Alexander was born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn, New York,[1] the son of Maud Adelle (née Cohen) and Alexander Ross Smith.[2] His maternal great-grandfather Morris Cohen was a Polish Jewish immigrant. His father was a leather merchant.[citation needed]
Ross Alexander was born and raised in Brooklyn until his high school years. He attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn for a while until he and his family moved to upstate Rochester, New York. He attended high school there, but he dropped out before graduating.[3]
When he was 17, he went to New York City and studied acting at the Packard Theatrical Agency.[4]
StageEdit
Alexander began his acting career with the Henry Jewett Players in Boston, debuting in Enter Madame.[5] By 1926, he was regarded as a promising leading man with good looks and an easy and charming style and began appearing in more substantial roles.
His Broadway credits include The Party's Over (1932), Honeymoon (1932), The Stork Is Dead (1932), After Tomorrow (1931), That's Gratitude (1930), Let Us Be Gay (1928), The Ladder (1926), and Enter Madame (1920).[6]
In 1936, he starred in Hot Money. It was a defining role in his persona as a glamorous, well-dressed and dapper leading man, not in the usual Warner gangster mold of rough-hewn stars such as Edward G. Robinson or Paul Muni.
His final film Ready, Willing and Able, a Ruby Keeler musical, was released posthumously. Supposedly Ronald Reagan was signed by the studio as a replacement for Alexander due to remarked similarities in their radio voices and mannerisms.[8]
Personal lifeEdit
Alexander married actress Aleta Freel on February 28, 1934, in East Orange, New Jersey.[4] Freel committed suicide on December 7, 1935, shooting herself in the head with a .22 rifle.[9] On September 17, 1936, Alexander married actress Anne Nagel,[10] with whom he had appeared in the films China Clipper and Here Comes Carter (both 1936).[11]
DeathEdit
On January 2, 1937, three months after marrying Nagel, with his professional and personal life in disarray and deeply in debt, Alexander shot himself in the head in the barn behind his home. Although it has been reported that Alexander used the same rifle with which his first wife Aleta Freel killed herself,[12] he actually shot himself with a .22 pistol, not a rifle. He is buried in lot 292 of the Sunrise Slope section of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.[13]
^Frasier, David K. (2005). Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases. McFarland. pp. 9–10. ISBN9781476608075. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
^"Hundreds at Actor's Funeral". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Illinois, Edwardsville. January 9, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^Ross Alexander: The Life and Death of a Contract Player (2020) by John Franceschina.
^ abAllen, John R. Jr. "Ross Alexander". Classic Images. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
^"Signed for Films". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. November 4, 1931. p. 21. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^"("Ross Alexander" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
^Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 7–8. ISBN9781557835512. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
^Anger, Kenneth (1984). Hollywood Babylon II, Plume, New York, p. 215.
^"Alexander Ended Life As Film Fame Neared". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. Associated Press. January 4, 1937. p. 3. Retrieved June 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Ross Alexander: The Tragic Suicide of a Closeted 1930s Hollywood Star". Original Cinemaniac. December 28, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
^Donnelley, Paul (2005). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Omnibus Press. p. 38. ISBN1-84449-430-6.
^Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 14. ISBN978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
ross, alexander, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Ross Alexander news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ross Alexander born Alexander Ross Smith July 27 1907 January 2 1937 was an American stage and film actor Ross AlexanderRoss Alexander in the trailer for Shipmates Forever in 1935BornAlexander Ross Smith 1907 07 27 July 27 1907Brooklyn New York U S DiedJanuary 2 1937 1937 01 02 aged 29 Los Angeles California U S OccupationActorYears active1924 1937SpousesAleta Freel m 1934 her suicide 1935 wbr Anne Nagel m 1936 wbr Contents 1 Early years 2 Stage 3 Film 4 Personal life 5 Death 6 Filmography 7 References 8 External linksEarly years EditAlexander was born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn New York 1 the son of Maud Adelle nee Cohen and Alexander Ross Smith 2 His maternal great grandfather Morris Cohen was a Polish Jewish immigrant His father was a leather merchant citation needed Ross Alexander was born and raised in Brooklyn until his high school years He attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn