Charles “Buddy” Rogers

Handsome Charles “Buddy” Rogers as featured in the 1929 film RIVER OF ROMANCE. Rogers was born on August 13, 1904 in Olathe, Kansas. He studied at the University of Kansas where he became an active member of Phi Kappa Psi. At the University he played several instruments and conducted a jazz band. When his father submitted his son's photo to a film company talent search in 1925, Rogers was selected as a finalist. Soon he went to New York for training. Rogers starred in a couple of films before landing a major role in “Wings” (1927), opposite Clara Bow. The film, an epic for its time, featured sequences of dogfights and collisions shot from the air. The role positioned Rogers to get the part of Joe Grant in a light romantic comedy, “My Best Girl” (1927) -- where he met Mary Pickford. In the love scenes, it was plain to everyone that the two had chemistry. His good looks and charm earned Rogers the nickname, "America's Boyfriend." While he appeared in bit parts in many films his main ability was in writing and directing. He worked well with Stan Laurel and sort of directed eight of Laurel and Hardy's films but mainly let Stan do what he wanted. He was often to be found with Stan and other writers planning gags for upcoming films. People loved him in romantic comedies, but his acting career faltered when he was cast in second-rate films. Rogers turned back to music, and with Pickford's help he organized an orchestra, the California Cavaliers. The couple adopted two children—Roxanne and Ronald—and remained married for 42 years until Pickford's death in 1979. Rogers himself passed away 20 years later (on April 21, 1999) at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, , at the age of 94 of natural causes. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Rogers has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6135 Hollywood Blvd, which was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

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