House Peters, Sr.

Robert House Peters Sr. (12 March 1880 – 7 December 1967) was a British-born American silent film actor, known to filmgoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions".

Biography Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Peters began his stage career in Australia, after working for several years in its mining industry. In the U.S., his film career began on a high note, playing the handsome leading man in In the Bishop's Carriage (1913), co-starring Mary Pickford. While The Bishop's Carriage was filmed in an East Coast studio, Peters was in Los Angeles by 1914, becoming one of the first screen stars to permanently settle there. Although he stated publicly that he preferred playing villains, Peters, curly haired and pleasantly dimpled, was from the outset typecast as the romantic hero.

After enjoying his greatest success as the good-bad hero of The Girl of the Golden West (1915), Peters' career peaked in the early 1920s. He signed with Universal Studios for six films in 1924, hoping for a comeback. The results, however, were mostly mediocre and he was soon demoted to supporting roles. Retired after 1928's Rose Marie, Peters returned for a guest appearance in The Old West, a 1952 Gene Autry film that also featured his son, House Peters Jr., who subsequently enjoyed a lengthy film career portraying villains as well as Procter and Gamble's Mr. Clean character in cleaning product commercials from the late 1950s into the '60s.

Personal life Peters was married to actress Mae King in 1914 with whom he had three children, Gregg, Patricia and Robert Jr., who subsequently used the stage name House Peters Jr. Peters was 87 when he died of pneumonia at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1913In the Bishop's Carriage Obermuller 1913 Chelsea 7750 Prof. Grimble 1913 An Hour Before Dawn Kate's Father - the Ex-Detective 1913 The Port of Doom Kate's Father 1913 Leah Kleschna Paul Sylvain 1913 A Lady of Quality The Duke of Osmonde 1914 The Pride of Jennico Basil Jennico 1914 Clothes Arnold West 1914 The Brute Billy West Short1914 Salomy Jane The Man 1914 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Bob 1915 The Girl of the Golden West Ramerrez 1915 Mignon Wilhelm Meister 1915 The Warrens of Virginia Ned Burton 1915 The Unafraid Stefan Balsic Short1915 The Captive Muhamud Hassan 1915 Stolen Goods Richard Carlton 1915 Between Men Gregg Lewiston 1915 The Winged Idol Jack Leonard 1915 The Great Divide Stephen Ghent 1916 The Hand of Peril James Kestner 1916 The Closed Road Frank Sargeant 1916 The Rail Rider Jim Lewis 1916 The Velvet Paw Robert Moorehead 1917 Happiness of Three Women Billy Craig 1917 As Men Love Paul Russell 1917 The Lonesome Chap Stuart Kirkwood 1917 The Highway of Hope Steve King 1917 The Heir of the Ages Hugh Payne 1919 The Forfeit Jeffrey Masters 1919 Thunderbolts of Fate Robert Wingfield 1919 You Never Know Your Luck J.G. Kerry 1920 The Great Redeemer Dan Malloy 1920 The Leopard Woman John Culbertson 1920 Isobel or The Trail's End Sgt. William MacVeigh 1920 Silk Husbands and Calico Wives Deane Kendall 1921 Lying Lips Blair Cornwall 1921 The Invisible Power Sid Chambers 1921 The Man from Lost River Barnes 1922 The Storm Burr Winton 1922 Rich Men's Wives John Masters 1922 Human Hearts Tom Logan 1923 Lost and Found on a South Sea Island Capt. Blackbird 1923 Don't Marry for Money Peter Smith 1923 Held to Answer John Hampstead 1924 The Tornado Tornado 1925 Head Winds Peter Rosslyn 1925 Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman 1925 The Storm Breaker John Strong 1925 Counsel for the Defense Arnold Peters 1926 The Combat Blaze Burke 1926 Prisoners of the Storm 'Bucky' Malone 1928 Rose-Marie Sergeant Malone 1952 The Old West Parson Jonathan Brooks 1952 O. Henry's Full House Dave Bascom (segment "The Clarion Call"), Uncredited1953 Treasure of the Golden Condor Magistrate Uncredited, (final film role)