Florence Roberts

A theatrical performer from the 1880s, Florence Roberts was able to convey extreme youth on-stage even in her forties and fifties. At 42, Roberts played Bo Peep in the Victor Herbert musical Babes in Toyland; and at 50, she played the vampish title role in Sappho, repeating this portrayal on film in 1912. Her Hollywood career began in earnest in the talkie era. Her characterizations ranged from snooty dowagers to downtrodden pensioners. Among her more famous 1930s film roles were Widow Peep in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy version of Babes in Toyland (1934), the title character's mother in The Life of Emile Zola (1937), and Mrs. Bowling Green in Abe Lincoln Illinois (1940). She also appeared as the cantankerous, outspoken Granny Jones in 20th Century Fox's Jones Family series (1936-1940). Florence Roberts was married to actor Walter Gale.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide