Robert J. Wilke

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Robert J. Wilke (born May 18, 1914 in Cincinnati , Ohio , † March 28, 1989 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor .

Life

Robert Wilke, who was of German descent, began his career as a stuntman in the 1930s. His first screen appearance was in the movie San Francisco . Soon he was regularly receiving roles in many films, mainly as a villain or henchman. Together with Ian MacDonald , Lee van Cleef and Sheb Wooley, he terrorized the small town as a gang of thugs in the film 12 noon . In addition to the westerns, Wilke also played in other films. One of his most famous non-western films was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). Here he played the chief mate of the Nautilus . Other well-known Wilke films were Anthony Mann's About the Death Pass , in which he played his star role as a bandit alongside James Stewart , and The Magnificent Seven by John Sturges , in which he fell victim to the knife-throwing of James Coburn's character in a well-known scene falls.

From the 1960s onwards, Wilke only rarely appeared in films, exceptions were Gene Kelly's western comedy Shot Is From Midnight (1970) and Terrence Malick's film drama In der Embers des Südens (1978). Instead, he was a high-profile guest star on various television series including Bonanza , Smoking Guns , Perry Mason , A Thousand Miles of Dust , My Three Sons , Kung Fu , Starsky & Hutch, and Dallas . The busy supporting actor had over 300 film and television appearances by 1981. Most recently he stood for the comedy I think a moose smooches me! in the role of an American general in front of the camera.

In addition to his acting career, Wilke was a good golfer and won numerous amateur awards. He died of cancer in Los Angeles in 1989 at the age of 74 . He was married to his wife Patricia until his death and they had a son.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wilke, Robert J.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 18, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Ohio
DATE OF DEATH March 28, 1989
Place of death los Angeles