In his 60-year career, Mexican-born actor Gilbert Roland garnered over 150 film and television credits, including “Bullfighter and the Lady” (1951), “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), and “Cheyenne Autumn” (1964). Fifteen reels of home movies, filmed by Roland between 1935 and 1961, make up the bulk of the Gilbert Roland Collection. These well-photographed 16mm films document the actor’s family, friends, hobbies, travels in Mexico, bullfighting, parties, the Beverly Hills Tennis Club and other subjects, including footage of many Hollywood professionals. Other items in the collection include prints of four films about bullfighters and a videotape of Roland’s rare 1926 silent film “The Blonde Saint.” The materials were donated to the Archive in 1994 and 1995 by Roland’s widow.
The film material at the Academy Film Archive is complemented by material in the Gilbert Roland papers at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library.