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Line 1: {{Short description\|American actor (1902–1969)}} {{Use mdy dates\|date=April 2016}}▼ {{Use American English\|date=May 2022}} ▲{{Use mdy dates\|date=~~April~~May ~~2016~~2022}} {{Infobox person \| name = Roy Barcroft \| image = Roy Barcroft in Stagecoach to Denver (1946).jpg \|~~imagesize~~ image_size = \| caption = ~~Roy~~ Barcroft in ''[[~~Haunted~~Stagecoach ~~Harbor~~to Denver]]'' (1946) \| birth_name = Howard Harold Ravenscroft \| birth_date = {{~~birth~~Birth date\|1902\|909\|707\|mf=yes}} \| birth_place = [[Crab Orchard, Nebraska]], U.S.<ref>{{cite book\|title=Exploring Nebraska Highways: Trip Trivia\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjRdGsXE_joC&pg=PA238\|year=2007\|publisher=Exploring America's Highway\|isbn=978-0-9744358-7-9\|page=238}}</ref> \| death_date = {{~~death~~Death date and age\|1969\|11\|28\|1902\|909\|707\|mf=yes}} \| death_place = [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles]], California, U.S. \|~~othername~~ other_names = Big Roy, Roy Bancroft, Howard Clifford Ravenscroft, Roy Barcroft▼ ~~\|death_cause = Kidney cancer~~ \| occupation = Actor ▲\|othername = Big Roy, Roy Bancroft, Howard Clifford Ravenscroft \| years_active = 1937–1969 ~~\|occupation = Film, stage, television actor~~ \| spouse = {{marriage\|Vera Thompson\|1932}} ~~\|yearsactive = 1937–1969~~ \| website =▼ ~~\|spouse = Hortense Flanagan (1930)<br />Vera Thompson (1932-1969) (his death)~~ ▲\|website = }} '''Roy Barcroft''' (born '''Howard Harold Ravenscroft''';<ref>{{cite web\|title=Roy Barcroft Biography (1902-1969)\|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/54/Roy-Barcroft.html\|website=Film Reference\|access-date=27 September 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927210453/http://www.filmreference.com/film/54/Roy-Barcroft.html\|archive-date=27 September 2017}}</ref> September 7, 1902 – November 28, 1969) was an American [[character actor]] famous for playing villains in [[Western (genre)\|B-Westerns]] and other genres. From 1937 to 1957, he appeared in more than 300 films for [[Republic Pictures]].<ref name="az">{{cite book\|last1=Varner\|first1=Paul\|title=The A to Z of Westerns in Cinema\|date=2009\|publisher=Scarecrow Press\|isbn=9780810870512\|pages=16–17\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xdf8t-Vs3e4C&q=%22Howard+Harold+Ravenscroft%22&pg=PA16\|access-date=27 September 2017\|language=en}}</ref> [[Film critic]] [[Leonard Maltin]] acclaimed Barcroft as "Republic Pictures' number one bad guy".<ref name=Maltin>{{cite video \| people= [[Leonard Maltin]] \|date=December 2005 \|title= The Adventures of Spin and Marty \|medium= DVD \|publisher=[[Walt Disney Treasures]]}}</ref> '''Roy Barcroft''' (September 7, 1902 – November 28, 1969) was an American [[character actor]] famous for playing villains in [[Western (genre)\|B-Westerns]] and other genres. Noted [[film critic]] [[Leonard Maltin]] acclaimed Barcroft as "[[Republic Pictures]]' number one bad guy".<ref name=Maltin>{{cite video \| people= [[Leonard Maltin]] \|date=December 2005 \|title= The Adventures of Spin and Marty \|medium= DVD \|publisher=[[Walt Disney Treasures]]}}</ref> ==Background== Barcroft was born ~~'''Howard Harold Ravenscroft'''<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/54/Roy-Barcroft.html Roy Barcroft Biography (1902-1969)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>~~ to a farming family in [[Crab Orchard, Nebraska]], in 1902. In 1917, at the age of 15, he joined the [[United States Army]] during [[World War I]]<ref name="bkf">{{cite book\|last1=Boggs\|first1=Johnny D.