Robert Webber

American actor (1924–1989)

For other people named Robert Webber, see Robert Webber (disambiguation).

Robert Webber

Webber in an episode of One Step Beyond (1959)

Born|

Robert Laman Webber[1]

(1924-10-14)October 14, 1924
Died| May 19, 1989(1989-05-19) (aged 64)

Malibu, California

Occupation| Actor
Years active| 1950–1989

Robert Laman Webber (October 14, 1924 – May 19, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in dozens of films and television series, including Juror No. 12 in the 1957 film 12 Angry Men.

## Early life[edit]

Webber was the son of Robert Webber, who was a merchant seaman.[2] He graduated from Oakland Technical High School. Webber enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1943 during World War II, serving in the 1st Marine Amphibious Corps and later in the 6th Marine Division as a 776-Radio Operator (Low Speed)[3] in Guam and Okinawa.[2][4] Webber was discharged in 1945 as a private first class and was awarded the Navy Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Presidential Unit Citation, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.[3]

## Career[edit]

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Webber had a 40-year career as a character actor, during which he appeared as Juror No. 12 in 12 Angry Men (1957), as Dudley Moore's gay lyricist in 10 (1979), and the father of Cybill Shepherd's character in the hit series Moonlighting.

Other notable turns were in the movies The Sandpiper, in which he played a supporting role as Elizabeth Taylor's character's former lover; The Nun and the Sergeant, in which he played the lead; The Dirty Dozen, where he played a general who disliked the character portrayed by Lee Marvin; a sadistic lowlife encountered by Paul Newman in the anti-hero detective drama Harper; a hitman in Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia; and a killer in the Dean Martin spy spoof The Silencers. Other notable movies include The Great White Hope (1970), Midway (1976), Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Private Benjamin (1980), S.O.B. (1981), and Wild Geese II (1985). Several of the movies were directed by Blake Edwards.

On television, Webber appeared in many of the popular dramas of the time, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Mannix, Kojak,The Outer Limits, The Virginian, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, Route 66, I Spy, The Rifleman, Mission: Impossible, S.W.A.T., and Ironside.

He appeared in four episodes of Cannon: the 1971 episode "The Nowhere Man" as McMillan, the 1972 episode "That Was No Lady" as Clay Spencer," the 1973 episode "Memo From a Dead Man" as Barney Shaw and the 1974 episode "A Voice From the Grave" as the Hitman.

Webber appeared in four episodes of The Rockford Files: the January 1975 episode "Aura Lee, Farewell"[5] as Senator Evan Murdock, the October 1975 episode "The Deep Blue Sleep"[6] as Bob Coleman, the 1976 episode "The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit"[7] as Roman Clementi and the episode "Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job"[8] as Harold Jack Coombs.

Webber guest-starred on three episodes of Barnaby Jones: the October 1975 episode “The Price of Terror” as businessman Maxwell Strager and the 1978 two-part episode “Final Judgment” as Gene Gates.[9][10]

## Death[edit]

Webber died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) at age 64 in Malibu, California.[11]

