Roger Pryor (August 27, 1901 – January 31, 1974) — American film actor.

Roger Pryor, 72, of Pompano Beach, Florida, died on January 31, 1974, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The former Asbury Park, New Jersey man was traveling in Mexico when he suffered a heart attack.

Born in New York City on August 27, 1901, a son of Maud (née Russell) and Arthur Willard Pryor Sr., a bandmaster in Asbury Park after whom the Fifth Avenue Pavilion was renamed, Roger was raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey. His brother, Arthur Pryor Jr., was also a bandmaster.

Roger Pryor attended Asbury Park High School until he left at the age of 17 to go on the stage.

Mr. Pryor's debut on stage came in stock theater when he was 18, after which he worked with several repertory theatre companies. He spent 30 years in show business, appearing in a dozen Broadway plays and 72 motion pictures. His first Broadway role was that of a juvenile in "Back Slapper" in 1924. Three years later, he played a leading role in Sherwood Anderson's play, "Saturday's Children."

Pryor often had leading roles in B movies in the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1930 and 1945, including the A picture Belle of the Nineties with Mae West.

Mr. Pryor also led a band for five years and narrated several network radio productions. He was host of a number of prestigious network programs, including The United States Steel Hour, The Pause That Refreshes The Coca-Cola Summer Show, and The Screen Guild Theater. He starred as Dan McGarry in McGarry and His Mouse and was the producer of Cavalcade of America. He also had his own music program, featuring the Roger Pryor Orchestra.

He served as an Air Force flight instructor during World War II.

In 1947, Pryor changed careers, becoming vice president in charge of broadcasting at Foote, Cone and Belding, a New York NY advertising agency.

In 1926, he married to Priscilla J. Mitchell, the daughter of vaudeville star Bessie Clayton and choreographer and playwright Julian Mitchell; they had one daughter, Priscilla Mitchell Pryor, before divorcing in 1936.

In 1936, he married, film actress Ann Sothern; they divorced in 1942.

Mr. Pryor died at age 72, on January 31, 1974, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

He was survived by his widow, Barbara; a daughter, Mrs. Priscilla Conklin, the wife of Superior Court Judge Walter H. Conklin, of Point Pleasant NJ, and two grandchildren.

A private service was held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Selected filmography:

• Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) as George Dwight
• I Like It That Way (1934) as Jack Anderson
• I'll Tell the World (1934) as William S. Briggs
• Romance in the Rain (1934) as Charles Denton
• Gift of Gab (1934) as Kelly
• Belle of the Nineties (1934) as Tiger Kid
• Wake Up and Dream (1934) as Charles Sullivan
• Lady by Choice (1934) as Johnny Mills
• Strange Wives (1934) as Jimmy King
• Straight from the Heart (1935) as Andy MacLean
• One Frightened Night (1935) as Masked Killer (uncredited)
• Dinky (1935) as Tom Marsden
• The Headline Woman (1935) as Bob Grayson
• The Girl Friend (1935) as George Thorne
• The Case of the Missing Man (1935) as Jimmy Hudson
• 1,000 Dollars a Minute (1935) as Wally Jones
• To Beat the Band (1935) as Larry Barry
• The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936) as Gary Howard
• Ticket to Paradise (1936) as Terry Dodd aka Jack Doe
• Missing Girls (1936) as Jimmie Dugan
• Sitting on the Moon (1936) as Danny West
• The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) as District Attorney Drake
• Sued for Libel (1939) as District Attorney Willard Corbin
• The Man with Nine Lives (1940) as Dr. Tim Mason
• The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940) as Pete Rennick
• A Fugitive from Justice (1940) as Dan Miller
• Gambling on the High Seas (1940) as Max Gates
• Money and the Woman (1940) as Charles Patterson
• Glamour for Sale (1940) as Jim Daly
• She Couldn't Say No (1940) as Wallace Turnbull
• Bowery Boy (1940) as J. R. Mason
• South of Panama (1941) as Mike Lawrence
• Power Dive (1941) as Daniel McMasters
• Bullets for O'Hara (1941) as Mike O'Hara
• Gambling Daughters (1941) as Chance Landon
• The Richest Man in Town (1941) as Tom Manning
• Flying Blind (1941) as Rocky Drake
• The Officer and the Lady (1941) as Johnny Davis
• So's Your Aunt Emma (1942) as Terry Connors
• I Live on Danger (1942) as Bert Jannings
• Smart Alecks (1942) as Joe Reagan
• A Man's World (1942) as Bugsy Nelson
• Lady Bodyguard (1943) as George MacAlister
• Submarine Alert (1943) as G. B. Fleming
• Thoroughbreds (1944) as Harold Matthews
• The Kid Sister (1945) as Waldo Barnes
• The Cisco Kid Returns (1945) as John Harris
• High Powered (1945) as Rod Farrell
• Identity Unknown (1945) Rocks Donally
• Scared Stiff (1945) as Richardson
• The Man from Oklahoma (1945) as Jim Gardner (his final film role)