\|title=Billy the Kid on Film, 1911-2012\|date=2013\|publisher=McFarland\|isbn=9780786465552\|page=161\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSGXAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Howard+Harold+Ravenscroft%22&pg=PA161\|access-date=27 September 2017\|language=en}}</ref> to fight in France, where he was wounded in action. After leaving the military, he drifted through several jobs (including [[ranch hand]], [[roughneck]], [[Gandy dancer\|railroad worker]] and [[Sailor\|seaman]]) before reenlisting and being stationed in [[Hawaii]]. After leaving the Army for the second time, he played clarinet and saxophone for dance bands around Chicago until he and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1929.<ref name="eafs">{{cite book\|last1=Mayer\|first1=Geoff\|title=Encyclopedia of American Film Serials\|date=2017\|publisher=McFarland\|isbn=9781476627199\|pages=43-44\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCgSDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA43&dq=%22Howard+Harold+Ravenscroft%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV0Ky1gMXUAhWJx4MKHRTrBjIQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=%22Howard%20Harold%20Ravenscroft%22&f=false\|accessdate=17 June 2017\|language=en}}</ref> After leaving the Army for the second time, he played clarinet and saxophone for dance bands around Chicago until he and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1929.<ref name="eafs">{{cite book\|last1=Mayer\|first1=Geoff\|title=Encyclopedia of American Film Serials\|date=2017\|publisher=McFarland\|isbn=9781476627199\|pages=43–44\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCgSDgAAQBAJ&q=%22Howard+Harold+Ravenscroft%22&pg=PA43\|access-date=June 17, 2017}}</ref> ==Career== In 1929, he moved to [[California]] and worked as an extra and as a salesman. He was discovered while acting in an amateur theatre production, (a hobby which he took up to improve his speaking voice as a salesman). ~~and~~He ~~cast~~appeared in the [[Serial (film)\|~~serial]]~~film ~~''[[S.O.S. Coast Guard~~serials]]~~'' (which followed his appearances in~~ ''Flash Gordon'' (1936) ~~and~~, ''The President's Mystery'' (1936)), and ''[[S.O.S. Coast Guard]]''.<ref name=eafs/> He worked for many different studios in the years that followed until 1943, when he signed an exclusive 10-year contract with [[Republic Pictures\|Republic]]. Under this contract, he starred in almost 150 films and film serials, becoming instantly recognized as the villain to the audiences of the day. His career slowed with the decline of B-Westerns, but he found work in television and B-~~Movies~~movies during the 1950s and 1960s. ~~Between~~From ~~1955~~1954 ~~and~~to ~~1957~~1956, heBarcroft ~~became~~appeared ~~familiar~~in todifferent aroles ~~new~~in ~~generation~~eight episodes of ~~youthful~~the ~~audiences,~~[[Broadcast ~~not~~syndication\|syndicated]] aswestern aseries ~~villain~~''[[Annie ~~but~~Oakley (TV series)\|Annie Oakley]]''. He also played the bit role of the marshal in the 1955 film adaptation of ''[[Oklahoma! (1955 film)\|Oklahoma!]]''. That same year he appeared as "the Marshal in the western movie ''[[The Spoilers (1955 film)\|The Spoilers]]''. Between 1955 and 1957 he played Col. Jim Logan", the kindly owner of the Triple-R Boys' Ranch, in the ~~hit television serials~~serial ''[[Spin and Marty]]'', seen on ~~[[Walt Disney]]~~television's ~~celebrated~~ ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club\|Mickey Mouse Club]]''. A DVD version of the 1955 season, [[Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Five#The Adventures of Spin & Marty (The Mickey Mouse Club)\|''The Adventures of Spin & Marty'']], was released in 2005 as part of the ''[[Walt Disney Treasures]]'' series. In 1960, he played the role of “George Farr” (a hired killer) on James Arness's TV Western Series ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' in the episode “Say Uncle” (S4 E4), again in its 1964 offering “Once A Haggen” as “Pop” (S9E18), in 1965’s “Circus Trick” as “Roy” (S10 E20) & as “Jonas” in 1967’s “The Returning” (S12 E22). From 1954 to 1956, Barcroft appeared in different roles in eight episodes of the [[Broadcast syndication\|syndicated]] western series ''[[Annie Oakley (TV series)\|Annie Oakley]]'', starring [[Gail Davis]] and [[Brad Johnson (television actor)\|Brad Johnson]]. He also played the bit role of the marshal in the 1955 film adaptation of ''[[Oklahoma! (1955 film)\|Oklahoma!]]''