House Peters
Acting • Born 1880-03-12 – Died 1967-12-07
Biography
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." Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Peters began his career 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 found his career peak of 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. Peters was married to actress Mae King in 1914 with whom he had three children, Gregg, Patricia and Robert, Jr. (1916–2008). Peters died at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.
Filmography
48 credits
Leah Kleschna
Movie • 1913
Paul Sylvain
A Lady of Quality
Movie • 1913
The Duke of Osmonde
Stolen Goods
Movie • 1915
Richard Carlton
Isobel or the Trail's End
Movie • 1920
Sgt. William MacVeigh
Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman
Movie • 1925
Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman
Don't Marry for Money
Movie • 1923
Peter Smith
Held to Answer
Movie • 1923
John Hampstead
Mignon
Movie • 1915
Wilhelm Meister
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Movie • 1914
Bob
The Unafraid
Movie • 1915
Stefan Balsic
The Hand of Peril
Movie • 1916
James Kestner
The Warrens of Virginia
Movie • 1915
Ned Burton
Between Men
Movie • 1916
Gregg Lewiston
The Great Redeemer
Movie • 1920
Dan Malloy
O. Henry's Full House
Movie • 1952
Dave Bascom (segment "The Clarion Call") (uncredited)
Silk Husbands and Calico Wives
Movie • 1920
Deane Kendall
The Old West
Movie • 1952
Parson Jonathan Brooks
Salomy Jane
Movie • 1914
Jack Dart, The Man
The Leopard Woman
Movie • 1920
John Culbertson
Human Hearts
Movie • 1922
Tom Logan
The Captive
Movie • 1915
Muhamud Hassan
Head Winds
Movie • 1925
Peter Rosslyn
The Girl of the Golden West
Movie • 1915
Ramerrez
In the Bishop's Carriage
Movie • 1913
Obermuller
The Rail Rider
Movie • 1916
Jim Lewis
The Closed Road
Movie • 1916
Frank Sargeant
Chelsea 7750
Movie • 1913
The Tornado
Movie • 1925
Tornado
The Storm
Movie • 1922
Burr Winton
The Great Divide
Movie • 1915
Stephen Ghent
Lying Lips
Movie • 1921
Blair Cornwall
A Trip Through the World's Greatest Motion Picture Studios
Movie • 1920
Himself
Rose-Marie
Movie • 1928
Sergeant Malone
The Combat
Movie • 1926
Blaze Burke
You Never Know Your Luck
Movie • 1919
J.G. Kerry
The Brute
Movie • 1914
Billy West
An Hour Before Dawn
Movie • 1913
Kate's Father - the Ex Detective
The Port of Doom
Movie • 1913
Kate's Father
The Pride of Jennico
Movie • 1914
Basil Jennico
Treasure of the Golden Condor
Movie • 1953
Magistrate (uncredited)
Counsel for the Defense
Movie • 1925
Arnold Bruce
The Forfeit
Movie • 1919
Jeffrey Masters
Rich Men's Wives
Movie • 1922
John Masters
Happiness of Three Women
Movie • 1917
Billy Craig
The Heir of the Ages
Movie • 1917
Hugh Payne
The Storm Breaker
Movie • 1925
John Strong
Prisoners of the Storm
Movie • 1926
'Bucky' Malone
The Highway of Hope
Movie • 1917
Steve King