Ross Alexander: Movies & Filmography

Ross Alexander (born Alexander Ross Smith, Jr. on July 27, 1907 in Brooklyn, New York) was an American stage and film actor whose career, though brief, left a notable imprint on early 1930s Hollywood. Raised by Maud Adelle Cohen and Alexander Ross Smith, he attended Erasmus Hall High School before his family relocated to Rochester, where he left school early after a principal suggested he pursue acting. At seventeen he moved to New York City, enrolling in the Packard Theatrical Agency, and soon joined the Henry Jewett Players in Boston, debuting in Enter Madame. By 1926 critics praised his good looks and charming style, and he quickly amassed a substantial Broadway résumé that included The Ladder (1926), Let Us Be Gay (1928), After Tomorrow (1931) and The Party's Over (1932). His tenacity was evident when he remained with the struggling production of The Ladder for almost two years despite dwindling audiences, a testament to his dedication to the craft. His transition to film began with a Paramount contract, yielding his debut in The Wiser Sex (1932); after a brief return to the stage, Warner Bros. signed him in 1934, leading to memorable roles in Flirtation Walk (1934), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) and Captain Blood (1935). The dapper, well‑dressed leading man image was cemented by his performance in Hot Money (1936), and his final picture, Ready, Willing and Able, was released posthumously. His personal life was marked by turbulence. Alexander married actress Aleta Freel on February 28, 1934; tragically, she took her own life with a .22 rifle on December 7, 1935, an event that haunted him. Less than a year later, on September 17, 1936, he wed fellow actress Anne Nagel, with whom he had co‑starred in China Clipper and Here Comes Carter. Despite steady work, Alexander struggled with chronic financial mismanagement, describing himself as unable to save and constantly in debt. By late 1936, the pressure of mounting obligations and the lingering grief over his first wife's death weighed heavily on him. On January 2, 1937, merely three months after his second marriage, he died by suicide, shooting himself with a .22 pistol in the barn behind his Los Angeles home. He was interred in the Sunrise Slope section of Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. His brief yet vibrant career is remembered for its blend of theatrical skill and cinematic charm, leaving a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by early Hollywood stars.