Anders Randolf

Anders Randolf
Randolf in 1921
Born	(1870-12-18)December 18, 1870 Viborg, Denmark
Died	July 2, 1930(1930-07-02) (aged 59) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	Frederiksberg Cemetery, Copenhagen
Nationality	Danish American
Other names	Anders Randolph
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1913–1930
Spouse	Dorthea Jorgensen (m. ?–1930)

Anders Randolf (December 18, 1875 – July 2, 1930) was a Danish-American actor in American films from 1913 to 1930.^[1]

Anders Randolf was born in Viborg, Denmark on December 18, 1875.^[2] As a youth he attended a military academy, graduated Maitre d’Arms and served with the Royal Danish Hussars, earning a reputation as a world-class swordsman.^[3][4]

He emigrated to the United States in 1893^[5] and joined the U.S. Army, serving with the 17th US Infantry.^[6]

Harboring a lifelong passion for the theater, Rudolf performed with an acting troupe in Columbus, Ohio before joining a number of touring companies including William Farnum All-Star Company and the Vaughan Glaser Company. He co-starred in a highly regarded production of As You Like It (1599) opposite Henrietta Crosman.^[7]

In 1914, Anders Randolf began appearing in 1- or 2-reelers with the Vitagraph Studios stock company, and earned critical praise in his first feature film The Wheels of Justice (1915) in the role of Tug’ Riley, a convict. A reviewer in the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote: “Anders Randolf as Tug Riley is undoubtedly the most real in the excellent cast.”^[8]

Randolf continued working with Vitagraph until 1919 even as the production company’s fortunes declined. The company was acquired by Warner Bros. studios in 1925.^[9] As a freelance performer, Rudolf was provided with “top supporting roles in high production features. He worked for Cosmopolitan productions, co-starring with Marion Davies in The Cinema Murder (1919), Buried Treasure (1921), and Enchantment. Regarded as “one of Hollywood’s most respected heavies,” he was often cast to play villains.^[10] A versatile actor, Randolf could expertly play comedic roles, for example, as a incompetent banker in In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1923); and Mary Pickford’s father in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924).^[11]

At the pinnacle of his career, the 50-year-old Randolf was cast as the pirate captain in The Black Pirate (1924), a swashbuckler starring Douglas Fairbanks. His outstanding skills as a swordsman were on display in the final duel sequence. Critic Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times congratulated Randolf on his “cunning and brutal” interpretation of the role.^[12]

Randolf’s health was in decline in the late 1920s, but his work schedule did not slacken. His transition to sound films in a number of Warner Bros. productions in 1929 and 1930 were untroubled, as Randolf carried little trace of a Danish accent.^[13] His final film appearances were in comedy shorts: Laurel and Hardy’s The Night Owls (1930) and Joe E. Brown’s Maybe It’s Love (1930). His final films, Going Wild (1931) and West of the Rockies (1931) were released posthumously.^[14]

Randolf died on July 3, 1930 following a relapse after a kidney operation. He was later interred at Frederiksberg Cemetery in Copenhagen, Denmark.^{[15] [16]}

• Wollstein, Hans J. 1994. Strangers in Hollywood: The History of Scandinavian Actors in American Films, 1910 to World War II. The Scarecrow Press, Filmmakers series no. 43. Anthony Slide, editor ISBN 0-8108-2938-X

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anders Randolf.

• Works by or about Anders Randolf at the Internet Archive
• Anders Randolf at IMDb
• Genealogy page for Anders Randolf