Pernell Roberts - Early Life

Early Life

Roberts was born in 1928 in Waycross, Georgia, the only child of Pernell Elven Roberts, Sr. (1907–1980), a Dr Pepper salesman, and Minnie (Betty) Myrtle Morgan Roberts (1910–1988). During his high school years, Pernell played the horn, acted in school and church plays and sang in local USO shows. He attended, but did not graduate from, Georgia Tech. While serving for two years in the United States Marine Corps, he played the tuba and horn in the Marine Corps Band, although he was also skilled in the sousaphone and percussion (New York Times, January 26, 2010). He later attended, but also without graduating, the University of Maryland, where he had his first exposure to acting in classical theater. He appeared in four productions while a student, including Othello and Antigone, but left school to act in summer stock.

In 1949, he made his professional stage debut with Moss Hart and Kitty Carlisle in The Man Who Came to Dinner, at the Olney Theatre in Olney, Maryland.

"He spent eight weeks at the Bryn Mawr College Theater in Philadelphia, portraying Dan in Emlyn Williams "Night Must Fall," and Alfred Doolittle in Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" (Washington Post Sept. 24, 1950 Page L2).

Roberts moved to Washington D.C. in 1950, supporting himself in a variety of jobs while performing with the Arena Stage Theater for two years. Here, he performed in numerous productions, including Steinbeck's Burning Bright, The Adding Machine, The Firebrand, The Deletable Judge, The Taming of the Shrew ("Petruchio"), Playboy of the Western World, Children of Darkness, School for Wives, The Inspector General, The Glass Menagerie, Mr. Arcularis, Twelfth Night, The Scarecrow, The Importance of Being Earnest, Julius Caesar, She Stoops to Conquer, School for Scandal, Three Men on a Horse, Faith of Our Fathers (Sesquicentennial Amphitheatre) and Dark of the Moon.

He performed with the Port Players, in Milwaukee,in the comedy "To Dorothy a Son," and other productions. "Roberts again is master of all situations, as he as been in the 9 previous productions of the season,"(Players Give Comedy Well, Christopher Matthew, The Milwaukee Journal, 1953).

He performed with the Brattle Theater's production of Othello and Henry IV, Part I, which was later brought to the New York City Center (Playbill, January 1957) and later, Guys and Dolls with the Cohassett Music Circus (Youngstown Vindicator, "Pernel Roberts Set To Portray Surgeon in New Comedy Drama, Adrian Slifka, June 19, 1979, Pg.16).

In 1952 he relocated to New York City, where he appeared first off-Broadway in one-act operas and ballets with the North American Lyric Theater, with the Shakespearewrights, at the Equity Library Theater, and later on Broadway with performances in Tonight in Samarkand (also in Washington D.C,) The Lovers opposite Joanne Woodward, and A Clearing in the Woods with Robert Culp and Kim Stanley. He won a Drama Desk Award in 1955 for his performance in an off-Broadway rendition of Macbeth, which was followed by the role of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. He performed in Twelfth Night, Merchant of Venice, Dr. Faustus, The Taming of the Shrew at the American Shakespeare Festival, and later on Broadway. He performed in St. Joan (1954, Cleveland), "Down in the Valley (at the Provincetown Playhouse), The Duchess of Malfi," "Measure for Measure," and "King John. .

In 1956, he returned to the Olney Theater, starring opposite Jan Farrand in, "Much Ado About Nothing, with the "Players, Inc. Group (Big Season On For Shakespeare by Richard L. Coe, The Washington Post and Times Herald; July 8, 1956, pg, H3).

The same year, Roberts made his television debut in the "Shadow of Suspicion" episode of Kraft Television Theater, followed by guest- starring roles in Whirlybirds, Gunsmoke, Cimarron City, Sugarfoot and Cheyenne (IMDB).

He signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1957 and made his film debut a year later as one of Burl Ives' contentious sons in Desire Under the Elms (1958). The film was nominated for a Best Cinematography Academy Award. He also landed character roles in such features as The Sheepman.

He continued to guest star on television shows such as, episodes of Shirley Temple Storybook Theater (The Emperor's New Clothes, Rumplestiltskin, The Sleeping Beauty, and Hiawatha), the live-broadcast Matinee Theater, where he starred in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and in The Heart's Desire. This was followed by appearances in Trackdown, Buckskin, and episodes of Zane Grey Theater. Roberts guest-starred as Captain Jacques Chavez on the NBC adventure series Northwest Passage (1958), based on the life of Major Robert Rogers in the French and Indian War. He appeared with fellow guest star Fay Spain in the 1958 episode "Pick up the Gun" of Tombstone Territory and played the lead villain in the 31st episode ("Hey Boy's Revenge") of Have Gun - Will Travel, portraying a killer boss exploiter of Chinese Coolie laborers (Bonanza Dcanary.com/Pernell). The episode drew critical acclaim for shedding some light on the contribution of indentured Chinese workers in building the U.S. west (InMemorium.com/Pernell Roberts).

(In 1959 Roberts guest starred in episodes of General Electric Theater, Cimarron City, Sugarfoot, Lawman, One Step Beyond, Bronco, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Detectives, "House Call." (Bonanza Dcanary.com/Pernell).

Also in 1959, he co-starred with James Coburn in the film Ride Lonesome. "If Roberts felt typecast by Westerns, they also provided his finest role in this film, arguably the greatest of the B-movies, starring Randolph Scott and directed by Budd Boetticher. Roberts recognised the film's classic structure; his engaging outlaw, Sam Boone, counterpoints Scott's granite-faced Ben Brigade, maintaining the tension of whether they will work together or clash. He similarly played off James Coburn, who was making his film debut as Boone's quiet sidekick, Whit." (Independent.Co.U.K.news.February 1, 2010).

The same year he was cast in Bonanza.