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
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]

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]

Randolf 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, Randolf 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 interred at Frederiksberg Cemetery in Copenhagen.^{[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