. In 1961 on “Have Gun Will Travel” he played Shep Montrose in the episode “The Long Weekend (S4 E29). He had previously played the vengeful John Griffin in S1 E28 "The Killer's Widow" which aired 3/21/1958. On May 23, 1961, Barcroft played Doc Longley in the episode "Badge of the Outsider" on the television western series ''[[Laramie (TV series)\|Laramie]]'', playing a retired outlaw framed for the murder of the deputy sheriff in Laramie. He appeared in a 1961 episode, "Heat Wave," of the adventure drama series ''[[Straightaway (TV series)\|Straightaway]]''. On May 23, 1961, Barcroft played Doc Longley in the episode "Badge of the Outsider" on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Laramie (TV series)\|Laramie]]'' western series. Longley is an aging outlaw who wants to live his last years in peace in his hometown of [[Laramie, Wyoming\|Laramie]], [[Wyoming]]. A gang member frames Longley for the murder of the deputy sheriff in Laramie. Longley claims most of the wanted posters seeking him are based on falsehood, and he asks series character Slim Sherman ([[John Smith (actor)\|John Smith]]) for help. Then he claims harm will come to Slim's partner, Jess Harper ([[Robert Fuller (actor)\|Robert Fuller]]), if Slim refuses to comply. Longley surrenders to authorities, but a judge claims Longley must "prove his innocence" in the case. Longley's gang springs him from jail when the hearing goes against him, but the gang is interested in Longley's money, not Longley's own fate. [[Paul Fix]] also appears in this episode. In the film-focused newspaper ''[[Classic Images]]'', Laura Wagner wrote that Barcroft's work as a voice actor is often overlooked. She commented, "Barcroft can be heard in movies and on TV as narrators, radio operators, announcers, and various stray voices."<ref name="ci" /> Barcroft was cast in the 1967 episode "Halo for a Badman" of the [[Television syndication\|syndicated]] western series, ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', as the [[mayor]] of [[Las Animas, Colorado\|Las Animas]], [[Colorado]]. He hires an ex-convict, Porter Stockman, played by series host [[Robert Taylor (actor)\|Robert Taylor]], to stand up to an outlaw gang which has robbed every gold shipment coming into town. The Internet Movie Data Base records 365 roles throughout his career, including the syndicated ''[[Sheriff of Cochise]]'' with [[John Bromfield]], the [[CBS]] military sitcom/drama ''[[Hennesey]]'', starring [[Jackie Cooper]], and NBC's ''[[National Velvet (TV series)\|National Velvet]]'', ''[[Riverboat (TV series)\|Riverboat]]'', and ''[[Empire (1962 TV series)\|Empire]]''. In marked contrast to his villainous movie persona, Barcroft off-screen "had a reputation as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood," said [[Leonard Maltin]] in 2005.<ref name=Maltin /> ==Personal life== Barcroft married Vera Thompson in 1932, and they had two children.<ref name="ci">{{cite journal\|last1=Wagner\|first1=Laura\|title=Roy Barcroft: King of the Badmen\|journal=Classic Images\|date=August 2017\|issue=506\|pages=30–31}}</ref> ~~Barcroft had a wife, Vera, and a child.<ref name=eafs/>~~ ==Death== Barcroft died of kidney cancer<ref name=bkf/> at the [[Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital\|Motion Picture Country Hospital]] in 1969. His body was donated to medical science.