---
name: "Roland Totheroh"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/roland-totheroh"
fi1m_id: "roland-totheroh"
imdb_id: "nm0005906"
tmdb_id: 14020
wikidata_id: "Q179581"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "29 November 1890"
died: "18 June 1967"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 85
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-09-25T06:07:34.546806+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Roland Totheroh

## Identity

Roland Totheroh

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/roland-totheroh
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** roland-totheroh
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005906
- **TMDB ID:** 14020
- **Wikidata ID:** Q179581
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Totheroh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q179581, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005906/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14020

Cinematographer. Born 29 November 1890 in San Francisco, California, USA. Died 18 June 1967.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 29 November 1890, San Francisco, California, USA
- **Died:** 18 June 1967
- **Active:** 1921–1947
- **Also known as:** Roland H. Totheroh, Rollie Totheroh, Rollie H. Totheroh
- **Frequently works with:** [Charlie Chaplin](https://film.one/person/charlie-chaplin.md), [Henry Bergman](https://film.one/person/henry-bergman.md), [Paulette Goddard](https://film.one/person/paulette-goddard.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 86 (2), 1930s 88 (2), 1940s 81 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 85 to 80 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 6, Drama 5, Romance 2, Adventure 1, Crime 1, War 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $27m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Totheroh, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q179581, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005906/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14020

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*City Lights*](https://film.one/film/city-lights.md) (89), [*The Gold Rush*](https://film.one/film/the-gold-rush.md) (89), [*Modern Times*](https://film.one/film/modern-times.md) (88), [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md) (84), [*Monsieur Verdoux*](https://film.one/film/monsieur-verdoux.md) (82), [*The Great Dictator*](https://film.one/film/the-great-dictator.md) (80)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Roland Herbert Totheroh, often credited as Rollie Totheroh, was an American cinematographer. He worked extensively with Charlie Chaplin, serving as his regular cameraman from 1915 into the 1940s on more than thirty films.

Born in San Francisco, he began his career at the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. His credits include *The Kid* (1921), *The Gold Rush* (1925), *The Circus* (1928), *City Lights* (1931), *Modern Times* (1936), *The Great Dictator* (1940) and *Monsieur Verdoux* (1947). He later worked as photographic consultant on *Limelight* (1952) and on the non-Chaplin film *Song of My Heart* (1948).

Totheroh died in Los Angeles in 1967.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Monsieur Verdoux* (1947), Fi1m 82, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/monsieur-verdoux.md)
- *The Great Dictator* (1940), Fi1m 80, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-dictator.md)
- *Modern Times* (1936), Fi1m 88, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/modern-times.md)
- *City Lights* (1931), Fi1m 89, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/city-lights.md)
- *The Gold Rush* (1925), Fi1m 89, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-gold-rush.md)
- *The Kid* (1921), Fi1m 84, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md)

## Complete filmography (35)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Limelight* (1952), Camera Supervisor
- *Song of My Heart* (1948), Director of Photography
- *Monsieur Verdoux* (1947), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/monsieur-verdoux.md)
- *The Chaplin Cavalcade* (1941), Director of Photography
- *The Charlie Chaplin Festival* (1941), Director of Photography
- *The Great Dictator* (1940), Director of Photography — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-dictator.md)
- *Chaplin Carnival* (1938), Director of Photography
- *Modern Times* (1936), Director of Photography — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/modern-times.md)
- *City Lights* (1931), Director of Photography — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/city-lights.md)
- *The Circus* (1928), Director of Photography
- *The Gold Rush* (1925), Director of Photography — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/the-gold-rush.md)
- *The Pilgrim* (1923), Director of Photography
- *Pay Day* (1922), Director of Photography
- *The Idle Class* (1921), Director of Photography
- *The Kid* (1921), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md)
- *A Day's Pleasure* (1919), Cinematography
- *Sunnyside* (1919), Director of Photography
- *Shoulder Arms* (1918), Director of Photography
- *A Dog's Life* (1918), Director of Photography
- *The Adventurer* (1917), Director of Photography
- *The Immigrant* (1917), Director of Photography
- *The Cure* (1917), Director of Photography
- *Easy Street* (1917), Director of Photography
- *The Rink* (1916), Director of Photography
- *Behind the Screen* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Pawnshop* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Count* (1916), Director of Photography
- *One A.M.* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Vagabond* (1916), Director of Photography
- *The Floorwalker* (1916), Director of Photography
- *A Burlesque on Carmen* (1915), Director of Photography
- *A Night in the Show* (1915), Director of Photography
- *Work* (1915), Director of Photography
- *The Making of Broncho Billy* (1913), Actor
- *The Tomboy on Bar Z* (1912), as Clerk (as Rollie Totheroh)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/roland-totheroh