Name: Richard Cromwell
Date of Birth: 8 January 1910 With smooth, boyish good looks, Richard Cromwell had the makings of a Hollywood star while movies were in their initial talking stage. He fell far short of that goal, some of which was his own doing, and is hardly remembered today. The equivalent back then in fresh-faced, fair-haired appeal to 60s "Dr. Kildare" star 'Richard Chamberlain (I)' (qv), Cromwell enjoyed a similar overnight stardom and heartthrob status. By decade's end, however, his once meteoric career had pretty much crashed and bur... ned. Richard was born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh (nicknamed "Roy") in Long Beach, California on January 8, 1910, the second of five children to Ralph and Fay Radabaugh He lost his father early, a victim of the late 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic. Richard earnestly pitched morning newspapers as a boy to help out the family budget crisis. Artistically creative, he enrolled (on a scholarship) at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles in his teens and made do with part-time work as a maintenance man, custodian and soda jerk. His artwork, which tended to specialize in oil painting and mask-making, was impressive enough for him to be commissioned as an "artist to the stars" for a time. Film legends 'Anna Q. Nilsson' (qv), 'Colleen Moore', 'Tallulah Bankhead' (qv), 'Beatrice Lillie' (qv), 'Joan Crawford (I)' (qv) and the notoriously reclusive 'Greta Garbo' (qv) were among his illustrious clients. He soon was able to afford his own studio in Hollywood and was well on the way to becoming an artist of note when a long-smoldering desire to act got the best of him. Richard painted scenery for community theater productions as a way of getting his feet wet and eventually took on acting roles. He also did extra work on the film _King of Jazz (1930)_ (qv). As good fortune would have it, Richard was encouraged by friends to test for the title lead (amid scores of other actor unknowns) in the Columbia Studios production of _Tol'able David (1930)_ (qv), a remake of 'D.W. Griffith' (qv)'s classic 1921 film. With no previous professional experience, he won the part. Christened with a new marquee name (courtesy of Columbia mogul 'Harry Kohn' (qv)), the studio publicity machines worked overtime to promote both the film and their new untried lead. Richard lived up to all the hype once the reviews came out, giving a terrific debut performance in a very difficult role. As the rather weak-willed young boy who finds the strength and courage to right the injustice done to him, Richard hit overnight stardom, accompanied by scores of subsequent radio and personal appearances and culminating in a White House invitation by President Herbert Hoover. From thereon it was sensitive hero types for the new star, predominantly in melodramatic settings. Columbia kept their client busy with _Fifty Fathoms Deep (1931)_ (qv), _Shanghaied Love (1931)_ (qv) and _That's My Boy (1932)_ (qv). The best of the lot was co-starring opposite 'Marie Dressler' (qv) in _Emma (1932)_ (qv) as a young man who dies in a plane crash on his way to protect his beloved housekeeper who is accused of murdering his father. His best known film is the "Best Picture" nominee _The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)_ (qv) s in which he received co-starr billing alongside 'Gary Cooper (I)' (qv) and 'Franchot Tone (I)' (qv). Elsewhere were significant parts in _The Age of Consent (1932)_ (qv), _Tom Brown of Culver (1932)_ (qv) and _This Day and Age (1933)_ (qv). During his heyday, he appeared with a slew of Hollywood's most popular stars, including 'Janet Gaynor (I)' (qv), 'Clara Bow (I)' (qv), 'Jean Arthur (I)' (qv), 'W.C. Fields' (qv) and 'Will Rogers (I)' (qv). A constant yen for independence and change led Richard to other areas of entertainment for fulfillment. Veering away from films, he worked on radio soap operas and made his theatrical stage debut in 1936 with "So Proudly We Hail" which quickly went to Broadway. He received better reviews than the play itself, which was very short-lived. As a result, his momentum in films began to shift. Still, another daunting challenge was his lead role in a sequel (of sorts) to _All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)_ (qv) entitled _Road Back, The (1937), which chronicled the story of young German soldiers readjusting to civilian life after WWI. The film, however, was not well-received. After supporting turns as 'Henry Fonda' (qv)'s brother who kills a man in a duel of honor in _Jezebel (1938)_ (qv) (this film won 'Bette Davis' (qv) her second Oscar), and as a defendant in _Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)_ (qv), which again starred Fonda, Richard drifted into secondary features. In between he enjoyed an active social Hollywood life with friends that included 'Barbara Stanwyck' (qv), 'Joan Crawford (I)' (qv), 'Franchot Tone (I)' (qv), 'George Cukor' (qv), 'Cole Porter' (qv) and 'William Haines (I)' (qv). After filming _Baby Face Morgan (1942)_ (qv), he joined the Coast Guard in 1942 and served for two years. When he returned to civilian life, he did not seek out Hollywood, but settled comfortably into his art work -- ceramics and pottery, in particular. By chance he met promising young British actress 'Angela Lansbury' (qv) who was 16 years his junior and raking up Oscar nominations over at MGM with superb work in _Gaslight (1944)_ (qv) and _The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)_ (qv). The couple eloped in September of 1945 but the marriage was almost over before it began. They separated within a few months and divorced before the year was out. Unbeknownst to the outside world at the time, Richard's latent homosexuality was the undoing factor here. Cromwell and Lansbury would later continue a sincere, respectful friendship after the divorce. Cromwell never married again. After this tumultuous period, Richard decided to make another stab at films, all for naught. His "film output" would include a lone programmer -- _Bungalow 13 (1948)_ (qv) -- which fizzled quickly. He returned to his name of Roy Radabaugh and built an art studio on his property, becoming especially known and admired for his creative tile designs. Little was heard of Richard until it was announced that, at age 50, he had been cast in the film _The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)_ (qv) starring singer 'Jimmie Rodgers (I)' (qv). Richard was diagnosed with liver cancer shortly after and eventually was forced to withdraw from the production. 'Chill Wills' (qv) replaced him in the role. Richard died on October 11, 1960, and was interred in Santa Ana, CaliforniaRead more Richard Cromwell movies (actor)User Comments |