for a while until he and his family moved to upstate Rochester New York He attended high school there but he dropped out before graduating 3 When he was 17 he went to New York City and studied acting at the Packard Theatrical Agency 4 Stage EditAlexander began his acting career with the Henry Jewett Players in Boston debuting in Enter Madame 5 By 1926 he was regarded as a promising leading man with good looks and an easy and charming style and began appearing in more substantial roles His Broadway credits include The Party s Over 1932 Honeymoon 1932 The Stork Is Dead 1932 After Tomorrow 1931 That s Gratitude 1930 Let Us Be Gay 1928 The Ladder 1926 and Enter Madame 1920 6 Film EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Ross Alexander news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Alexander was signed to a film contract by Paramount Pictures and his film debut in The Wiser Sex 7 1932 was not a success citation needed and so he returned to Broadway In 1934 he was signed to another studio contract this time by Warner Bros His bigger successes from this period were Flirtation Walk 1934 A Midsummer Night s Dream and Captain Blood both 1935 In 1936 he starred in Hot Money It was a defining role in his persona as a glamorous well dressed and dapper leading man not in the usual Warner gangster mold of rough hewn stars such as Edward G Robinson or Paul Muni His final film Ready Willing and Able a Ruby Keeler musical was released posthumously Supposedly Ronald Reagan was signed by the studio as a replacement for Alexander due to remarked similarities in their radio voices and mannerisms 8 Personal life EditAlexander married actress Aleta Freel on February 28 1934 in East Orange New Jersey 4 Freel committed suicide on December 7 1935 shooting herself in the head with a 22 rifle 9 On September 17 1936 Alexander married actress Anne Nagel 10 with whom he had appeared in the films China Clipper and Here Comes Carter both 1936 11 Death EditOn January 2 1937 three months after marrying Nagel with his professional and personal life in disarray and deeply in debt Alexander shot himself in the head in the barn behind his home Although it has been reported that Alexander used the same rifle with which his first wife Aleta Freel killed herself 12 he actually shot himself with a 22 pistol not a rifle He is buried in lot 292 of the Sunrise Slope section of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale California 13 Filmography EditYear Title Role Notes1932 The Wiser Sex Jimmy O Neill1934 Social Register Lester Trout1934 Gentlemen Are Born Tom Martin1934 Flirtation Walk Oskie1935 Maybe It s Love Rims O Neil1935 Going Highbrow Harley Marsh1935 We re in the Money C Richard Courtney aka Carter1935 A Midsummer Night s Dream Demetrius1935 Shipmates Forever Lafayette Sparks Brown1935 Captain Blood Jeremy Pitt1936 Boulder Dam Rusty Noonan1936 Brides Are Like That Bill McAllister1936 I Married a Doctor Erik Valborg1936 Hot Money Chick Randall1936 China Clipper Tom Collins1936 Here Comes Carter Kent Carter Alternative title The Voice of Scandal1937 Ready Willing and Able Barry Granville Released posthumouslyReferences Edit Frasier David K 2005 Suicide in the Entertainment Industry An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases McFarland pp 9 10 ISBN 9781476608075 Retrieved June 16 2017 Hundreds at Actor s Funeral The Edwardsville Intelligencer Illinois Edwardsville January 9 1937 p 3 Retrieved June 16 2017 via Newspapers com nbsp Ross Alexander The Life and Death of a Contract Player 2020 by John Franceschina a b Allen John R Jr Ross Alexander Classic Images Archived from the original on 7 July 2012 Retrieved 16 June 2017 Signed for Films The Brooklyn Daily Eagle New York Brooklyn November 4 1931 p 21 Retrieved June 16 2017 via Newspapers com nbsp Ross Alexander search results Playbill Vault Playbill Archived from the original on 16 June 2017 Retrieved 16 June 2017 Monush Barry 2003 Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors From the silent era to 1965 Hal Leonard Corporation pp 7 8 ISBN 9781557835512 Retrieved June 16 2017 Anger Kenneth 1984 Hollywood Babylon II Plume New York p 215 Milestones Time December 7 1935 Alexander Ended Life As Film Fame Neared The Brooklyn Daily Eagle New York Brooklyn Associated Press January 4 1937 p 3 Retrieved June 15 2017 via Newspapers com nbsp Ross Alexander The Tragic Suicide of a Closeted 1930s Hollywood Star Original Cinemaniac December 28 2020 Retrieved November 27 2021 Donnelley Paul 2005 Fade to Black A Book of Movie Obituaries Omnibus Press p 38 ISBN 1 84449 430 6 Wilson Scott August 19 2016 Resting Places The Burial Sites of More Than 14 000 Famous Persons 3d ed McFarland p 14 ISBN 978 1 4766 2599 7 Retrieved January 22 2021 External links EditRoss Alexander at AllMovie Ross Alexander at Find a Grave Ross Alexander at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp Ross Alexander at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ross Alexander amp oldid 1171337912, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
