Cliff Robertson

Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned half a century. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film PT 109, and won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film Charly. On television, he portrayed retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin in the 1976 adaptation of Aldrin's autobiographic Return to Earth, played a fictional character based on Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms in the 1977 miniseries Washington: Behind Closed Doors, and portrayed Henry Ford in Ford: The Man and the Machine (1987). His last well-known film appearances were as Uncle Ben in the 2002–2007 Spider-Man film trilogy.

Cliff Robertson
Robertson in 1981
Born	Clifford Parker Robertson III (1923-09-09)September 9, 1923 La Jolla, California, U.S.
Died	September 10, 2011(2011-09-10) (aged 88) Stony Brook, New York, U.S.
Education	La Jolla High School
Alma mater	Antioch College
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1943–2007
Spouse(s)	Cynthia Stone ​ ( m. 1957; div. 1959) Dina Merrill ​ ( m. 1966; div. 1989)
Children	2
Website	www.cliffrobertson.info

Early life and education

Robertson was born in La Jolla, California,[1][2][3] the son of Clifford Parker Robertson Jr. (1902–1968), and his first wife, Audrey Olga Robertson (née Willingham; 1903–1925).[4][5] His Texas-born father was described as "the idle heir to a tidy sum of ranching money".[6] Robertson once said, "[My father] was a very romantic figure – tall, handsome. He married four or five times, and between marriages he'd pop in to see me. He was a great raconteur, and he was always surrounded by sycophants who let him pick up the tab. During the Great Depression, he tapped the trust for $500,000, and six months later he was back for more."[7]

Robertson's parents divorced when he was one, and his mother died of peritonitis a year later in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 21.[1][7][8] He was raised by his maternal grandmother, Mary Eleanor "Eleanora" Willingham (née Sawyer, 1875–1957), in California, and rarely saw his father.[1][7][9] He graduated in 1941 from La Jolla High School,[10] where he was known as "The Walking Phoenix".[11]

He served in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II,[1] before attending Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and dropping out to work as a journalist for a short time.[12][13]

Career

Robertson studied at the Actors Studio, becoming a life member.[14] In the early 1950s he worked steadily on television, including a stint in the lead of Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953–54). He appeared in Broadway in Late Love (1953–54) and The Wisteria Tree (1955), the latter written by Joshua Logan.

Columbia

Robertson made his film debut in Picnic (1955), directed by Logan. Robertson played the role of William Holden's best friend – a part originated on stage by Paul Newman.

The film was a box office success and Robertson was promoted to Joan Crawford's co star in Autumn Leaves (1956), also at Columbia, playing her mentally unstable younger lover. This meant he had to pass up the chance to replace Ben Gazzara on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.[15] However he did return to Broadway to appear in Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams, which only had a short run.

Robertson, Jane Powell, and Keith Andes in the 1958 film, The Girl Most Likely

Robertson went to RKO to make two films: The Naked and the Dead (1958), an adaptation of the famous novel, co-starring Aldo Ray; and The Girl Most Likely (1958), a musical – the last film made by RKO Studios. Robertson received superb reviews for Days of Wine and Roses on TV with Piper Laurie.

He was in Columbia's Gidget (1959) appearing opposite Sandra Dee as the Big Kahuna. It was popular and led to two sequels, neither of which Robertson appeared in. Less successful was a war film at Columbia, Battle of the Coral Sea (1959).

Robertson had better luck on TV, appearing in "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" for The Twilight Zone. He was the third lead in Paramount's All in a Night's Work (1961) and starred in Samuel Fuller's Underworld U.S.A. (1961) at Columbia.

Robertson supported Esther Williams in The Big Show (1961). He had his first film hit since Gidget with Columbia's The Interns (1962). After supporting Debbie Reynolds in My Six Loves (1963), Robertson was President John F. Kennedy's personal choice to play him in 1963's PT 109.[16] The film was not a success at the box office.

More popular was Sunday in New York (1963), where Robertson supported Rod Taylor and Jane Fonda, and The Best Man where he was a ruthless presidential candidate.

