Robert J. Wilke

Robert J. Wilke

  • Birthday: 5/18/1914
  • Deathday: 3/28/1989
  • Place of birth: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
  • Fame for: Acting
  • Also known as: Bob Wilke, Robert Wilke, Robert Joseph Wilke

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. -

Filmography

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Release date: 12/23/1954

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Role(s): First Mate of the Nautilus

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High Noon
Release date: 6/9/1952

High Noon

Role(s): Jim Pierce

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Spartacus
Release date: 10/13/1960

Spartacus

Role(s): Guard captain

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Night Passage
Release date: 7/24/1957

Night Passage

Role(s): Concho

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Tony Rome
Release date: 11/10/1967

Tony Rome

Role(s): Ralph Turpin

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