Robert Broderick

Robert Broderick was an American actor whose career spanned both the Broadway stage and silent film. His theatrical work in New York ran from 1899 to 1908, and he later became a presence in early American cinema, working in light opera as well as dramatic roles.

On Broadway, Broderick appeared in a range of productions across nearly a decade. His musical credits included Fantana and Mlle. Mischief, while his dramatic work brought him roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, Alice of Old Vincennes, and To Have and to Hold. He also starred in Arizona during his stage career.

As his focus shifted toward film, Broderick worked with several production companies of the silent era, among them Kinemacolor, the Western Kalem Eastern Branch, the Famous Players Company, and the Dyreda Art Film Company, where he served as leading man. He also appeared in one film for Thanhouser, Jack the Giant Killer (1914), for which he served as both writer and actor.

His screen roles were varied in genre and scope. He played the title role in King Rene's Daughter (1913) and portrayed Henry Canby in Arizona (1913). In The Prince and the Pauper (1915) he took on the role of The King, and in Hit-the-Trail Holliday (1918) he appeared as Otto Wurst. His performance as Dr. Paracelsus in The Redemption of David Corson (1914) drew notice from The Billboard, which described the characterization as remarkably realistic. Other film credits include The Better Man (1914), The White Pearl (1915), Poor Schmaltz (1915), Arms and the Woman (1916), Youth (1917), Bridges Burned (1917), The Guardian (1917), Just for Tonight (1918), The Bishop's Emeralds (1919), The Rough Neck (1919), The Eternal Mother (1920), and Call of the Hills (1923).