Robertson appeared in a popular war film 633 Squadron (1964) then supported Lana Turner in a melodrama, Love Has Many Faces (1965). In 1965 he said his contract with Columbia was for one film a year.[17]

Charly

In 1961 Robertson had played the lead role in a United States Steel Hour television production titled "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon", based on the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.[18] Frustrated at the progress of his career, Robertson optioned the rights to the teleplay and hired William Goldman to write a script. Before Goldman completed his work, Robertson arranged for Goldman to be hired to Americanize the dialogue for Masquerade (1965), a spy spoof which Robertson starred in, replacing Rex Harrison.

Robertson then made a war film, Up from the Beach (1965) for Fox and guest-starred on that studio's TV show, Batman (1966). He co-starred with Harrison in The Honey Pot (1967) for Joseph L. Mankiewicz then was in another war film, The Devil's Brigade (1968) with William Holden.

Robertson disliked Goldman's Algernon script and replaced the writer with Stirling Silliphant for what became Charly (1968). The film was another box office success and Robertson won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a mentally disabled man.

Stardom

Charly was made by ABC Pictures, which insisted that Robert Aldrich use Robertson in Too Late the Hero (1970), a war film with Michael Caine that disappointed at the box office.

Robertson turned down roles in The Anderson Tapes, Straw Dogs (before Peckinpah was involved), and Dirty Harry.[19] Instead Robertson co-wrote, starred in, and directed J. W. Coop (1972), another commercial disappointment despite excellent reviews.

Lynn Garrison's Stampe-Vertongen SV.4 painted for a Robertson film project, Weston, Ireland, 1969

Looking back on his career, Robertson said: "nobody made more mediocre movies than I did. Nobody ever did such a wide variety of mediocrity".[19]

In 1969, immediately after winning the Academy Award for Charly, Robertson, a lifelong aviation enthusiast, attempted to produce and direct an aviation film, I Shot Down the Red Baron, I Think, featuring World War I aerial combat, using Lynn Garrison's Irish aviation facility. The comedic storyline portrayed the Red Baron as gay. The aircraft featured garish paint schemes. The film was never completed, or released.

Robertson played Cole Younger in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) and a pilot in Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies (1973). He appeared in the 1974 thriller Man on a Swing and the 1975 British drama Out of Season.

Career decline

Robertson returned to supporting parts in Three Days of the Condor (1975), which was a big hit. He played the lead in Obsession (1976), a popular thriller from Brian De Palma and Paul Schrader, and in the Canadian drama, Shoot (1976). He was also one of several stars in Midway (1976).

Robertson turned to television for Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977), then had the lead in a thriller, Dominique (1978). He returned to directing for The Pilot (1980), also playing the title role, an alcoholic flyer. Robertson played Hugh Hefner in Star 80 (1980). He attempted to make Charly II in 1980 but it did not happen.[20]

Later career

From the 1980s onwards, Robertson was predominantly a character actor. He played villains in Class (1983) and Brainstorm (1983). He did have the lead in Shaker Run (1985) in New Zealand, and Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story (1986) on TV.

He was a villain in Malone (1987), did Dead Reckoning (1990) on TV and supported in Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken (1991), Wind (1991), Renaissance Man (1994) and John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. (1996).

Late in his life Robertson's career had a resurgence. He appeared as Uncle Ben Parker in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007; his last acting role). He commented on his website: "Since Spider-Man 1 and 2, I seem to have a whole new generation of fans. That in itself is a fine residual."[21] He also starred in and wrote 13th Child (2002) and appeared in Riding the Bullet (2004), both horror films.

In 1989, he was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[22]

Television

Robertson and Felicia Farr in the Playhouse 90 presentation of "Natchez"

Robertson's early television appearances included a starring role in the live space opera Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers (1953–1954), as well as recurring roles on Hallmark Hall of Fame (1952), Alcoa Theatre (1959), and Playhouse 90 (1958, 1960), The Outlaws (three episodes). Robertson also appeared as a special guest star on Wagon Train for one episode, portraying an Irish immigrant.

