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Robert Middleton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Middleton, born Samuel G. Messer (May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977), was an American film and television actor known for his large size and beetle-like brow. With a deep, booming voice, Middleton trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked steadily as a radio announcer and actor. One of his early works was as the narrator of the educational film "Duck and Cover". After appearing on the Broadway stage and live television, Middleton began appearing in films in 1954. He's also remembered on television as the boss Mr. Marshall on The Jackie Gleason Show and in film opposite Humphrey Bogart in The Desperate Hours (1955), Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion (1956), Richard Egan and Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender (1956), Dorothy Malone and Robert Stack in The Tarnished Angels (1958), and Dean Martin in Career (1959). A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Middleton appeared in many television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, including the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure. He was cast as "The Tichborne Claimant" in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show. He appeared in ten episodes of ABC's family Western The Monroes, with costars Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey. Among his several appearances in the long-running Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he portrayed a gangster in high places, Mr. Koster, in the 1956 episode "The Better Bargain". In 1958, he played the villain in the first episode of Bat Masterson. In 1961, he appeared in the episode "Accidental Tourist" on the James Whitmore ABC legal drama The Law and Mr. Jones. That same year, he portrayed the highly sympathetic but fiercely dedicated state executioner in an episode of Thriller (U.S. TV series) entitled "Guillotine". He also appeared in at least one episode of Bonanza (1964). In the early 1950s, Middleton appeared on Broadway in Ondine. Other significant film roles include The Court Jester (1956) as a grim and determined knight who jousts with Danny Kaye in the famous "pellet with the poison" sequence, and as a sinister politician in The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977). Betwixt and between were an array of brutish mountain daddies, corrupt, cigar-chomping town bosses and lynch mob leaders. Occasionally he showed a bit of levity, as in his recurring role as Jackie Gleason's boss on The Honeymooners (1955) sketches. Middleton died of congestive heart failure in Hollywood at the age of sixty-six. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Middleton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Born:
May 13, 1911 In Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
75
First Appeared:
In the series Suspense 1949-01-06
Latest Project:
Movie James Dean: Forever Young 2005-05-20
Known For
Poster of Wichita Town
Poster of The Tarnished Angels
Poster of Friendly Persuasion
Poster of The Proud Ones
Filmography
Movie James Dean: Forever Young Himself (archive footage) 2005-05-20
Series Hunter Unknown 1977-02-18
Movie The Lincoln Conspiracy Edwin M. Stanton 1977-10-01
Movie The Mark of Zorro Don Luis Quintero 1974-10-29
Movie The Harrad Experiment Sid Bower 1973-05-11
Movie Even Angels Eat Beans Angelo 1973-03-22
Movie Fair Play Jova Purvis 1972-01-01
Series Kung Fu Unknown 1972-10-14
Series Alias Smith and Jones Unknown 1971-01-05
Series Columbo Victor Norris 1971-09-15
Movie The Cheyenne Social Club Barkeeper - Great Plains Saloon 1970-06-12
Series McCloud Unknown 1970-02-17
Movie Company of Killers Owen Brady 1970-08-26
Movie Which Way to the Front? Colonico 1970-09-03
Series Mannix Unknown 1967-09-16
Movie A Big Hand for the Little Lady Dennis Wilcox 1966-06-08
Series Mission: Impossible Unknown 1966-09-17
Series The Monroes Unknown 1966-09-07
Series The Big Valley Unknown 1965-09-15
Series Get Smart Unknown 1965-09-18
Series The Wild Wild West Unknown 1965-09-17
Movie For Those Who Think Young Burford Sanford Cronin 1964-06-01
Series Daniel Boone Unknown 1964-09-24
Movie Cattle King Clay Mathews 1963-07-08
Series Burke's Law Unknown 1963-09-20
Series Vacation Playhouse Unknown 1963-07-22
Series The Americans Unknown 1961-01-23
Movie Witchcraft: The Doll in Brambles Martin Plomb 1961-01-01
Movie Gold of the Seven Saints Amos Gondora 1961-02-18
Series Target: The Corruptors! Unknown 1961-09-29
Series The New Breed Unknown 1961-10-03
Movie Hell Bent for Leather Ambrose 1960-02-01
Series The Tall Man Unknown 1960-09-10
Series Thriller Unknown 1960-09-13
Movie The Great Impostor R.C. Brown 1960-12-23
Series Wichita Town Unknown 1959-09-30
Series Rawhide Unknown 1959-01-09
Movie Don't Give Up the Ship Vice Adm. Philo Tecumseh Bludde 1959-07-03
Series Adventures in Paradise Unknown 1959-10-05
Series The Rebel Unknown 1959-10-04
Series The Detectives Unknown 1959-10-16
Movie Career Robert Kensington 1959-10-08
Movie Day of the Badman Charlie Hayes 1958-01-29
Movie The Law and Jake Wade Ortero 1958-06-06
Movie Nightmare at Ground Zero Narrator 1958-05-15
Movie Bitter Heritage Luke Crocker 1958-08-07
Movie No Place to Land Buck LaVonne 1958-10-03
Series Bat Masterson Unknown 1958-10-08
Movie The Lonely Man Ben Ryerson 1957-06-21
Series Perry Mason Unknown 1957-09-21
Series The Walter Winchell File Unknown 1957-10-02
Movie The Tarnished Angels Matt Ord 1957-11-21
Movie The Proud Ones Honest John Barrett 1956-05-15
Movie Red Sundown Rufus Henshaw 1956-03-01
Series Telephone Time Unknown 1956-04-08
Series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Unknown 1956-10-05
Movie Friendly Persuasion Sam Jordan 1956-11-25
Movie Love Me Tender Mr. Siringo 1956-11-15
Series The Honeymooners Unknown 1955-10-01
Movie The Big Combo Police Capt. Peterson 1955-02-13
Series Alfred Hitchcock Presents Unknown 1955-10-02
Series Gunsmoke Unknown 1955-09-10
Movie The Desperate Hours Sam Kobish 1955-10-05
Series Matinee Theater Unknown 1955-10-31
Movie The Court Jester Sir Griswold 1955-12-24
Movie Trial A.A. "Fats" Sanders 1955-10-07
Series Climax! Unknown 1954-10-07
Movie The Silver Chalice Idbash 1954-12-20
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Series Letter to Loretta Unknown 1953-09-20
Series Cavalcade of America Unknown 1952-10-01
Series Tales of Tomorrow Unknown 1951-08-03
Series Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Unknown 1951-10-05
Series Lux Video Theatre Unknown 1950-10-02
Series Suspense Unknown 1949-01-06