Charles Edward “Buddy” Rogers (August 13, 1904 – April 21, 1999) was an American actor and
jazz musician.
Life and career
Early years
Rogers was born to Maude and Bert Henry Rogers in
Olathe, Kansas. He studied at the
University of Kansas where he became an active member of
Phi Kappa Psi. In the mid-1920s he began acting professionally in
Hollywood films. A talented
trombonist skilled on several other musical instruments, Rogers performed with his own
jazz band in
motion pictures and on
radio. During
World War II, he served in the
United States Navy as a
flight training instructor.
Career
Nicknamed "Buddy", his most remembered performance in film was opposite
Clara Bow in the 1927
Academy Award winning
Wings, the first film ever honored as "Best Picture."
Respected by his peers for his work in film and for his humanitarianism, the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Rogers in 1986 with
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Charles "Buddy" Rogers has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6135 Hollywood Blvd.
A longtime resident and benefactor of California's
Coachella Valley, Rogers was honored by having named after him a children's symphony orchestra that he and second wife, Beverley Ricondo, a real estate agent he married in 1981, helped found. A street in
Cathedral City, California is named after him as well.
Personal life
In 1937, Rogers became the...
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