Ivan Rogers (actor) facts for kids

Ivan Rogers (1954–2010) was an American actor, director, and producer. He also played music and was a talented martial artist. Many people thought he was following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, Fred Williamson, who was also from Indiana.

Early Life and Talents

Ivan Rogers was born on September 20, 1954. He was one of three sons born to Paul B. Rogers and his wife Ola. His father worked as a building contractor.

Ivan went to Ball State University and studied music. He decided to leave college to become a professional musician. He played in different R&B bands and even performed with the famous singer Marvin Gaye.

Besides music, Ivan was also a skilled martial artist. He held a second-degree black belt. He was a professional kickboxer and competed in many tournaments in the United States and other countries.

He was asked by a company to create a video that would teach people about martial arts. Ivan ended up writing, producing, and starring in this instructional video himself! During his travels, he met Mike Stone, who used to be a bodyguard for Elvis Presley. Mike Stone had some success making movies for TV. Following Mike's advice, Ivan moved to Los Angeles to start his film career. Fred Williamson also gave him helpful tips about the movie business.

Film Career

In the mid-1980s, Ivan released a video called Karate & Self Defense. It was put out by Best Film & Video Corporation.

In 1987, Ivan made a film called Two Wrongs Make a Right. He wrote the story and screenplay for this movie. It reminded some people of the action films from the 1970s.

One of his notable films was Forgive Me Father, which came out in the early 2000s. In this movie, Ivan Rogers plays a hitman who is pretending to be a priest in Canada. His character, Father Virgil Garrett, was thought to be dead. But he comes back to find the people who killed his brother. The movie first showed at the Madame Walker Theatre Center in Indiana in March 2000. Ivan Rogers even gave some of the money from the premiere to the Indianapolis Police Department.

Ivan Rogers was involved in many films, not just as an actor. He also worked as a director, producer, and writer for several projects.

Death

Ivan Rogers passed away in Indianapolis on August 22, 2010.

Selected Filmography

Ivan Rogers worked on many films. Here are some of the movies where he was an actor:

Here are some of the projects where Ivan Rogers was a producer, writer, or director: