Matty Roubert

Biography

"Born in New York in 1907, Matthew Roubert embarked on a precocious career, gracing the silver screen as a child star from approximately 1910 to 1921. His father, William L. Roubert, actively championed \"Little Matty Roubert\" throughout these early silent screen adventures. His initial cinematic forays took him to the studios of Vitagraph and Biograph. Notably, he featured among the young cast of \"John Barleycorn\" (Bosworth, 1914), a production of actor Hobart Bosworth's Los Angeles-based film company, where his father served as general manager. Roubert also counted himself among the \"Powers Kids\" for Pat Powers' Powers Picture Plays company. A pivotal moment arrived with his starring turn as \"The Universal Boy\" for Carl Laemmle's Independent Motion Picture Company (IMP). By late 1915, with his father now holding the titles of Vice President and general manager at the fledgling Aurora Film Plays Corporation, Matty starred in \"The Waif\" (Aurora, 1915), a film notably directed by the elder Roubert himself. Around 1920, Matty honed his comedic timing in two-reel shorts for Reelcraft. Later that same year, Matty Roubert Productions, Inc. was established, again with his father's support, and promptly released \"Heritage\" (1920), a feature that, unsurprisingly, placed young Matty in the leading role. As the 1930s dawned, Roubert found the landscape of significant film roles shifting dramatically, with offers dwindling. His perpetually youthful appearance, a mop of curly hair, and his short stature likely contributed to this professional hurdle. Consequently, he became frequently typecast as newsboys, bellhops, messengers, or elevator operators. In his mid-twenties, he briefly revisited his former Universal home for an uncredited turn as a Culver Military Academy cadet in \"Tom Brown of Culver\" (Universal, 1932). The late 1930s marked a resourceful reinvention: Matty acquired skills in horsemanship and screen fisticuffs, transforming himself into a reliable B-western henchman and a stunt performer who frequently doubled for several of the era's shorter cowboy heroes. He forged a notable professional bond with Don 'Red' Barry, commencing with \"The Adventures of Red Ryder\" (Republic, 1940) serial. This collaboration extended to eleven subsequent Republic films starring Barry, along with three of his later productions for Lippert and Screen Guild. A January 1941 newspaper article captured Barry and Roubert in Abilene, Texas, midway through a promotional tour for the serial. The piece noted, \"... Barry and Matty Roubert, another western player, were en route east for personal appearances in Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania.\" Beyond his work with Barry, Matty's comparable stature to Bob Steele and Lash LaRue led him to double for both actors. His filmography includes nine Metropolitan, Republic, and PRC westerns alongside \"Battlin' Bob\" Steele, and five with Lash LaRue. His extensive western credits also encompass nine films with Eddie Dean, ten \"Durango Kid\" features opposite Charles Starrett, three with Gene Autry, and three with Roy Rogers. Earlier, he had also appeared in several late 1930s Universal westerns and serials featuring Johnny Mack Brown. Roubert served in the military during World War II, after which he continued to pursue uncredited roles in both film and television. He married Mary L. Bowman in Los Angeles in 1955 and passed away on May 17, 1973, in Honolulu, Hawaii."