In films from 1911, American actor Robert Strange was largely confined to walk-on roles as bankers, landlords, lawyers, and doctors. Cast as Kettler in the 1929 serial King of the Kongo, Strange launched his lengthy career in "chapter plays." He went on to play such serial roles as John Malcolm in The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1940) and Professor Gordon in The Perils of Nyoka (1942). Robert Strange's grandfatherly facial features were cast in a satanic light when he was cast as the court clerk for the "jury of the damn'd" in 1941's The Devil and Daniel Webster.