Roy D'arcy

Black and white photograph of a man's head over black text on a white background

Roy D'arcy was born Roy Giusti in San Francisco, California on February 10, 1894. Shortly after his birth, Giusti's family moved to Europe, where the actor lived until the end of World War I. After returning to the United States, D'arcy spent his career on stage in both New York and Hollywood until 1925 when he appeared in MGM's silent feature, "The Merry Window." Concerned with pronunciation, MGM had D'arcy drop the name Giusti. Reviewers reacted positively to D'arcy's performance as a leering, flamboyant villain. As a result, he continued to be cast in similar roles for the remainder of his career.

Between 1925-1929, the actor married and divorced Laura Rhinock Duffy twice. The daughter of an MGM executive, Duffy reportedly flew to Hollywood to meet D'arcy after seeing him on screen. The couple had a tumultuous first divorce, with Duffy publicly condemning D'arcy's "excessive egotism." Their second marriage occurred after a brief, highly public romance between D'arcy and Charlie Chaplain's former wife, Lita Grey Chaplin. D'arcy's screen roles tapered off shortly after the demise of his second marriage to Duffy. His last film role was in 1939, after which he left Hollywood and became a real estate agent. He died in 1969.