Extremely handsome, juvenile lead of the silent era David Rollins was
discovered as an extra and given a contract with Fox Films in 1927. He
worked mostly in light comedies, frequently paired with
Sue Carol (the future wife of
Alan Ladd). While under contract to
Fox he worked with many great directors just beginning their careers,
including
Howard Hawks,
John Ford and
George Stevens.
Few of his films survive today. The best-known is probably
The Big Trail (1930), a full-length
talkie directed by
Raoul Walsh featuring
John Wayne in his first starring
role. Though beautifully photographed, the sound is rather rickety and
the film was seen by relatively few people due to the fact that it was
shot in 70mm, which few theaters at the time were equipped to show.
Rollins retired in the 1950s and spent the rest of his life traveling,
raising dogs, volunteering at a local hospital and tending his citrus
orchards in Encinitas, California. He was interviewed only once, by
author Michael Ankerich, for his where-are-they-now-book, "Broken
Silence."