In 1958, Robertson portrayed Joe Clay in the first broadcast of Playhouse 90's Days of Wine and Roses. In 1960, he was cast as Martinus Van Der Brig, a con man, in the episode "End of a Dream" of Riverboat.[23]

Other appearances included, 1958 "Wagon Train", The Twilight Zone episodes "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (1961) and "The Dummy" (1962), followed by The Eleventh Hour in the 1963 episode, "The Man Who Came Home Late". He guest-starred on such television series as The Greatest Show on Earth, Breaking Point and ABC Stage 67. He had starring roles in episodes of both the 1960s and 1990s versions of The Outer Limits. He was awarded an Emmy for his leading role in a 1965 episode, "The Game" of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. He appeared twice as a guest-villain on ABC's Batman as the gunfighter "Shame" (1966 and 1968), the second time with his wife, Dina Merrill, as "Calamity Jan".

In 1976, he portrayed a retired Buzz Aldrin in an adaptation of Aldrin's autobiography Return to Earth. The next year, he portrayed a fictional Director of Central Intelligence (based on Richard Helms) in Washington: Behind Closed Doors, an adaptation of John Ehrlichman's roman à clef The Company, in turn based on the Watergate scandal. In 1987, he portrayed Henry Ford in Ford: The Man and The Machine. From 1983–84, he played Dr. Michael Ranson in Falcon Crest.

Young Eagles initiative

A certified private pilot, he was a longtime member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), working his way through the ranks in prominence and eventually co-founding the Young Eagles Program with EAA president Tom Poberezny. Robertson chaired the program from its 1992 inception to 1994 (succeeded by former test pilot Gen. Chuck Yeager). Along with educating youth around aviation, the initial goal of the Young Eagles was to fly one million children (many of them never having flown before) prior to the 100th Anniversary of Flight celebration on December 17, 2003. That goal was achieved on November 13, 2003. On July 28, 2016, the two millionth Young Eagle was flown by actor Harrison Ford.[24]

Columbia Pictures scandal

In 1977, Robertson discovered that his signature had been forged on a $10,000 check payable to him, although it was for work he had not performed. He also learned that the forgery had been carried out by Columbia Pictures head David Begelman, and on reporting it he inadvertently triggered one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1970s.[25] Begelman was charged with embezzlement, convicted, and later fired from Columbia. Despite pressure to remain quiet, Robertson and his wife Dina Merrill spoke to the press. As a result, Hollywood producers blacklisted him.[26]

He finally returned to studio film five years later, starring in Brainstorm (1983).[13][27] The story of the scandal is told in David McClintick's 1982 bestseller Indecent Exposure.

Personal life

In 1957, Robertson married actress Cynthia Stone, the former wife of actor Jack Lemmon. They had a daughter, Stephanie, before divorcing in 1959; he also had a stepson by this marriage, Chris Lemmon. In 1966, he married actress and Post Cereals heiress Dina Merrill, the former wife of Stanley M. Rumbough Jr.; they had a daughter, Heather (1969–2007), before divorcing.[1] By this marriage, he also had stepchildren Stanley Hutton Rumbough, David Post Rumbough, and Nedenia Colgate Rumbough. He resided in Water Mill, New York.[28]

Robertson was a Democrat and supported Arizona congressman Morris K. Udall during the 1976 Democratic presidential primaries.[29]

Aviation

One of Robertson's main hobbies was flying and, among other aircraft, he owned several de Havilland Tiger Moths, a Messerschmitt Bf 108, and a genuine World War II – era Mk.IX Supermarine Spitfire MK923.[30][31] His first plane ride was in a Lockheed Model 9 Orion. As a 13-year-old he would clean hangars for airplane rides. He met Paul Mantz, Art Scholl, and Charles Lindbergh while flying at local California airports.[32] His piloting skills helped him get the part as the squadron leader in the British war film 633 Squadron. He entered balloon races, including one in 1964 from the mainland to Catalina Island that ended with him being rescued from the Pacific Ocean.

In 1969, during the civil war conflict in Nigeria, Robertson helped organize an effort to fly food and medical supplies into the area. He also organized flights of supplies to the ravaged country of Ethiopia when it experienced famine in 1978.[30] Within the EAA, he founded the Cliff Robertson Work Experience in 1993, which offers youths the chance to work for flight and ground school instruction.[33]

Robertson was flying a private Beechcraft Baron over New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was directly above the World Trade Center climbing through 7,500 feet when the first Boeing 767 struck. He was instructed by air traffic control to land immediately at the nearest airport after a nationwide order to ground all civilian and commercial aircraft following the attacks.[34]

