Highly rare vintage inscribed black fountain pen signature on a 4x5-inch light green album page, acquired in-person in the 1940s. In good condition, with a minor tear to the upper left-hand corner tip, repaired on the verso with tape, and slight trimming to the edges. Note that the image of the star shown here alongside the scan of the autograph is not included. Prolific, authoritative character actor Roy Roberts racked up over 900 film, T.V. and stage credits in a career spanning four decades. In the 1940s and 1950s, he starred in a number of of noir classics, including Force of Evil (1948), He Walked by Night (1948), Nightmare Alley (1947), Borderline (1950), and The Enforcer (1951), and, in 1953, he was unforgettable as Vincent Price's crooked business partner and first victim in the horror classic House of Wax. He is, however, best remembered for his extensive work on television throughout the 1960s, cast in recurring roles like bank president Mr. Cheever on "The Lucy Show" (1962-1968), bank president John Cushing on "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962-1963), railroad president Norman Curtis on "Petticoat Junction" (1963-1970), Darrin's father Frank Stephens on "Bewitched" (1964-1972), banker Harry Bodkin on "Gunsmoke" (1952-1961), banker George Bristol on "Bonanza" (1959-1973), and Admiral Rogers on "McHale's Navy" (1962-1966). One of his final roles was that of Mayor Bagby in the neo-noir Chinatown (1974).

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