Joe Roberts

Biography

Joe "Big Joe" Roberts, a prominent figure in vaudeville, traveled extensively across the United States with his first wife, Lillian Stuart Roberts, as part of a lively act referred to as Roberts, Hays, and Roberts. Their main performance was titled "The Cowboy, the Swell and the Lady." During the early 1900s, Buster Keaton's father, Joe Keaton, established a summer Actors' Colony for vaudevillians situated between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake in Michigan. It was within this community that Roberts became acquainted with the Keaton family.

After Buster Keaton completed his film apprenticeship with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, he began creating his own short films in 1920 and invited Roberts to collaborate with him. Standing at an impressive 6'3", Roberts often portrayed a menacing character or figure of authority, providing a striking and humorous contrast to the petite 5'6" Keaton.

According to IMDB, Roberts appeared in only two films independent of Keaton's work. He portrayed "Roaring Bill" Rivers in the 1922 film The Primitive Lover, which starred Constance Talmadge, Keaton's sister-in-law, alongside silent film actor Harrison Ford. He also had a role as a drill master in Clyde Cook's comedy The Misfit, released in March 1924, following Roberts' passing.

When Keaton transitioned to feature films in 1923, he planned to continue his collaboration with Roberts. Roberts appeared in Keaton's films Three Ages and Our Hospitality (both from 1923). Tragically, while filming the latter, Roberts suffered a stroke, yet insisted on returning to complete his scenes. After the film's conclusion, he experienced another stroke and passed away shortly thereafter.