Death

On September 10, 2011, one day after his 88th birthday, Robertson died of natural causes in Stony Brook, New York.[35][36] His body was cremated, and a private funeral was held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in East Hampton, New York.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1943	We've Never Been Licked	Adams	Uncredited
	Corvette K-225	Lookout	Uncredited
1955	Picnic	Alan Benson
1956	Autumn Leaves	Burt Hanson
1958	The Girl Most Likely	Pete
	The Naked and the Dead	Lieutenant Robert Hearn
	Days of Wine and Roses	Joe Clay	Part of the Playhouse 90 anthology series
1959	Gidget	The Big Kahuna
	Battle of the Coral Sea	Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Conway
	As the Sea Rages	Clements
1960	Riverboat	Martinus Van Der Brig	Episode: "End of a Dream" (NBC-TV)
1961	The Twilight Zone	Christian Horn Sr.	Episode: "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim"
	All in a Night's Work	Warren Kingsley Jr.
	Underworld U.S.A.	Tolly Devlin
	The Big Show	Josef Everard
1962	The Twilight Zone	Jerry Etherson	Episode: "The Dummy"
	The Interns	Dr. John Paul Otis
1963	My Six Loves	Reverend Jim Larkin
	PT 109	Lt. (j.g.) John F. Kennedy
	The Outer Limits	Alan Maxwell	Episode: "The Galaxy Being" (Season 1, Episode 1)
	Sunday in New York	Adam Tyler
1964	The Best Man	Joe Cantwell
	633 Squadron	Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant
1965	Love Has Many Faces	Pete Jordon
	Masquerade	David Frazer
	Up from the Beach	Sgt. Edward Baxter
1966, 1968	Batman	Shame	Episodes: Come Back, Shame/It's How You Play the Game, The Great Escape/The Great Train Robbery
1967	The Honey Pot	William McFly
1968	The Devil's Brigade	Maj. Alan Crown
	Charly	Charlie Gordon	Academy Award for Best Actor National Board of Review Award for Best Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Laurel Award for Best Male Dramatic Performance
1970	Too Late the Hero	Lt. (j.g.) Sam Lawson
1971	J. W. Coop	J. W. Coop
1972	The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid	Cole Younger
1973	The Men Who Made the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock	Narrator
	Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies	Ace Eli Walford
1974	Man on a Swing	Lee Tucker
	A Tree Grows In Brooklyn	Johnny Nolan
1975	Out of Season	Joe Tanner	Entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival
	Three Days of the Condor	J. Higgins
1976	Return to Earth	Buzz Aldrin
	Shoot	Rex
	Midway	Cmdr. Carl Jessop
	Obsession	Michael Courtland
1977	Fraternity Row	Narrator
	Washington: Behind Closed Doors	William Martin	Adaptation of The Company; character based on Richard Helms
1979	The Little Prince Martin the Cobbler Rip Van Wynkle The Diary of Adam and Eve	Host; The pilot (Little Prince)	Package of Claymation shorts by Will Vinton
	Dominique	David Ballard
1980	Charly II	Charly Gordon
	The Pilot	Mike Hagan
1983	Falcon Crest	Dr. Michael Ranson	Season 3
	Star 80	Hugh Hefner
	Class	Mr. Burroughs
	Brainstorm	Alex Terson
1985	The Key To Rebecca	Maj. William Vandam	TV Movie
	Shaker Run	Judd Pierson
1986	Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story	Mel Fisher
1987	Malone	Charles Delaney
	Ford: The Man and the Machine	Henry Ford
1990	Dead Reckoning	Daniel Barnard	TV movie
1991	Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken	Doctor Carver
1992	Wind	Morgan Weld
	The Ghosts of '87	Host
1994	Renaissance Man	Colonel James
1995	Waiting for Sunset or The Sunset Boys (Pakten)	Ted Roth
1996	Escape from L.A.	President
1998	Melting Pot	Jack Durman
	Assignment Berlin	Cliff Garret
1999	Family Tree	Larry
	The Outer Limits	Theodore Harris	Episode: "Joyride"
2001	Falcon Down	Buzz Thomas
	Mach 2	Vice President Pike
2002	Spider-Man	Ben Parker
	13th Child	Mr. Shroud	Robertson was one of the writers of this film
2003	The Lyon's Den	Hal Malloy	4 episodes
2004	Spider-Man 2	Ben Parker	Cameo
	Riding the Bullet	Farmer
2007	Spider-Man 3	Ben Parker	Cameo (final acting role)
2018	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Ben Parker	Archival audio

