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Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts

Birthday: 1871-02-02 | Place of Birth: Albany, New York, USA

"Big Joe" Roberts, as he was known in vaudeville, toured the country with his first wife, Lillian Stuart Roberts as part of a rowdy act known as Roberts, Hays, and Roberts. Their signature routine was called "The Cowboy, the Swell and the Lady." At this time, in the first decade of the twentieth century, Buster Keaton's father, Joe Keaton, had started a summer Actors' Colony for vaudevillians between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake in Michigan. Roberts became acquainted with the Keaton family as a member of this community. When Buster Keaton's film apprenticeship years with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle came to an end, and Keaton began making his own shorts in 1920, he asked Roberts to join him. Roberts' hefty 6'3" frame, usually playing a menacing heavy or authority figure, made a striking and amusing contrast to the thin, 5'6" Keaton. IMDB shows that Roberts made only two films without Keaton. He played the role of "Roaring Bill" Rivers in 1922's The Primitive Lover starring Constance Talmadge—Keaton's sister-in-law—and the silent film actor Harrison Ford; and a drill master in the Clyde Cook comedy The Misfit,[4] released in March 1924, after Roberts' death. When Keaton began making feature films in 1923, he apparently intended to continue working with Roberts. Roberts had roles in Keaton's Three Ages and Our Hospitality (both 1923). During the filming of the second feature, Roberts had a stroke but insisted on returning to the set to finish the film. After completion, Roberts suffered another stroke and died shortly afterwards.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1923
Our Hospitality

as    Joseph Canfield

1922
The Electric House

as    Millionaire

1922
The Paleface

as    The Indian Chief

1921
The Play House

as    Actor / Stage Manager (uncredited)

1921
The Haunted House

as    Bank Cashier

1921
The High Sign

as    Leader of Buzzards

1921
The Goat

as    Police Chief

1920
Neighbors

as    Her Father (uncredited)

1920
One Week

as    Piano Mover (uncredited)