David Rollins (actor)

Rollins was born on September 2, 1907, in Kansas City, Missouri,[2] the youngest of six children born to George Rollins (1870-1947) and Katharine Mills Rollins (1872-1957).[3] His father was a restaurant manager and later government accountant.[4] His sister was the actress Sandra Morgan (birth name Martha Rollins).[5] Rollins attended Northeast High School in Kansas City before moving to California and graduating from Glendale High School in Glendale, California in 1925. The 1925 Glendale High School yearbook listed an expected attendance at the University of California.[6]

Rollins earliest credited film role came playing a student in the 1927 silent film High School Hero,[7] which is now considered lost.[8] He appeared in dozens more films in the following years, including several for Fox Film Corporation, where he was under contract.[9] These films included as a leading man in both Win that Girl[10] and Prep and Pep,[11] both released in 1928 and now considered lost films. His first sound film was a leading role as a pilot in The Air Circus, which was directed by Howard Hawks and co-starred Arthur Lake and Sue Carol and is considered lost.[12] In 1930, Rollins had a noted supporting role in The Big Trail, John Wayne's first film.[13] Following that movie, he had several more supporting roles in feature-length films, but never again appeared as a lead actor. After his film career ended he moved to New York City to work in the theatre, garnering at least one role in the short lived 1941 Broadway musical Crazy with the Heat,[14] before retiring from acting.

A photo taken by F.W. Murnau in late 1927 of Rollins reclining and shirtless.

Rollins sits unclothed in a 1927 photo taken by F.W. Murnau.

Early in his film career, Rollins was invited by director F.W. Murnau to spend time with him at his home, which has since been identified as the Wolf's Lair castle in Hollywood.[15] On at least one of these visits in late 1927, Murnau convinced Rollins to pose nude, with the pool and garden of the Wolf's Lair serving as the backdrop.[15] In a later interview Rollins claimed to have been puzzled and surprised by the request, but felt comfortable enough with his body to oblige.[16]

For several years Rollins lived with John Blair Linn Goodwin (1912-1994). Goodwin was a noted novelist, poet and painter[17] and was mentioned multiple times in Christopher Isherwood's diaries.[18] They were cohabitating as early as April 1937, when they listed the same address in New York City when they traveled together to Acapulco, Mexico.[19] Three years later, Rollins is listed as Goodwin's partner in the 1940 census, while they were residing together in Orangetown, NY. At that time, Rollins occupation was cited as a dog fancier at a kennel, and Goodwin was listed as unemployed.[20] In October 1940 they both listed the same Manhattan address in their registration for the draft during World War II.[21] By 1942, Rollins returned to California with Goodwin, as 1942 and 1944 voter registration records show they were living at the same address, during which time Rollins was listed as working as a farmer and Goodwin as a writer.[22] Sometime after 1944 their relationship appears to have ended, as Goodwin's 1994 obituary listed Anthony P. Russo as his long-time friend and companion, with no reference to Rollins.[23]

After the end of his acting career, Rollins settled in Encinitas, California and became an avocado farmer. He died on August 6, 1997, and was cremated, with his ashes being scattered at in the Pacific Ocean.[9]

• David Rollins at IMDb