Hal Le Roy
Born
John LeRoy Schotte

(1913-12-10)December 10, 1913
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
DiedMay 2, 1985(1985-05-02) (aged 71)
Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
Other namesHal LeRoy
Hal Leroy
Harold Teen
Occupation(s)Actor, dancer, singer
Years active1928–1982
SpouseRuth Hedwig Dod

Hal Le Roy (born John LeRoy Schotte, December 10, 1913 – May 2, 1985) was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer appearing on stage, in film, and on television.

Life and career

Hal Le Roy was born John LeRoy Schotte in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 10, 1913.[1][2]

Le Roy danced in amateur productions as a youth, spurring his mother to take him to New York where he broke into the theater as a dancer. His dancing teacher, Ned Wayburn, got him his first job, in Hoboken Hoboes in 1928.[2] Le Roy quickly worked his way into Broadway roles, where his tap dance style created a sensation in the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies. On April 12, 1934, he married Ruth Hedwig Dod (March 13, 1911 – July 1, 1979), who had been one of his dance partners.[3]

Le Roy also began doing a series of musical film shorts for Vitaphone and Warner Brothers Pictures. Aside from his work on Broadway and in film, he performed in revues and vaudeville and as a featured entertainer in New York's nightclub scene. He was selected as a feature performer by Bob Hope for Hope's TV Premier appearance. In 1954, Le Roy was cast in the pilot film for the Blondie television series based on the comic strip with Hal Roach, Jr. producing. While his appearance was similar to Arthur Lake, who starred in the long running Columbia movie series, Le Roy's characterization was seen as uneven and awkward. The series was revised three years later and recast, recalling Lake to reprise his original role as Dagwood Bumstead. The series ran for one season on NBC, going to syndicated reruns for a short period afterward.

Le Roy died on May 2, 1985, in Hackensack, New Jersey, of complications following heart surgery.[2] With his wife predeceasing him, he left no descendants and was interred in a private funeral.[2]

In 2021 Le Roy was inducted posthumously into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame.[4]

Broadway

  • The Gang's All Here (1931)
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 (1931)
  • Strike Me Pink (1933)
  • Thumbs Up! (1934–1935)
  • Too Many Girls (1939–1940)
  • Count Me In (1942)

Complete Filmography

  • The High School Hoofer (1931 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • Tip Tap Toe (1932 short) as Hal Evans
  • The Way of All Freshmen (1933 short) as Hal
  • Use Your Imagination (1933 short) as Hal
  • Mr. Broadway (1933) as Hal Le Roy
  • Picture Palace (1934 short) as Hal
  • Hollywood Newsreel (1934 short) as Himself (uncredited)
  • Wonder Bar (1934) as dancer in blackface
  • Harold Teen (1934) as Harold Teen
  • Private Lessons (1934 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • Syncopated City (1934 short) as Hal Le Roy
  • In the Spotlight (1935 short) as Hal
  • Main Street Follies (1935 short) as Hal
  • Oh, Evaline! (1935 short) as Hal
  • Wash Your Step (1936 short) as Hal Rogers
  • Rhythmitis (1936 short) as Hal
  • Swing for Sale (1937 short)
  • Ups and Downs (1937 short) as Hal Smith
  • Start Cheering (1938) as 'Tarzan' Biddle
  • The Prisoner of Swing (1938 short) as Rudolph, King of Sulvania, and Mr. Razzenstill
  • The Knight Is Young (1938 short) as Hal
  • Public Jitterbug No. 1 (1939 short) as Hal Sturges
  • Too Many Girls (1940) as Al Terwilliger
  • The Star-Spangled Revue (1950 TV movie) as Himself

References

  1. ↑ Appelbaum, Stanley; James Camner. 1981. Stars of the American Musical Theater in Historic Photographs. New York, New York: Dover Publications, p. 140. ISBN 0-486-24209-9
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Hal Le Roy, Dancer in Clubs, Musicals and Several Movies". The New York Times. May 4, 1985. p. 33. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Hal Leroy Weds Ruth Dod". The New York Times. April 13, 1934. p. 22. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Hall of Fame Index".


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