Awards

Robertson was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006. He received the Rebecca Rice Alumni Award from Antioch College in 2007. In addition to his Oscar and Emmy and several lifetime achievement awards from various film festivals,[37] Robertson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He was also awarded the 2008 Ambassador of Good Will Aviation Award by the National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association in Alexandria, Virginia, for his leadership in and promotion of general aviation. In 2009, Robertson was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.[38]

See also

References

1. Keepnews, Peter (September 11, 2011). "Cliff Robertson, Oscar-Winning Rebel, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
2. IMDb
3. California Births, 1905–1995 Familytreelegends.com
4. Several obituaries have stated that Robertson was adopted by his parents. However, the California Birth Index of 1905–1995 states that Clifford P. Robertson was born to a mother whose maiden name was Willingham, in Los Angeles County, California, on September 9, 1923.
5. Mother's birth and death information per records accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011
6. Father's birthplace accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011
7. Green, Michelle (December 5, 1983). "Cliff Robertson profile at". People. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
8. Mother's death information per records accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011
9. Grandmother's name and dates accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011
10. Cliff Robertson biodata, FilmReference.com; accessed April 26, 2015.
11. "Cliff Robertson/Hollywood Walk of Fame". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
12. "Cliff Robertson".
13. Cliff Robertson biodata, yahoo.com; accessed April 26, 2015.
14. Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
15. Schallert, E. (Aug 18, 1955). "Cliff robertson wins plum crawford lead; lance fuller starred". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166816412.
16. Hoberman, J. (August 26, 2003). "Lights, Camera, Exploitation". Village Voice. Archived from the original on June 30, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
17. Hopper, H. (Aug 8, 1965). "Cliff robertson: Career that's flying high". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 155264948.
18. "U.S. Steel Hour: "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon" (2/22/1961)". YouTube. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
19. A. H. (July 16, 1972). "Cliff Robertson flies the 'coop' to glory". The New York Times. ProQuest 119540258.
20. Bruce McCabe, G. S. (Sep 8, 1980). "CLIFF ROBERTSON BRINGING CHARLY BACK TO SOUTH BOSTON#". Boston Globe. ProQuest 293973554.
21. "Cliff Robertson's Career Achievements" Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 14, 2007.
22. "Berlinale: 1989 Juries". berlinale.de. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
23. ""End of a Dream", Riverboat, September 19, 1960". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
24. "Harrison Ford Flies 2 Millionth Young Eagle". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
25. "Cliff Robertson". The Telegraph. London. September 11, 2011.
26. Lee, G. (Mar 28, 1980). "THE LONELY ORDEAL OF CLIFF ROBERTSON". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 162762482.
27. McClintick, David. Indecent Exposure: A True Story of Hollywood and Wall Street, William Morrow and Company, 1982.
28. "Career Achievements". Official Website of Cliff Robertson. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
29. https://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/10/local/la-me-cliff-robertson-20110911/2
30. Hall, Bob. Southeastern Antiquing and Collecting Magazine. Cliff Robertson Collects Vintage AircraftArticle on Robertson's private aviation collection. 2004.
31. First Cross-Country Soaring or (You Ain't John Wayne – Robertson) Archived 2010-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
32. Gene Smith (December 1987). "Real Airport Kids Never Grow Up". Air Progress.
33. "Cliff Robertson Work Experience". Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
34. Official Cliff Robertson site Archived 2011-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
35. "Cliff Robertson, who played JFK in 'PT-109', dies". Yahoo! News. September 11, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
36. "US film actor Cliff Robertson dies aged 88". BBC. September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
37. "Award Winners". 2010-08-28. Archived from the original on 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
38. Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.

External links

• Official website
• Cliff Robertson on IMDb
• Cliff Robertson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Interview in the Archive of American Television
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre episode "The Game" on IMDb
• Warbird Registry entry on MK923
• "Cliff Robertson, 1923–2011: Actor, Writer, Producer and Director", a Special English presentation of Voice of America
• Biography in the National Aviation Hall of Fame