ARTHUR ROBERTS.
Born 1850.
 From a Photograph. |
 From a Photo. by Fry, Brighton. |
Present Day
From a Photo. by Lafayette.
RTHUR ROBERTS, "the funniest man in London," was born at Kentish Town, and started life, at about the age at which our first portrait represents him, in a solicitor's office, where one of his principal duties was to serve writs; but his salary not being equal to his ambition, he decided, with a lawyer's shrewdness, to eke it out by fulfilling any theatrical engagements—which were chiefly at smoking-concerts—he could obtain after dark. A lawyer by day, and an entertainer by night, he continued to be for eight years, until, at the age of twenty-five, he finally adopted the stage as a profession. Since that time he has played with enormous success, at first in music-halls and afterwards in theatres, creating a succession of characters which caused his audiences to scream with laughter. His most notable triumphs have been, perhaps, in "Madame Favart," "The Old Guard," "Nadgy," "Lancelot The Lovely," and "Joan of Arc." Mr. Roberts, who is, if possible, a funnier man off the stage than he is on it, lives in a large corner house at Maida Vale with his wife, son, and daughter. He is devotedly fond of cricket, and when on tour always organizes an eleven among his company, which is too strong for most opponents. He is also extremely fond of yachting, and is a lover of horses, of which he generally keeps four or five. No biography of Mr. Roberts, however brief, can omit to mention that he is the inventor of the immortal game of "Spoof."
