Willis Robards Explained

Willis Robards
Other Names:	Walter Edwards
Birth Name:	Willis Lewis Robards
Birth Date:	1873
Birth Place:	U.S.
Death Date:	November 3, 1921
Death Place:	Hollywood, California, U.S.
Burial Place:	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupation:	Actor

Willis Lewis Robards (1873–1921) also known as Walter Edwards, was an American actor, film director, and film producer.^{[1] [2]} He acted in stage, and in cinema during the silent film era. He is known for his work on the films When Shadows Fall (1916), Mothers of Men (1917), and The Three Musketeers (1921).

Biography

Robards worked for the St. Louis Motion Picture Company in Santa Paula in Ventura County, California.^[3] He served as the producer for the animated series, Mutt and Jeff. During the production of the silent film Mothers of Men (1917), he created the film production company, Robards Film Company of Santa Cruz, California.^[4] He served as the manager of the Robard Players, and O.E. Goebel's Rainbow Players.^[5]

He married Grace Rosetta Maud Blake, and together they had three children, including actor Willis Robards Jr. (also known as Willis Robards III; 1912–1984). Robards died of a heart attack on November 3, 1921, in Hollywood, California,^[6] and is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Filmography

Director

• The Heart of a Cracksman (1913), director
• A Cracksman Santa Claus (1913), director
• Mothers of Men (1917), director
• Every Woman's Problem (1921)^[7]

Actor

• When Shadows Fall (1916)
• Desert Blossoms (1921) as Henry Ralston^[8]
• 'The Three Musketeers (1921 film) as Captain de Treville
• Passing Through (1921 film) as Silas Harkins^[9]
• Man to Man (1922 film) as Bill Royce^[10]

Writer

• Night Shadows (1916), a two-reel western^{[11] [12]}

See also

• St. Louis Motion Picture Company

Notes and References

1. Book: Dramatic Mirror of Motion Pictures and the Stage . 1917 . Dramatic Mirror Company . 23 . en.
2. Book: Justice, Fred C. . Who's Who in the Film World: Being Biographies with Photographic Reproductions of Prominent Men and Women who Through Their Genius and Untiring Energy Have Contributed So Greatly Toward the Upbuilding of the Moving Picture Industry . Smith . Tom R. . 1914 . Film World Publishing Company . 168 . en.
3. Web site: November 11, 1921 . Former Santa Paulan Passes Away in L.A. . 2023-05-02 . Ventura Free Press . Newspapers.com.
4. Book: Fleming, E. J. . Wallace Reid: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Idol . 2013-11-08 . McFarland . 978-0-7864-7725-8 . 104 . en.
5. Book: Moving Picture World and View Photographer . 1915 . World Photographic Publishing Company . 1334 . en.
6. Web site: November 5, 1921 . Willis L. Robards, Movie Actor Dies . 2023-05-02 . . Newspapers.com.
7. Book: Langman, Larry . The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996 . 2015-07-11 . McFarland . 978-1-4766-0925-6 . 295 . en.
8. Book: Solomon, Aubrey . The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography . 2014-01-10 . McFarland . 978-0-7864-8610-6 . 274 . en.
9. Book: Dramatic Mirror and Theatre World . 1921 . Dramatic Mirror Incorporated . 1015 . en . McLean's Next.
10. Book: Canadian Moving Picture Digest . 1921 . 13 . 22 . en.
11. Book: Motography . 1916 . XVI . 890 . en . 16.
12. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries Part 1B, Group 2 . 1916 . Library of Congress Copyright Office . 1140 . en.