Cliff Robertson

Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson III (born September 9, 1923) is an American actor with a film and television career that spans half of a century. Robertson won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie Charly. In addition to his Oscar and Emmy and several lifetime achievement awards from various film festivals, Robertson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. He is perhaps best known to younger audiences for playing "Uncle" Ben Parker in the Spider-Man film series.

Early life

Robertson was born in La Jolla, California, the son of Audrey (née Willingham) and Clifford Parker Robertson II. He attended Antioch College in Ohio and worked as a journalist for a short time.^[1][2] In high school he was known as 'The Walking Phoenix.'^[3]

Career

Robertson played a future President of the United States in PT 109 (chosen personally by John F. Kennedy to portray the then-Lt. Kennedy) and a presidential candidate in The Best Man. Then came Charly (an adaptation of Flowers for Algernon for which he won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actor).

Other films included Picnic, Sunday in New York, Autumn Leaves, Too Late the Hero, Three Days of the Condor, Obsession, J. W. Coop, Star 80 and Malone. More recently, Robertson's career has had a resurgence. He appeared as Uncle Ben Parker in the first movie adaptation of Spider-Man, as well as in the sequels Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. He commented on his website that ""Since Spiderman 1 and 2, I seem to have a whole new generation of fans. That in itself is a fine residual."^[4] He was also in the 2004 horror film Riding the Bullet.

Robertson's television appearances include guest starring roles in such series as the NBC medical drama about psychiatry The Eleventh Hour (1963) in the role of Jeff Dillon, "The Man Who Came Home Late". Other network appearances included CBS's The Twilight Zone and ABC's Breaking Point and The Greatest Show on Earth.

He had a starring role in the live space opera Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers, as well as recurring roles on Hallmark Hall of Fame, Alcoa Theatre, and Playhouse 90 (in the 1950s), The Outlaws (three episodes as Chad Burns), Batman as the villainous gunfighter Shame (in the 1960s), Falcon Crest as Dr. Michael Ranson (in the 1980s), and most recently, The Lyon's Den. He had starring roles in both the 1960s and 1990s versions of The Outer Limits. He was awarded an Emmy for his leading role in an 1965 episode from Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre entitled "The Game." His second appearance on Batman featured his wife, Dina Merrill, as an extra special guest villainess, Shame's wife Calamity Jan. This two-part episode is considered by many Batman fans to be among the series' funniest.

In 1989, he narrated an AT&T promotional video documenting some of its technological improvements at the time. Incidentally, Robertson, who for ten years was a national TV spokesman for AT&T (which won him the Advertising Age award for best commercial), was to be the keynote speaker at an AT&T stockholders' meeting during a strike by AT&T workers. Robertson refused to cross the picket line and did not speak at the meeting.

Personal life

Robertson was married to actress Dina Merrill from 1966 to 1986.

In 1977, Robertson discovered that his name had been forged on a $10,000 check that had been due to him. He also learned that the forgery had been carried out by Columbia studio head David Begelman, and on reporting it, he inadvertently triggered one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 1970s. Robertson was subsequently blacklisted for several years before he finally returned to film in Brainstorm (1983).^[2][5] Robertson received an award from Antioch College Alumni in 2007 for his contributions to his field of work.

One of Robertson's main hobbies is flying and, among other aircraft, he has owned several de Havilland Tiger Moths, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a genuine World War II era Mk.IX Supermarine Spitfire MK923.^[6]

Immediately after winning the Academy Award for Charly, Robertson attempted an aviation film tentatively titled “I Shot Down the Red Baron, I Think.” It was a spoof in which he played a fighter pilot against the Red Baron, who dressed in pink and was obviously gay. The Red Baron was played by Don Watson. During the summer of 1969 Robertson’s production utilized Lynn Garrison’s War One airfield, at Leixlip, Ireland, with a collection of replica aircraft, vehicles and support equipment. The film was never completed.

Filmography

References

External links

• Official website
• Cliff Robertson at the Internet Movie Database
• Cliff Robertson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre episode "The Game" at the Internet Movie Database
• Warbird Registry entry on MK923