William Roerick

William George Roerick (December 17, 1912 – November 30, 1995) was an American actor. He is particularly associated with the stage, but also played in many films and TV productions. He was also a stage manager and writer. His name is sometimes given as William Roehrick.

Acting career

Roerick was born December 17, 1912 in Hoboken, New Jersey and was a classically trained actor.[1] He was graduated from Hamilton College in 1934[2] and was a student at the Stockbridge Playhouse drama school in 1935.[3] He made his Broadway debut that same year in Romeo and Juliet. He played on Broadway for 45 years, his last Broadway role being in Happy New Year in 1980.[4]

Roerick played Henry Chamberlain in the television soap opera Guiding Light for 15 years (1980–1995), only ending with his death.[1] He was nominated for an Emmy Award for best supporting actor for his work in the show, in 1991. Among his many other television and movie roles, two favorites were in Roger Corman's sci-fi thrillers Not of This Earth and The Wasp Woman.[5]

Writing, and personal life

Roerick wrote the family comedy play The Happiest Years, with Thomas Coley. The play was produced on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in 1949, featuring Peggy Wood. The New York Daily News was enthusiastic, as was the Albany Times Union ("Leaves a taste in the mouth like mint leaves. A hit and you can quote us.") but it wasn't a hit: it ran for eight performances, opening on April 25 of 1949 and closing on April 30, but was popular for a while for summer stock and amateur productions.[5][6][7][3]

Roerick summered for many years at his home called The Lost Farm in Tyringham, Massachusetts, an old farmhouse on a 90-acre plot that he restored from dilapidation, but which remained without electricity or plumbing. He played summer stock at the Stockbridge Playhouse, and was visited by theatre friends – Shirley Booth and Lynn Bari helped rehabilitate The Lost Farm; visitors included Peggy Wood, Mady Christians, Eleanor Steber, and Samuel Barber, and Roerick hosted parties for the Stockbridge Playhouse troupe.[3]

In 1943, Roerick met author E. M. Forster while touring in Britain with This Is The Army,[8] an Irving Berlin show raising money for emergency relief. The two became friends and Forster stayed with Roerick at The Lost Farm. Forster was quite happy there and dedicated his last book, Two Cheers for Democracy to "William Roerick and 'The Lost Farm' in Tyringham, Massachusetts". Roerick later wrote a memoir essay of this time, Forster in America, and (with Thomas Coley) the play Passage to E. M. Forster, which remains unpublished but has been occasionally presented.[5][3][9][10][11]

Roerick, who was gay,[12] lived both in New York City and at The Lost Farm with his lover and longtime collaborator, fellow actor and writer Thomas Coley. In addition to their two plays, they wrote television scripts together.[3]

Roerick died on November 30, 1995 in an automobile accident, either in Tyringham[1] or the adjacent town of Monterey, Massachusetts.[5]

Appearances

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Touring and out-of-town

Film

Television

Works
  • Roerick, William (1969). "Forster in America". In Stallybrass, Oliver (ed.). Aspects of E.M. Forster. Hodder & Stoughton Educational. pp. 61–72. ISBN 978-0713154351.[5][21][22]
  • Coley, Thomas; Roerick, William (1949). The Happiest Years. ISBN 9780573609930. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  • Coley, Thomas; Roerick, William. Passage to E. M. Forster.
  • Roerick, with Thomas Coley, wrote scripts for TV shows including Mama, Crime Photographer, Claudia, The Billy Rose Show and The Kate Smith Show[3]

References
  1. "William Roerick; Veteran Actor (obituary)". Los Angeles Times. December 6, 1995. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. "William Roerick". Hollywood.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  3. Milton R. Bass (July 17, 1952). "The Lively Arts". The Berkshire Eagle. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  4. Willis, John (2000). Theatre World 1995-1996, Vol. 52. Applause Books. p. 250. ISBN 978-1557833228. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  5. Associated Press (December 7, 1995). "William Roerick, Stage Actor, 82 (obituary)". New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  6. "The Happiest Years". Playbill. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  7. "Happiest Years, The". Samuel French. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  8. Sarker, Sunil Kumar (2007). A Companion to E.M. Forster. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 85. ISBN 978-8126907502. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  9. Moffat, Wendy (2010). E. M. Forster: A New Life. London: Bloomsbury. p. 468. ISBN 978-0747598435. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  10. "History of Berkshire Theatre Festival – 1970". Berkshire Theatre Group. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  11. "---". (Warren Township, New Jersey) Echoes-Sentinel. March 11, 1971. p. 47. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  12. Forster, E. M.; Moffat, Wendy. ""So Much Generosity and Affection": Some Newly-Discovered Letters of E. M. Forster". Modern Language Studies. 33 (1/2): 6–23. doi:10.2307/3195305. JSTOR 3195305.
  13. "William Roerick". IBDb (Internet Broadway Database). Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  14. "91 Years of World-Class Theatre & Talent". The Cape Playhouse. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  15. Markland Taylor (November 19, 1967). "Look – Before You Lose a Fortune!". Salt Lake Tribune. p. 135. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  16. Leider, Emily W. (2012). Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood. University of California Press. p. 351. ISBN 978-0520274501. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  17. "William Roerick". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  18. "A Lovely Way to Die". TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  19. Williams, Tony (2014). Larry Cohen: The Radical Allegories of an Independent Filmmaker (2nd (revised) ed.). McFarland. p. 345. ISBN 978-0786479696. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  20. "William Roerick". TV.com. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  21. "Entry 2137 – Mount Lebanon / Two Cheers for Democracy". Shakerpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  22. "Aspects of E.M. Forster (product description)". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
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