<ref name=ci/> ==Selected filmography== {{Div col\|colwidth=30em}} * ''[[The Frontiersmen]]'' (1938) * ''[[Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars]]'' (1938, Serial) - Martian Soldier [Ch. 2] (uncredited) * ''[[Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe]]'' (1940, Serial) - Ming's Soldier [Ch 6, 10–12] / Arborian Sentry [Ch 6] (uncredited) * ''[[Man from Texas (1939 film)\|Man from Texas]]'' (1939) * ''[[Crashing Thru (1939 film)\|Crashing Thru]]'' (1939) * ''[[Trailing Double Trouble]]'' (1940) * ''[[The Bandit Trail]]'' (1941) * ''[[The Lone Rider in Cheyenne]]'' (1942) * ''[[Hoppy Serves a Writ]]'' (1943) * ''[[Canyon City (1943 film)\|Canyon City]]'' (1943) * ''[[Sheriff of Sundown]]'' (1944) * ''[[Call of the South Seas]]'' (1944) Line 51 ⟶ 61: * ''[[Along the Navajo Trail (film)\|Along the Navajo Trail]]'' (1945) * ''[[The Purple Monster Strikes]]'' (1945) * ''[[Sunset in El Dorado]]'' (1945) * ''[[Oregon Trail Scouts]]'' (1947) * ''[[Vigilantes of Boomtown]]'' (1947) * ''[[The Wild Frontier (film)\|The Wild Frontier]]'' (1947) * ''[[Wyoming (1947 film)\|Wyoming]]'' (1947) * ''[[The Bold Frontiersman]]'' (1948) * ''[[The Far Frontier]]'' (1948) * ''[[Oklahoma Badlands]]'' (1948) * ''[[Renegades of Sonora]]'' (1948) * ''[[Train to Alcatraz]]'' (1948) * ''[[Frontier Investigator]]'' (1949) * ''[[The Dakota Kid]]'' (1951) * ''[[Radar Men from the Moon]]'' (1953; Commando Cody/Rocketman series) Line 57 ⟶ 77: * ''[[Man Without a Star]]'' (1955) * ''[[Oklahoma! (1955 film)\|Oklahoma!]]'' (1955) * ''[[The Spoilers (1955 film)\|The Spoilers]]'' (1955) * ''[[Band of Angels]]'' (1957) as Gillespie ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' (Episode "SKY", 1959) - Ma Torvet ''[[Bandolero!]]'' (1968) * ''[[Monte Walsh (1970 film)\|Monte Walsh]]'' (1970) {{div col end}} {{Portal\|Biography~~\|Nebraska~~\|California\|Theatre\|Film\|Television~~\|United States Army\|World War I~~}} ==Television== {\| class="wikitable" \|- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes \|- \|1961\|\| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)\|Rawhide]]'' \|\| Casey \|\| S4:E4, "Judgement at Hondo Seco" \|- \|1962\|\| ''[[Gunsmoke (TV series)\|Gunsmoke]]'' \|\| Cotter\|\| S8:E19, “Cotter’s Girl" \|- \|1963\|\| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)\|Rawhide]]'' \|\| Sanders \|\| S5:E18, "Incident of the Mountain Man" \|- \|1963\|\| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)\|Rawhide]]'' \|\| Cliff Stanton \|\| S5:E30, "Incident at Alkali Sink" \|- \|1963\|\| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)\|Rawhide]]'' \|\| Sheriff \|\| S6:E10, "Incident at Confidence Creek" \|- \|1965\|\| ''[[Rawhide (TV series)\|Rawhide]]'' \|\| Adams \|\| S8:E4, "Walk into Terror" \|} ==References== Line 65 ⟶ 110: ==Further reading== * ''Roy Barcroft, King of the Badmen'' by [[Bobby J. Copeland]], Biography, {{ISBN\|0-944019-32-3}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name\|0054117}}▼ * {{~~Amg~~IMDb name~~\|3676~~}} * {{AllMovie name}} ▲* {{~~IMDb~~TCMDb name\|~~0054117~~9707}} * [http://www.b-westerns.com/villainb.htm Roy Barcroft at B-Westerns] * [http://www.dougmacaulay.com/kingspud/sel_by_actor_index_2.php?actor_first=Roy&actor_last=Barcroft Roy Barcroft, Great Character Actor] * [https://ia804705.us.archive.org/3/items/serial-pictorial-8-roy-barcroft-republics-favorite-villain/Serial%20Pictorial%20%238-Roy%20Barcroft_Republic%27s%20Favorite%20Villain.pdf Serial Pictorial Number Eight: ''Roy Barcroft - Republic's Favorite Villain''] * {{Find a Grave\|5977}} {{Authority control}} Line 79 ⟶ 126: [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:~~American~~United ~~military~~States Army personnel of World War I]] [[Category:American male stage actors]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:Male Western (genre) film actors]] [[Category:Male film serial actors]] [[Category:Deaths from kidney cancer in the United States]] [[Category:Male actors from Nebraska]] [[Category:People from Johnson County, Nebraska]] [[Category:Military personnel from Nebraska]] [[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]