Roger Pryor (actor)

Roger Pryor
File:Anita Louise, Roger Pryor-Glamour for Sale, 1940-Promo1.jpg Still with Roger Pryor and Anita Louise in Glamour for Sale (1940)
Born	(1901-08-27)August 27, 1901 New York City, U.S.
Died	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1930–1945
Spouse(s)	Priscilla Mitchell (1928–1936) (1 daughter) Ann Sothern (1936-1943) (divorced)

Roger Pryor (August 27, 1901 – January 31, 1974) was an American film actor.

Early years

The son of bandmaster Arthur Pryor, Roger Pryor was born in New York City, New York. He had a brother, Arthur Pryor Jr., who was also a bandmaster.

Pryor attended the Dwight School in New York. While there, he became so interested in performing on stage that "he and the school parted company by mutual consent."

Stage

Pryor's debut on stage came in stock theater when he was 18, after which he worked with several repertory theatre companies. His Broadway credits include The Backslapper (1925), The Sea Woman (1925), Paid (1925), Saturday's Children (1927), The Royal Family (1927), See Naples and Die (1929), Apron Strings (1930), Up Pops the Devil (1930), A Modern Virgin (1931), Here Goes the Bride (1931), Blessed Event (1932), There's Always Juliet (1932), and Message for Margaret (1947).

Film

Pryor often had leading roles in B movies in the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1930 and 1945.

Radio

Pryor was host of "a number of prestigious network programs," including The United States Steel Hour, The Pause That Refreshes,, The Coca-Cola Summer Show and The Screen Guild Theater.

He starred as Dan McGarry in McGarry and His Mouse and was the producer of Cavalcade of America. He also had his own music program, featuring the Roger Pryor Orchestra.

Advertising agency

In 1947, Pryor changed careers, becoming vice president in charge of broadcasting at Foote, Cone and Belding advertising agency.

Family

Pryor was married to Priscilla Mitchell, the daughter of vaudeville star Bessie Clayton. They had one daughter. He also was married to actress Ann Sothern (1936-1942)

Death

Pryor died January 31, 1974, in Puerta Valarta, Mexico.

Selected filmography

• Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)
• Lady by Choice (1934)
• Dinky (1935)
• 1,000 Dollars a Minute (1935)
• The Headline Woman (1935)
• Straight from the Heart (1935)
• Case of the Missing Man (1935)
• To Beat the Band (1935)
• Sitting on the Moon (1936)
• The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936)
• Missing Girls (1936)
• The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
• The Man with Nine Lives (1940)
• Glamour for Sale (1940)
• The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)
• A Fugitive from Justice (1940)
• Gambling Daughters (1941)
• So's Your Aunt Emma (1942)
• Smart Alecks (1942)
• I Live on Danger (1942)
• Scared Stiff (1945)
• Identity Unknown (1945)
• The Kid Sister (1945)
• High Powered (1945)
• The Cisco Kid Returns (1945)

External links

• Roger Pryor at the Internet Movie Database

• DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2. P. 221.
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• Katz, Ephraim (1979). The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume. Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-50601-2. P. 936.
• Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). The World Almanac Who's Who of Film. World Almanac. ISBN 0-88687-308-8. P. 346.
• Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 79.
• Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 122.
• Staff. "Miss Bessie Clayton, Retired Ballerina", The New York Times, July 17, 1948, p. 15. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Andrew Allison, former wife of Roger Pryor, movie actor and band leader, and a granddaughter, Priscilla Mitchell Pryor, with whom she lived at West Long Branch."
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