# Richard Cromwell (actor)
**Richard Cromwell** was the stage name of LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh (January 8, 1910 – October 11, 1960), an American actor who rose to overnight stardom in early sound films and played leads and second leads in Hollywood from 1930 until the late 1940s.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 1910, Long Beach, California; birth name LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh, nicknamed Roy[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) |
| Died | October 11, 1960, Hollywood, California, of liver cancer, at age 50[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) |
| Breakthrough | Chosen for the title lead in *Tol'able David* (1930), Columbia's remake of Henry King's 1921 film, after two days as an extra[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) |
| Best-known role | *The Lives of a Bengal Lancer* (1935), sharing top billing with Gary Cooper and Franchot Tone; the film received a Best Picture Oscar nomination[2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/) |
| Marriage | First husband of Angela Lansbury; married September 27, 1945, divorced September 11, 1946[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) |
| Walk of Fame | Motion pictures star at 1627 Vine Street, ceremony February 8, 1960[3](https://walkoffame.com/richard-cromwell/) |
| Filmography | 41 titles recorded in the AFI Catalog[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/129759) |
## Early life and breakthrough
Cromwell was the second of five children of Ralph and Fay Radabaugh in [Long Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-beach-california).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) He studied at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, and friends encouraged him to test for the title role in *Tol'able David* amid scores of unknowns; he won the part after two days as an extra on *The King of Jazz*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
The role made him a star while talking pictures were still new. His fresh-faced, fair-haired appeal drew comparisons to a later heartthrob, [Richard Chamberlain](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-chamberlain) of the 1960s *Dr. Kildare* series, and he enjoyed comparable overnight stardom.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
## Film career of the 1930s
Through the early 1930s he appeared in a rapid run of films including *Maker of Men* (1931), *Shanghaied Love* (1931), *Emma* (1932) opposite [Marie Dressler](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-dressler), *Tom Brown of Culver* (1932), *The Age of Consent* (1932), *The Strange Love of Molly Louvain* (1932), and [Cecil B. DeMille](https://www.edgepedia.org/cecil-b-demille)'s *This Day and Age* (1933).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) • [4](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/129759) For *Tol'able David* he was paid $75 a week, rising to $200 a week for *This Day and Age*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) He worked alongside popular stars including [Janet Gaynor](https://www.edgepedia.org/janet-gaynor), Clara Bow, Jean Arthur, W.C. Fields, and Will Rogers.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
**The peak years.** His fame was firmly established by *The Lives of a Bengal Lancer* (1935), Henry Hathaway's first major directing effort, in which he shared top billing with [Gary Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-cooper) and [Franchot Tone](https://www.edgepedia.org/franchot-tone); the film earned Paramount a Best Picture nomination, with the award going to *Mutiny on the Bounty*.[2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/) • [5](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/) His career stood at its pinnacle with *Jezebel* (1938) opposite [Bette Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bette-davis) and Henry Fonda, and with Fonda again in John Ford's *Young Mr. Lincoln* (1939).[3](https://walkoffame.com/richard-cromwell/) He also took the lead in *The Road Back* (1937), a sequel of sorts to *All Quiet on the Western Front*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) His last screen credit of the period was *Baby Face Morgan* (1942).[5](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/)
## Stage, war service, and marriage
As film offers slowed, he turned to other work: radio soap operas and a 1936 stage debut in *So Proudly We Hail*, which moved to Broadway and closed quickly, though he received better reviews than the play.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) He served in the US Coast Guard during World War II.[5](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/)
In September 1945 he eloped with [Angela Lansbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-lansbury), then a rising 19-year-old MGM actress nominated for Oscars for *[Gaslight](https://www.edgepedia.org/gaslight-1944-film)* (1944) and *The Picture of Dorian Gray* (1945). They separated within months and divorced after nearly a year of marriage.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) • [2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/) Lansbury later said in her authorized biography that she did not learn until years after the divorce that Cromwell was gay; the two remained friends.[2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
## Later years as an artist
A 1948 comeback attempt, the film *Bungalow 13*, quickly failed.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) He returned to his given name, Roy Radabaugh, and worked as an artist and writer, building an art studio on his property and becoming known for creative tile designs.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) • [2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/) As a sculptor he gained a reputation for masks of film personalities such as [Greta Garbo](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-garbo), Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, and [Ann Sothern](https://www.edgepedia.org/ann-sothern), as well as oil portraits.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) • [2](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/)
In 1960, at age 50, he received a motion pictures star on the [Hollywood Walk of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-walk-of-fame) at 1627 Vine Street, with the ceremony on February 8.[3](https://walkoffame.com/richard-cromwell/) • [5](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/) Soon afterward he was cast in *The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come* (1961) opposite singer [Jimmie Rodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmie-rodgers), but withdrew after a liver cancer diagnosis; [Chill Wills](https://www.edgepedia.org/chill-wills) took the role.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) Cromwell died on October 11, 1960, and was interred in Santa Ana, California.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/) • [5](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/)
## References
1. [Richard Cromwell – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188673/bio/)
2. [Richard Cromwell – Hollywood Star Walk, Los Angeles Times](https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/richard-cromwell/)
3. [Richard Cromwell – Hollywood Walk of Fame](https://walkoffame.com/richard-cromwell/)
4. [Richard Cromwell – AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/129759)
5. [Richard Cromwell – NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/541/000350488/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: silent and early sound*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license