls” (silent), “Once a Lady,” “Riptide,” “Dangerous Intrigue,” and “Dr. Kildare’s Crisis.” […]

Irene Rich (1891 - 1988)

Actress. Born Irene Luther in Buffalo, New York, she had a successful career as a real estate agent and two failed marriages behind her when she broke into films as an extra in 1918. Her bedroom eyes and mature, patrician beauty made her a natural to play worldly women in scores of silent-era tearjerkers, and […]

Rosemary Rice (1925 - 2012)

Actress. Fondly remembered for playing Katrin in the long-running TV series “Mama” (also sometimes referred to as “I Remember Mama”, 1949 to 1956). Raised in North New Jersey, with the proximity of New York City minutes away where the abundance of opportunities for parts on radio awaited, Rosemary launched her career in entertainment while a […]

Renie Riano (1899 - 1971)

Actress. She appeared in many films including, “Three On A Couch” (1966), “Pajama Party” (1964), “Clipped Wings” (1953), “Jiggs And Maggie In Court” (1948), “Anchors Aweigh” (1945), “Whispering Ghosts” (1942), “Affectionately Yours” (1941), “Bachelor Mother” (1939), “Women Are Like That” (1938) and “Tovarich” (1937). Also appeared on television programs, “The Partridge Family” (1970-1974), “Mayberry R.F.D.” […]