A good-looking, pleasant leading man of mostly light Hollywood films, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers broke into films at the urging of his father, who had submitted his son's photograph to a talent search. As one of 20 selected to screen test and undergo a six-month training course, he made his film debut in "Fascinating Youth" (1926). The following year was particularly historic for him as he played opposite future wife Mary Pickford in "My Best Girl" and acted in one of the most famous silent films, the first Oscar-winning Best Picture, "Wings". In the latter, Rogers portrayed one of two All-American boys (in love with the same girl--Clara Bow) who enlist in the army air corps during WWI. Renowned for its combat flying sequences, the film introduced him to sophomore director William Wellman, tapped for his exposure to aerial warfare as a member of the Layfayette Escadrille Flying Corps, and the two worked together again on another flying picture, "Young Eagles" (1930).With his narrow range but pleasant charm, Rogers headlined a series of undistinguished films at Paramount, including being cast as the Jewish boy in "Abie's Irish Rose" (1929). In 1931, he asked to be let out of his contract with the studio...

A good-looking, pleasant leading man of mostly light Hollywood films, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers broke into films at the urging of his father, who had submitted his son's photograph to a talent search. As one of 20 selected to screen test and undergo a six-month training course, he made his film debut in "Fascinating Youth" (1926). The following year was particularly historic for him as he played opposite future wife Mary Pickford in "My Best Girl" and acted in one of the most famous silent films, the first Oscar-winning Best Picture, "Wings". In the latter, Rogers portrayed one of two All-American boys (in love with the same girl--Clara Bow) who enlist in the army air corps during WWI. Renowned for its combat flying sequences, the film introduced him to sophomore director William Wellman, tapped for his exposure to aerial warfare as a member of the Layfayette Escadrille Flying Corps, and the two worked together again on another flying picture, "Young Eagles" (1930).

With his narrow range but pleasant charm, Rogers headlined a series of undistinguished films at Paramount, including being cast as the Jewish boy in "Abie's Irish Rose" (1929). In 1931, he asked to be let out of his contract with the studio and embarked on a second, minor career as an orchestra leader, forming a band with Johnny Green and Gene Krupa with Mary Martin and Marilyn Maxwell as vocalists. After nearly ten years of pursuing Pickford, he finally convinced her to marry him in 1937. In the early 40s, he replaced Donald Woods as the husband of Lupe Velez in three of the "Mexican Spitfire" movies before embarking on a career as a producer, which saw him oversee (along with Pickford) "Sleep, My Love" (1948), among other pictures. His last feature appearance came in "The Parson and the Outlaw" (1957), which he also produced.

DIRECTOR:

CAST: (feature film)