Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
May 18, 1914
Place of Birth:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Social Media
Robert J. 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. -
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | James Stewart: A Wonderful Life | Self (archive footage) |
| 1981 | Stripes | Gen. Barnicke |
| 1979 | The Sweet Creek County War | |
| 1978 | Days of Heaven | The Farm Foreman |
| 1978 | Wild and Wooly | Demas Scott |
| 1973 | The Boy Who Cried Werewolf | The Sheriff |
| 1973 | Santee | Deaks (as Robert Wilke |
| 1972 | The Rookies | Officer Shaw |
| 1971 | A Gunfight | Marshal Tom Cater |
| 1971 | The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler | Hugh Fielding |
| 1971 | They Call It Murder | Sheriff Rex Brandon |
| 1970 | The Cheyenne Social Club | Corey Bannister |
| 1969 | The Desperate Mission | Gant |
| 1967 | Tony Rome | Ralph Turpin |
| 1966 | The Magnificent Stranger | Sheriff McVey |
| 1966 | Smoky | Jeff Nicks |
| 1965 | The Hallelujah Trail | Chief Five Barrels |
| 1964 | Fate Is the Hunter | Stillman |
| 1964 | Shock Treatment | Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1963 | The Gun Hawk | Johnny Flanders |
| 1961 | The Long Rope | Ben Matthews |
| 1960 | Spartacus | Guard captain |
| 1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West | Billy the Kid Blake |
| 1960 | The Magnificent Seven | Wallace |
| 1959 | Never Steal Anything Small | Lennie |
| 1958 | Man of the West | Ponch |
| 1958 | Return to Warbow | Red |
| 1957 | Night Passage | Concho |
| 1957 | The Tarnished Angels | Hank |
| 1957 | Hot Summer Night | Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1956 | Backlash | Jeff Welker |
| 1956 | Written on the Wind | Dan Willis |
| 1956 | Gun the Man Down | Matt Rankin |
| 1956 | The Lone Ranger | Cassidy |
| 1956 | Canyon River | Joe Graycoe |
| 1956 | The Rawhide Years | Neal (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1956 | Raw Edge | Sile Doty |
| 1955 | Smoke Signal | First Sergeant Daly (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1955 | Strange Lady in Town | Karg |
| 1955 | Wichita | Ben Thompson |
| 1955 | Shotgun | Bentley (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1954 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | First Mate of the Nautilus |
| 1954 | The Far Country | Madden |
| 1954 | Two Guns and a Badge | Moore - Outlaw |
| 1954 | The Lone Gun | Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1953 | Arrowhead | Sgt. Stone |
| 1953 | War Paint | Trooper Grady |
| 1953 | Cow Country | Sledge |
| 1953 | From Here to Eternity | Sgt. Henderson (uncredited) |
| 1952 | High Noon | Jim Pierce |
| 1952 | The Las Vegas Story | Clayton (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1952 | Cattle Town | Keeno |
| 1952 | Hellgate | Sgt. Maj. Kearn |
| 1952 | Road Agent | Slab Babcock |
| 1952 | Wyoming Roundup | Wyatt - Henchman |
| 1952 | Fargo | Link - Henchman |
| 1952 | The Maverick | Massey |
| 1951 | Best of the Badmen | Jim Younger |
| 1951 | Overland Telegraph | Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1951 | Saddle Legion | Henchman Hooker |
| 1951 | Gunplay | Henchman Winslow |
| 1951 | Pistol Harvest | Andy Baylor |
| 1951 | Hot Lead | Stoney Dawson (as Robert Wilke) |
| 1951 | Cyclone Fury | Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1951 | Vengeance Valley | Cowhand (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Frontier Outpost | Krag Benson |
| 1950 | Across the Badlands | Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1950 | Outcasts of Black Mesa | Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1950 | The Desert Hawk | Camel Driver |
| 1950 | Mule Train | Bradshaw - Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Flaming Fury | |
| 1949 | The Wyoming Bandit | Sam - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1949 | Coyote Canyon | Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie) |
| 1949 | Laramie | Cronin (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Blonde Bandit | Police Det. Walker |
| 1948 | Homicide for Three | Policeman |
| 1948 | Daredevils of the Clouds | Joe |
| 1948 | Carson City Raiders | Ed Noble (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1947 | The Ghost Goes Wild | Burglar |
| 1947 | Twilight on the Rio Grande | Henchman |
| 1947 | Web of Danger | Station Wagon Driver |
| 1947 | Blackmail | Policeman |
| 1947 | Law of the Canyon | Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Buck Privates Come Home | GI Buddy (uncredited) |
| 1946 | The Inner Circle | Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1946 | Traffic in Crime | Hogan's Driver |
| 1946 | The Catman of Paris | The Catman (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Passkey to Danger | Police Sergeant |
| 1946 | Rendezvous with Annie | MP (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Badman's Territory | Deputy Marshal (uncredited) |
| 1946 | White Tie and Tails | Starter (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Hitchhike to Happiness | Stage Hand (uncredited) |
| 1945 | Bandits of the Badlands | Keller |
| 1945 | Corpus Christi Bandits | Henchman Steve |
| 1945 | Sheriff of Cimarron | Henchman Dobie |
| 1945 | Santa Fe Saddlemates | Rawhide |
