Rosita Díaz Gimeno (1911 - 1986)

Motion Picture and Stage Actress. She worked in Hollywood with Fox and Paramount in 1930’s, appearing in “Angelina o el Honor de un Brigadier” (1935), “Rosa de Francia” (1935) and “Vida Bohemia” (1938). He returned to Spain and become one of the most important actresses of the cinema of Second Spanish Republic. She was forced […]

Rosita Yarza (1922 - 1996)

Noted Spanish Stage and Screen Actress. She began her career in 1939 with the film “El Rey que Rabió.” She also appeared in “Malvaloca” (1942), “Mariona Rebull” (1947), “¿Dónde vas Triste de ti?” (1960), “Las Últimas Horas” (1965) and “La Otra Orilla.” She was married to actor José María Seoane. (bio by: José L Bernabé […]

Rosl Mayr (1895 - 1981)

Actress. She played ‘Frau Gmeinwieser’ in the German TV-Series “Polizeiinspektion 1.” (bio by: JSesto)

Ross “David Seville” Bagdasarian Sr. (1919 - 1972)

Singer, Songwriter. He was perhaps most famous for creating “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, providing the voices of some of the chipmunks and of ‘David Seville’ (sometimes his pseudonym). He was also a prolific composer who wrote many famous songs throughout the years. (bio by: wonderbrat)

Ross Alexander (1907 - 1937)

Actor. Born Alexander Ross Smith, he appeared in the theater and in motion pictures in the 1920s and 1930s. Married for a time to actress Anne Nagel. He committed suicide, shooting himself with a .22 caliber pistol.  Family links:  Parents:  Alexander Ross Smith (1879 – 1966)  Maud Adelle Cohen Smith (1877 – 1954)  Spouses:  Aleta […]

Ross Elliott (1917 - 1999)

Ross Elliott (June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in Orson Welles’ famed radio program, The War of the Worlds. Throughout his career, Ross Elliott appeared in more than 100 television programs, including the recurring role […]

Ross Hagen (1938 - 2011)

Actor. Born Leland Lando Lilly in Williams, Arizona, his rugged looks led to him being typecast in tough-guy roles throughout his career. Hagen was introduced to TV audiences in a 1966 episode of the series “The Big Valley”, and from that point on he appeared in countless programs which included “The Fugitive”, “The Virginian”, “The […]

Ross Martin (1920 - 1981)

Ross Martin Born Martin Rosenblatt in Grodek, Poland, Ross emigrated to New York when he was only a few months old. He spent his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and spoke only Yiddish, Polish and Russian before adding English at the age of five. He later became fluent in French, Spanish, and […]

Ross Shaw Sterling, Sr (1875 - 1949)

Texas Governor, Businessman. A farmer until 1896, he owned several businesses during his lifetime. He donated his home in LaPorte, Texas to the Houston Optimist Club in memory of his son, Ross, Sterling, Jr. who passed away in 1924. The home became a boys camp. Sour Lake, Texas was the site of his feed store […]

Ross Youngs (1897 - 1927)

Ross Youngs reported to spring training in Marlin, Texas with the Giants in 1917. They initially assigned him to the Rochester Hustlers, a team in the International League with which the Giants had a working relationship. Giants manager John McGraw told Mickey Doolan, the manager of the Hustlers, “I’m giving you one of the greatest […]

Rossano Brazzi (1916 - 1994)

Brazzi was born in Bologna to Adelmo and Maria (née Ghedini) Brazzi. He attended San Marco University[citation needed] in Florence, Italy, where he was raised from the age of four. He made his film debut in 1939.  He was propelled to international fame with his role in the English-language film Three Coins in the Fountain […]

Rossella Falk (1926 - 2013)

Italian Actress. Born in Rome as Rosa Antonia Falzacappa, Falk graduated at the Accademia d’Arte Drammatica in May 1948, a few months after having been awarded best new actress at the World Youth Festival in Prague. In a few years she established herself as one of the more talented and requested Italian stage actress.[1] In […]

Roswell Martin Field (1807 - 1869)

Dred Scott’s lawyer, father of famous author and poet Eugene Field. Field was admitted to the bar by the time he was 18. He served at state’s attorney for his country from 1832 to 1835. Fields came to St. Louis in 1839 & after several difficult years, his fortune changed in 1853 when he became […]

Roswell Martin Field (1807 - 1869)

Dred Scott’s lawyer, father of famous author and poet Eugene Field. Field was admitted to the bar by the time he was 18. He served at state’s attorney for his country from 1832 to 1835. Fields came to St. Louis in 1839 & after several difficult years, his fortune changed in 1853 when he became […]

Rosy Varte (1923 - 2012)

