Robert J. Wilke
Known For
Acting
Born
1914-05-18 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Died
1989-03-28
Biography
Prolific American character actor of primarily villainous roles. The son of German parents, Cincinnati feed-store manager August Wilke and his wife Rose, Robert Joseph Wilke grew up in Cincinnati. He worked as a lifeguard at a Miami, Florida, hotel, where he made contacts in the film business. He was able to obtain work as a stuntman and continued as such until the mid-'40s, when he began getting actual roles in low-budget westerns and serials. A prominent appearance as one of the heavies in Le train sifflera trois fois (1952) led to work in higher-quality films. He worked extensively in television as well as movies, and became an enormously familiar face, though a fairly anonymous one to the general public. His weathered visage made him a perfect western bad guy, but he occasionally played sympathetic parts as well, as in Les moissons du ciel (1978). An expert golfer, he was said by his friend Claude Akins to have earned more money on the golf course than he ever did in movies. He died in 1989. -
Most Known For
Perry Mason
as Deputy Sheriff Connors
Bonanza
as Charlie Sheppard
Bonanza
as Al Simmons
Bonanza
as Sheriff Claude T. Booker
Bonanza
as Brazos
Bonanza
as Marshal Hollister
Dallas
as Tom Owens
The Fugitive
as Johnny
The Rifleman
as Flory Sheltin
The Rifleman
as Ward Haskins
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Will Tybee
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Casey Bryan
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Walt DeVries
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Trail Boss Rook
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Maj. Blake
The Wild Wild West
as Maj. Gen. Titus Ord Baldwin
Wagon Train
as Sgt. Wick
Wagon Train
as Wesley Thomas
Wagon Train
as Col. Thomas Stone
Wagon Train
as Jabez Moore