William Engelbert Jr.
| William E. Engelbert Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
15 Jan 1918 New Ulm, Brown County, Minnesota |
| Died |
18 Aug 2006 Chico Butte, California |
| Nationality | US |
| Spouse(s) |
Lynne Roberts (m 1941-1944) Dorothy Riley (m 1947-2006, her death) |
William Edward Engelbert Jr. (15 January 1918 in New Ulm, Minnesota – 18 August 2006 in Chico Butte, California) was the first husband of B-movie heroine Lynne Roberts.
Early years
William Engelbert, Jr was the son of William Engelbert, a real estate salesman, and Florence Engelbert. William Jr. graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1936 and attended the University of Southern California for two years. He served in the US Army during World War II as an aircraft inspector, and was stationed in the Philippines after their liberation.[1]
Marriage to Lynne Roberts
Engelbert first saw Lynne Roberts in one of her pictures in 1940 and decided she was the woman for him. But instead of attempting to crash her studio, he obtained her address, 115 N. Kilkea Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90048,[2] where she lived with her parents and brother. Engelbert drove past her house daily. One morning, he saw the family next door moving out. Whereupon Engelbert moved in, got an introduction and wooed and won the pretty actress—all within a month. They married January 5, 1941. On April 6, 1942, their son was born. Scenario writers at Twentieth Century-Fox were put to work preparing an untitled original screen play, based on this real life romance. The studio liked the script and planned to film it, although no film was ever made.[3] Engelbert and Lynne Roberts divorced, December 14, 1944. Lynne Roberts' second marriage to Louis John Gardella also ended in divorce. In court, Gardella's attorney argued that the couple's Arizona wedding was invalid because Roberts was not legally divorced from William Engelbert Jr., although Roberts claimed she had a Mexican divorce decree.[4]
Later life
After his divorce from Lynne Roberts, Engelbert married Dorothy Riley, June 22, 1947, of Dunsmuir, Calif. They lived in Mt. Shasta City, Redding and Chico, where he was chiefly employed in auto sales. Engelbert died in Chico Butte, California and is buried in Mount Shasta Memorial Park.[5]