Theodore Roberts

Biography

Born to the salty legacy of a sea captain, Theodore Roberts embarked on his own dramatic voyage, making his stage debut in 1880. This veteran performer, affectionately dubbed the 'Grand Duke of Hollywood,' forged an indelible partnership with Cecil B. DeMille, gracing the screen in 23 of the director's films. Yet, it is his commanding portrayal of Moses in DeMille's monumental 1923 epic, The Ten Commandments, that cemented his place in cinematic history. Despite being a widely celebrated and beloved figure—a fact underscored by the nearly 2,000 attendees at his Westlake Park funeral following his death from uremic poisoning—Roberts harbored a profound bitterness towards his immediate relatives. This deep-seated resentment manifested in his will: he bypassed his closer kin, instead bequeathing his substantial estate, valued at nearly $20,000 and including a $10,000 yacht, to a nephew, a commercial illustrator residing in New York. Roberts candidly stated that during his life's most trying times, not one family member offered a word of sympathy or any form of help. As a final, more personal gesture, several of his belongings were entrusted to his friends, William C. de Mille and his brother Cecil. His solitary dying wish was to be laid to rest alongside his beloved wife, Florence Smythe, who had passed away in 1925.