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

* Highway 301 (1950) as William B. Phillips
* 12 Angry Men (1957) as Juror #12
* The Nun and the Sergeant (1962) as Sergeant McGrath
* The Stripper (1963) as Ricky Powers
* Hysteria (1965) as Chris Smith
* The Sandpiper (1965) as Ward Hendricks
* The Third Day (1965) as Dom Guardiano
* The Silencers (1966) as Sam Gunther
* Harper (1966) as Dwight Troy
* Tecnica di un omicidio  (1966) as Clint Harris
* Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) as Milo Stewart
* The Dirty Dozen (1967) as Brigadier General James Denton
* Don't Make Waves (1967) as Rod Prescott
* Every Man Is My Enemy (1967) as Tony Costa
* Manon 70 (1968) as Ravaggi
* The Big Bounce (1969) as Bob Rodgers
* The Great White Hope (1970) as Dixon
* Macédoine (1971) as Sandeberg
* $ (1971) as Attorney
* Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) as Sappensly
* Flatfoot in Hong Kong (1975) as Sam Accardo
* Soldat Duroc, ça va être ta fête (1975) as Sergeant John Lewis
* Midway (1976) as Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher
* Hit Squad (1976) as Mr. Duglas
* Death Steps in the Dark (1977) as Inspector
* Madame Claude (1977) as Howard
* The Accuser aka L'Imprécateur (1977) as Le Cadre Américain
* The Choirboys (1977) as Deputy Chief Riggs
* Casey's Shadow (1978) as Mike Marsh
* Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) as Philippe Douvier
* Gardenia (1979) as Caruso
* 10 (1979) as Hugh
* Courage - Let's Run (1979) as Charley
* Tous vedettes (1980) as Harry Stabling
* Private Benjamin (1980) as Colonel Clay Thornbush
* Sunday Lovers (1980) as Henry Morrison (segment "The French Method")
* S.O.B. (1981) as Ben Coogan
* Wrong Is Right (1982) as Harvey
* Who Dares Wins (1982) as General Ira Potter
* Wild Geese II (1985) as Robert McCann
* Nuts (1987) as Francis MacMillan

### Television and radio[edit]

* Starlight Theatre (1950)
* Out There (1951–1952) as Captain Bill Hurley
* Tales of Tomorrow (1952)
* Studio One (1952) as Skeets
* Eye Witness (1953)
* Suspense (1954) as James Forsythe
* Three Steps to Heaven (1953) as Chip Morrison
* Robert Montgomery Presents (1954)
* The Phil Silvers Show (1956) as Ego
* Kraft Television Theatre (1955–1957)
* Playhouse 90 (1958) as Malcolm Field
* The Rifleman (1959) as Wes Carney
* Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959) (Season 4 Episode 34: "A True Account") as Paul Brett
* Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond ('The Captain's Guests', episode) (1959) as Andrew Courtney
* Play of the Week (1960)
* Checkmate (1961) as Miles Archer
* The Investigators (1961) as Bert Crayne
* Thriller (1961) as Arthur Henshaw
* Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 21: "Burglar Proof") as Harrison Fell
* Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1962) (Season 7 Episode 36: "First Class Honeymoon") as Edward Gibson
* The Paradine Case (1962) as Andre Latour
* Stoney Burke (1962) as Roy Hazelton
* The Dick Powell Show (1961–1962) as Captain John Wycliff
* Route 66 (1962) as Frank Bridenbaugh
* The Defenders (1962–1963) as Douglas, Michael Hillyer, Father Phelps
* Naked City (1963) as Gordon Lanning
* The Greatest Show on Earth (1963) as Rudy
* The Nurses (1963) as Arthur Luskin
* Arrest and Trial (1963) as George Morrison
* Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963) as Stuart Landsman
* Ben Casey (1963) as Slim
* The Fugitive (1964) as Harlan Guthrie
* Espionage (1964) as Jack Hanley
* Brenner (1964)
* Mr. Broadway (1964) as Hogan
* The Outer Limits (1964) as Ikar
* Kraft Suspense Theatre (1964–1965) as David Henderson, Robert Burke
* The Rogues (1965) as Guy Gabriel
* The Name of the Game (1968) as William McKendricks
* Journey to the Unknown (1969) as Manservant
* Special Branch (1969) as Mr. Snell
* The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969) as Sam Rand
* Pontiac (automobile) ' Breakaway ' commercial
* The Movie Murderer (1970) as Karel Kessler
* The Men From Shiloh, rebranded name of The Virginian (1970) as Jackson Reed
* San Francisco International Airport (1970)
* Hauser's Memory (1970) as Dorsey
* The Young Lawyers (1971) as Sergeant Fielder
* Mannix (1971) as Tom Carlson
* The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971) as Commissioner of Oaths
* Thief (1971) as James Calendar
* Cutter (1972) as Meredith
* Banacek (1972) as Jerry Brinkman
* Mission: Impossible (1972) as Charles Rogan
* Love, American Style (1972)
* Banyon (1972)
* Search (1973) as Matthew Linden
* Hawkins (1973) as Carl Vincent
* Griff (1973) as Alan Gilbert
* Double Indemnity (1973) as Edward Norton
* The Magician as Zellman
* Tenafly (1973) as Kent
* Kojak (1973) as David Lawrence
* Murder or Mercy (1974) as Dr. Eric Stoneman
* Ironside (1973–1974) as Del Hogan, Burton
* Cannon (1971–1974) as McMillan, Clay Spencer, Barney Shaw, 4x03 Voice From The Grave as Jake McVea (Hitman)
* The Manhunter (1974)
* The Streets of San Francisco (1974) as Al Cooper
* McCloud (1971–1975) as Jack Faraday, Fritz August
* Death Stalk (1975) as Hugh Webster
* Switch (1975) as Paul Sinclair
* S.W.A.T. (1975) as McVea, Mike Simon
* Police Woman (1975) as Julian Lord
* McMillan & Wife (1977) as Charles Meridio
* 79 Park Avenue (1977) as John Hackson DeWitt
* Barnaby Jones (1975–1978) as Maxwell Strager, Gene Gates
* The Young Runaways (1978) as Fred Lockhart
* Kaz (1978)
* The Rockford Files (1975–1979) as Senator Evan Murdock, Bob Coleman, Roman Clementi, Harold Jack Coombs
* Quincy, M.E. (1977–1979) as Dr. John Franklin
* The Streets of L.A. (1979) as Ralph Salkin
* Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980) as LaCrosse
* The Two Lives of Carol Letner (1981) as Ed Leemans
* Darkroom (1981) as Greg Conway
* Bret Maverick (1982) as Everest Sinclair
* Not Just Another Affair (1982) as Professor Wally Dawson
* Don't Go to Sleep (1982) as Dr. Cole
* Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983) as Felix Duncan
* Shooting Stars (1983) as Woodrow Norton
* Getting Physical (1984) as Hugh Gibley
* No Man's Land (1984) as Will Blackfield
* Cover Up (1984) as Mason Carter
* Half Nelson (1985)
* In Like Flynn (1985) as Colonel Harper
* Assassin (1986) as Calvin Lantz
* The Ladies (1987) as Jerry
* Moonlighting (1986–1988) as Alexander Hayes
* Something Is Out There (1988) as Commissioner Estabrook

