Rod La Rocque

Roderick Ross La Rocque was born on November 29, 1898, in Chicago, Illinois, to Edmund La Rocque and Ann (née Rice) La Rocque. His father was of French-Canadian descent and his mother was of Irish descent. La Rocque went on to build a career as an American actor across stage and film, with Broadway appearances spanning from 1920 to 1932.

La Rocque's introduction to performance came at an unusually early age, as he began appearing in stock theater at seven years old. As a teenager in Chicago, he secured steady work at Essanay Studios, continuing there until the studios closed. He subsequently relocated to New York City, where he pursued stage work. His Broadway credits during this period include the plays Anna Ascends and Domino. It was his work on the New York stage that brought him to the attention of Samuel Goldwyn, who brought him to Hollywood.

Over the following two decades, La Rocque established himself in films and successfully made the transition from silent pictures to sound. He retired from the film industry in 1941 and subsequently became a real estate broker. For his contributions to film, La Rocque received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1927, La Rocque married Hungarian actress Vilma Bánky in a wedding that was widely publicized at the time. The marriage lasted until his death on October 15, 1969. The couple had no children.