Charles "Buddy" Rogers (b. August 13, 1904; d. April 21, 1999) was an American actor and jazz musician.
Born in Olathe, Kansas, Rogers studied at the University of Kansas. In the mid-1920's he began acting professionally in Hollywood films. Nicknamed "Buddy", his most remembered performance in film was opposite Clara Bow in the 1927 Academy Award winning Wings, the first film ever honored as "Best Picture."
In 1937, Rogers became the third husband of silent film legend Mary Pickford. A woman eleven years his senior, the couple remained married for 42 years until her passing in 1979. A talented trombonist skilled on several other musical instruments, Rogers performed with his own jazz band in motion pictures and on radio.
During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as a flight training instructor.
Respected by his peers for his work in film and for his humanitarianism, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Rogers in 1985 with The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A longtime resident and benefactor of California's Coachella Valley, Rogers was honored by having a children's symphony orchestra he and wife Beverly helped found named after him. A street in Cathedral City, California is named after him as well.
Buddy Rogers died in Rancho Mirage, California in 1999 and was interred in the Palm Springs Mortuary & Mausoleum in Palm Springs, California.