## References[edit]

1. ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland. p. 795\. ISBN 978-1476625997.
2. ^ a b Robert Webber, Actor, Dies at 64. Bourdain, C.S. The New York Times via Internet Archive. Published 20 May 1989.
3. ^ a b Webber, Robert L, PFC. togetherweserved.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
4. ^ "Oakland's Tech High is a Rags to Riches Saga". Oakland Tribune. School Historical Archive. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
5. ^ The Rockford Files : Aura Lee Farewell (1975) - Jackie Cooper | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 2023-02-14
6. ^ The Rockford Files : The Deep Blue Sleep (1975) - William Wiard | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 2023-02-14
7. ^ The Rockford Files : The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit (1976) - Russ Mayberry | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 2023-02-14
8. ^ The Rockford Files : Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job (1979) - William Wiard | Cast and Crew | AllMovie, retrieved 2023-02-14
9. ^ Barnaby Jones : The Price of Terror (1975) - Walter Grauman | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie, retrieved 2024-02-19
10. ^ Barnaby Jones : Final Judgment (1978) - Walter Grauman | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie, retrieved 2024-02-19
11. ^ Hubbard, Linda S.; Steen, Sara; O'Donnell, Owen (September 15, 1989). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. ISBN 978-0810320703.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Webber.

* Biography portal

* Robert Webber at IMDb
* Robert Webber at the Internet Broadway Database

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