Robert Elliott

He was born Richard Robert Elliott in 1879 in Columbus, Ohio. Most of his main roles were in the silent era. In the sound era he mostly performed in supporting roles and bit parts. On the stage he originated the Sergeant O'Hara character opposite Jeanne Eagels in Somerset Maugham's play Rain (1922).

Active in films from 1916, Elliott played Detective Crosby in the 1928 feature Lights of New York, the first all-talking sound film. One of his most notable roles was that of a Yankee officer playing cards with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) in the film Gone With the Wind; the officer says of Rhett, "It's hard to be strict with a man who loses money so pleasantly."

Robert Elliott was married to Ruth Thorp (1889–1971) from 1920 until his death in 1951, aged 72, in Los Angeles, California.