Robert J. Wilke

1914 – 1989

15

Who was Robert J. Wilke?

Robert J Wilke was an American film and television actor noted primarily for his roles as villains, mostly in Westerns. Before going into acting, he had a variety of jobs, including working in a high-dive act at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933-1934.

Wilke started as a stuntman in the 1930s and his first appearance on screen was in San Francisco (1936). He soon began to acquire regular character parts, mainly as a heavy, and made his mark when, along with Lee Van Cleef and Sheb Wooley, he played one of the "three men waiting at the station" in High Noon (1952).

Wilke appeared in many, if not most, television westerns, including seven episodes each of NBC's Laramie and CBS's Gunsmoke. Outside of westerns, Wilke appeared in such films as From Here to Eternity (1953) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).

Wilke was an excellent golfer. He was rated the best amateur golfer in Hollywood. In 1960, 1963, and 1964, he won the World Entertainment Championship golf title.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
May 18, 1914
Cincinnati, Ohio
Profession
Died
Mar 28, 1989
Los Angeles, California

Submitted by RobertHaigh
on June 21, 2020

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Robert J. Wilke." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/robert-j.-wilke/b/6d80f7d9>.

Discuss this Robert J. Wilke biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net