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Richard Rosson, an actor and director in the film industry, was born on April 4, 1893, in New York City. His family was deeply involved in early cinema: his elder brother Arthur Rosson was a director, his younger sister Helene Rosson pursued acting, and his younger brother Harold Rosson became a renowned director of photography, winning the first Academy Award for color cinematography.
Rosson began his acting career in 1911 under the name Dick Rosson, debuting in the John Bunny comedy Selecting His Heiress (1911). He acted until 1922 but made his directorial debut earlier, co-directing Her Father's Keeper (1917) with Arthur. Arthur directed Richard in five films: Cassidy (1917), A Case at Law (1917), Polly of the Storm Country (1920)—which also featured Harold as director of photography—For Those We Love (1921), and Always the Woman (1922).
He launched his full directing career with the Gloria Swanson film Fine Manners (1926) at Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount). Rosson directed five films in 1927 and three in 1928, before pausing after The Very Idea (1929), his first sound film. With the transition to sound cinema, many silent-era directors, including Rosson, were displaced as studios brought in Broadway directors and sound specialists. As a relatively new director, Rosson was likely vulnerable to these changes.
Rosson began collaborating with Howard Hawks by assisting on Scarface (1932). Hawks employed him as a second-unit director on four films, and they co-directed Today We Live (1933). Rosson also directed the logging scenes in Hawks' Come and Get It (1936), although producer Samuel Goldwyn replaced Hawks with William Wyler to finish the film. Their partnership continued until Rosson's final film, Corvette K-225 (1943), produced by Hawks. Together, they worked on eight films.
Besides Polly of the Storm Country (1920), which starred Charles Chaplin's ex-wife Mildred Harris (billed as Mildred Harris Chaplin by producer Louis B. Mayer despite Chaplin's objections), Rosson collaborated with his brother Harold on Panthea (1917), Too Hot to Handle (1938), and Flight Command (1940).
Richard Rosson died by suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning on May 31, 1953, in Pacific Palisades, California, aged 60. He was laid to rest at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