Actress. A comedic specialist with hundreds of appearances on the French stage and screen over a 60 year career, she shall probably be remembered for her award-winning eight year run on the Antenne 2 series “MaGuy”. Born Nevarte Manouelian to Armenian parents, she was raised in Paris from infancy though little is recorded of her […]

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 […]

Rouben Mamoulian (1897 - 1987)

Mamoulian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia (ruled at that time by imperial Russia), to an Armenian family. His mother Virginia (née Kalantarian) was a director of the Armenian theater, and his father, Zachary Mamoulian, was a bank president. Mamoulian relocated to England and started directing plays in London in 1922. He was brought to America […]

Rowland Hussey Macy (1822 - 1877)

Businessman. He was the founder of the R.H. Macy and Company department store chain. Born into a Quaker family, his father worked as a shopkeeper. When he was 15 years old he worked on the whaling ship, the Emily Morgan, and had a red star tattooed on his forearm that would later become part of […]

Roxie Albertha Roker (1929 - 1995)

Roxie Roker (1929 - 1995)

Roxie Roker is known for her role as Helen Willis on The Jeffersons. She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She won an Obie Award in 1974 and was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger. She was […]

Roxwell Kent (1882 - 1971)

Rockwell Kent was born in Tarrytown, New York, the same year as fellow American artists George Bellows and Edward Hopper. Kent was of English descent. Kent lived much of his early life in and around New York City where he attended the Horace Mann School. In his mid-40s he moved to an Adirondack farmstead that […]

Roy “Judge” Bean (1970 - 1903)

Western Law Figure. Born in Mason County, Kentucky, during the Civil War, he ran a blockade by hauling cotton from San Antonio, Texas, to British ships off the coast. After the war, he established a small saloon near the Pecos River in a tent city he named Vinegaroon. With the nearest court being 200 miles […]

Roy Acuff (1903 - 1992)

Roy Acuff Roy Acuff was born in Maynardville, Tennessee to Ida (née Carr) and Simon E. Neill Acuff, the third of five children. The Acuffs were a fairly prominent Union County family. Roy’s paternal grandfather, Coram Acuff, had been a Tennessee state senator, and Roy’s maternal grandfather was a local physician. Roy’s father was an accomplished fiddler and a Baptist preacher, […]

Roy Albert DeMeo (1942 - 1983)

Organized Crime Figure. A member of the Gambino crime family, he was a loanshark, car thief, and killer who operated out of the Gemini Lounge in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Beginning in the mid 1970s, he started dealing drugs and retagging stolen automobiles, accompanied by several neighborhood youths. He then became perhaps […]

Roy August Fruehauf (1908 - 1965)

Businessman. Fruehauf was Chairman of the Board for the Fruehauf Trailer Corporation. He became chairman after his brother, Harvey Fruehauf retired. He helped produce semi-trailers equipped to ride railroad flatcars.  Family links:  Parents:  August Charles Fruehauf (1868 – 1930)  Sibling:  Harvey Fruehauf (1893 – 1968)*  Roy August Fruehauf (1908 – 1965) *Calculated relationship

Roy Barcroft (1902 - 1969)

Actor. Born in Crab Orchard, Nebraska, he was a popular character actor most noted for playing villains in B-Westerns and other genres. In 1943, he signed an exclusive 10-year contract with Republic Pictures and starred in over 150 films and serials, as one to most recognizable villains to the audiences of the day. His many […]

Roy Bean (1825 - 1903)

During the Civil War, the Confederate Army invaded New Mexico. At the Battle of Glorieta Pass in March 1862, however, the Confederates lost their supply wagons and were forced to retreat to San Antonio. After taking money from his brother’s safe, Roy Bean joined the retreating army. For the remainder of the war, he ran […]

Roy Black (1943 - 1991)

Singer. Born Gerd Höllerich in Bobingen, Germany, he was a popular German romantic ballad singer who also appeared in several musical films. He started in the pop music business at age 20 forming the group Roy Black & His Cannons in 1963. The group was signed a contract with Polydor Records, but the label wanted […]

Roy Bryant, Sr (1931 - 1994)

Crime Figure. Along with half-brother J.W. Milam, murdered 14 year old Emmett Till on August 28, 1955, in Money, Mississippi. The crime is noted as a pivotal event motivating the African-American Civil Rights Movement.  Family links:  Spouse:  Vera Jo Orman Bryant (1932 – 2012)

Roy Byford (1873 - 1939)

Actor. He was a prolific actor of both stage and screen. His theatrical career included Tours of the United States and Canada from 1928 to 1929 and again from 1931 until 1932, when he was part of the New Shakespeare Company. He also appeared in a large number of movies during the early years of […]