Robert L. Ripley Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
Robert L. Ripley was born on December 25, 1893 in Santa Rosa, California, USA as Robert Leroy Ripley. He was an actor and writer, known for Believe It or Not #2 (1930), Believe It or Not #4 (1930) and Believe It or Not (Second Series) #3 (1931). He was married to Beatrice Roberts. He died on May 27, 1949 in New York City, New York, USA.
May 27, 1949, New York City, New York, United States
Place Of Birth
Santa Rosa, California, USA
Weight
110 pounds
Profession
Actor, Writer
Education
Dartmouth College
Nationality
American
Spouse
Beatrice Roberts
Parents
Isaac Davis Ripley, Lillie Belle Yocka
Siblings
Douglas Ripley, Ethel Ripley
TV Shows
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Star Sign
Capricorn
#
Fact
1
Mr. Ripley was a student of physical culture mentor Charles Atlas and was a graduate of his mail order course.
2
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6400 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
3
Robert L. Ripley is buried with his parents in his home town of Santa Rosa, California.
4
Segments of his 1949 TV show were filmed in his Mamaroneck, New York mansion.
5
One cartoon alone, in which he stated that Charles Lindbergh was not the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane, drew 170,000 letters. This cartoon made Ripley so famous that postmen forwarded his mail even without a full address. Envelopes simply addressed "To Rip" or "To the World's Biggest Liar" were all delivered. One man even sent a letter written in a microscopic code that could only be deciphered with a magnifying glass. The bizarre forms of addresses and the sheer volume of mail was enough for the U.S. Postmaster General to issue a decree in 1930: "mail to Ripley would not be delivered if the address was incomplete or indecipherable." The law had little effect and "Rip-O-Mania" had swept the world.
6
Was the first man to broadcast via radio from Australia to New York.
7
Suffered a heart attack on the air shooting his 13th episode of "Believe It Or Not". Ironically, the segment he had just completed was on the origins of the song "Taps" which is frequently played at funerals.
8
A memorial to Ripley stands in his hometown of Santa Rosa, California, in a church built entirely from one redwood tree.
9
Drew all his cartoons upside-down.
10
While he was an avid collector of both antique cars and beer steins, he never drove nor even had a driver's license, and his drink of choice was gin.
11
His favorite vacation spot was Hell, Norway, and delighted in sending both friends an foes alike "a postcard from Hell".
12
His first job was a polisher for a tombstone engraver.
13
Was an up-and-coming semi-pro baseball player until an injury halted his sports ambitions. Soon afterwards, he directed his talents to being a sports cartoonist.
14
His comic feature was originally entitled "Champs and Chumps", but at the insistance of his editor, he changed the name to "Believe It Or Not".
15
On January 1, 1931, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" ran a cartoon stating that the USA had no national anthem. While "The Star Spangled Banner" (based on Francis Scott Key's poem "The Defense of Fort McHenry" set to the tune of the British drinking song "To Anacreon in Heaven" by John Smith) was often used as an anthem, it had never been official. Within days, millions of letters poured into Congress, demanding that the song be officially adopted. On March 3, 1931, an act of Congress officially designated "The Star Spangled Banner" as the National Anthem of the United States of America.
16
Was an avid collector of anything Chinese, and even owned a Chinese junk (a sailboat) that he had converted to diesel. According to friends, he went into a state of depression when the mainland government fell into Communist hands.
17
At the suggestion of his newspaper editor, adopted first name Robert to have a more masculine-sounding name for his byline on sports features.
18
Originator of the "Believe It Or Not" newspaper feature.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Believe It or Not
1949
TV Series
Host (March-May 1949)
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #12
1932
Short
Man in Japan (uncredited)
The Season's Greetings
1931
Short
Robert Ripley
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Star Tonight
1956
TV Series stories - 1 episode
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #11
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #10
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #9
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #8
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #6
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #7
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #4
1932
Short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #5
1932
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #2
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #3
1931
Documentary short
Commentator
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #1
1931
Documentary short
Himself - Host / Narrator
Believe It or Not #12
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #10
1931
Short
Himself
Believe It or Not #11
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #9
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #8
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #6
1931
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #7
1931
Documentary short
Himself (as Mr. Ripley)
Believe It or Not #5
1930
Documentary short
Himself
Believe It or Not #4
1930
Short documentary
Himself - the Host (as Mr. Ripley)
Believe It or Not #3
1930
Short
Himself (as Bob Ripley)
Believe It or Not #2
1930
Short
Himself (as Robert Ripley)
Believe It or Not #1
1930
Short
Himself (as Ripley)
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Finding Kukan
2016
Documentary
Himself
Life's A Dive
2014
Documentary short
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
2000
TV Series
Himself
Sideshow: Alive on the Inside
1999
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Known for movies
Believe It or Not #2 (1930) as Himself
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #1 (1931) as Himself - Host / Narrator
Believe It or Not #4 (1930) as Himself - the Host
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #3 (1931) as Commentator
$18 Million