Roy Barcroft(1902-1969)
- Actor
After serving in World War I, Roy Barcroft spent most of the 1920s and
early 1930s moving from job to job. It was in the 1930s, after he moved
to California with his wife, that he found his calling while acting in
amateur theatrical productions. In 1937 he was appearing in bit parts
in various genres, but by 1938 he was in westerns, where he became a
well-known (and memorable) "heavy". Roy would alternate among Monogram,
Universal, Columbia and other studios. In 1943, however, he signed an
exclusive ten-year contract with Republic Pictures and became the
convincing, and tireless, menace to all the good people in the West. He
also did more than sneer at the likes ofDon 'Red' Barry,
Bill Elliot,Sunset CarsonandAllan Lane.Roy acted inThe Fighting Seabees (1944),which starred
John Wayne.He was the Purple Martian inThe Purple Monster Strikes (1945)and Capt. Mephisto in
Manhunt of Mystery Island (1945),and who can forget his Retik, The Moon Menace. from the
classicRadar Men from the Moon (1952)?Roy even played the good-natured marshal inOklahoma! (1955).
It was westerns, though, that were his bread and butter, and he knocked
out a lot of them over the years.Outlaws of Cherokee Trail (1941),Riders of the Rio Grande (1943)andSun Valley Cyclone (1946)were but
a few of the "B" westerns Roy turned out. Off-screen, he was known as
one of the nicest, kindest and most helpful people anyone would want to
meet, with a terrific sense of humor. More than once, many a leading
hero type such as Barry or Elliot would find that their hairpieces
would mysteriously disappear before they were to put them on prior to
shooting. When the era of the "B" westerns started to fade out, Roy's
volume of work also slowed. He appeared in a handful of films, but his
movie career had stalled by the end of 1957. He moved into the small
screen with roles in TV westerns and also a recurring role in the
Walt Disneyproduction ofThe Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955).In the early 1960s he worked in a couple
of movies, but his resurgence began in the mid-'60s when he appeared in
low-budget films likeBilly the Kid Versus Dracula (1966).Roy would make some better films, such
asTexas Across the River (1966)andThe Reivers (1969).