| 1945 | Earl Carroll Vanities | Cab Driver |
| 1945 | Rough Riders of Cheyenne | Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1945 | Sunset in El Dorado | Curley Roberts |
| 1945 | Trail of Kit Carson | Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1944 | Cowboy and the Senorita | Townsman (uncredited) |
| 1944 | San Antonio Kid | Henchman (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1944 | Code of the Prairie | |
| 1944 | Hidden Valley Outlaws | Rancher (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Vigilantes of Dodge City | Bill |
| 1944 | Bordertown Trail | Henchman |
| 1944 | Call of the Rockies | Deputy Jim |
| 1944 | Faces in the Fog | Photographer |
| 1944 | The Fighting Seabees | Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Sheriff of Sundown | Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) |
| 1943 | Whispering Footsteps | Bank Customer |
| 1941 | Sierra Sue | Carnival Spectator (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. | Cutter Helmsman |
| 1940 | Adventures of Red Ryder | Henchman |
| 1940 | In Old Missouri | Hillbilly |
| 1940 | Grand Ole Opry | Hillbilly (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Daredevils of the Red Circle | G-Man |
| 1939 | Star Reporter | Reporter |
| 1939 | In Old Monterey | Man on Wagon |
| 1939 | S.O.S Tidal Wave | Man in TV Studio |
| 1938 | The Fighting Devil Dogs | Marine in Shanghai (uncredited) |
| 1937 | San Quentin | Young Convict in Yard (uncredited) |
| 1937 | That Man's Here Again | (uncredited) |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Dallas | Tom Owens |
| 1977 | How the West Was Won | Appleton |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch | Mac Johnson |
| 1974 | Run, Joe, Run | |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Sgt. Bridger |
| 1968 | The Outcasts | |
| 1968 | Lancer | |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip | |
| 1967 | Rango | |
| 1967 | The Guns of Will Sonnett | Sheriff Dan Butler |
| 1967 | The Guns of Will Sonnett | Tom Judd |
| 1966 | The Monroes | |
| 1966 | Tarzan | Spooner |
| 1965 | The Legend of Jesse James | Marshal Sam Corbett |
| 1965 | The Wild Wild West | Maj. Gen. Titus Ord Baldwin |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Toff |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Fryman |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Jake Manning |
| 1963 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Lou Sirotta |
| 1963 | The Fugitive | Johnny |
| 1963 | The Dakotas | |
| 1962 | Sam Benedict | Lt. Mike Radich |
| 1962 | The Beachcomber | Bill Winters |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Conrad |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Colton |
| 1962 | The Lucy Show | Tom Carter |
| 1962 | The Beachcomber | Jason Despol |
| 1961 | Target: The Corruptors! | |
| 1960 | The Tall Man | Marshal Ben Hartley |
| 1960 | Outlaws | |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West | Taylor Norman |
| 1960 | The Westerner | Murdo |
| 1960 | My Three Sons | Danny Donnigan |
| 1959 | Bourbon Street Beat | |
| 1959 | Rawhide | Sheriff McVey |
| 1959 | Adventures in Paradise | Riker |
| 1959 | Laramie | |
| 1959 | Law of the Plainsman | Amos Cameron |
| 1959 | Riverboat | Bolesy |
| 1959 | Wichita Town | |
| 1959 | The Third Man | Vince Gabriel |
| 1959 | Riverboat | Red Dog Hanlon |
| 1959 | Rawhide | Tom Galt |
| 1959 | Rawhide | Lafe Thomas |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Charlie Sheppard |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Al Simmons |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Sheriff Claude T. Booker |
| 1959 | The Deputy | Ace Gentry |
| 1959 | The Untouchables | George 'Bugs' Moran |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Brazos |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Marshal Hollister |
| 1959 | The Untouchables | Dutch Schultz |
| 1958 | Peter Gunn | |
| 1958 | Bronco | |
| 1958 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Virgil |
| 1958 | Bat Masterson | Bull Kirby |
| 1958 | Lawman | Marshal Tom Haddon |
| 1958 | The Texan | Marshal Bart Pennock |
| 1958 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Ben Hooker |
| 1958 | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Jack Radovitch |
| 1958 | Bat Masterson | Rod Clements |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Strip | Vern Reece |
| 1958 | The Texan | Sheriff Tip Latta |
| 1958 | The Texan | Pete Torrey |
| 1958 | The Texan | Asa Kirby |
| 1958 | Lawman | Fallon - Bounty Hunter |
| 1958 | Lawman | Lal Hoard |
| 1958 | The Rifleman | Flory Sheltin |
| 1958 | The Rifleman | Ward Haskins |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Deputy Sheriff Connors |
| 1957 | The Thin Man | |
| 1957 | The Walter Winchell File | Fisher |
| 1957 | Maverick | McCabe |
| 1957 | Maverick | Diamond Dan Malone |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Sgt. Wick |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Wesley Thomas |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Will Tybee |
| 1957 | Tombstone Territory | Burt Foster |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Col. Thomas Stone |
| 1957 | Tombstone Territory | Jess Caulfield |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Jabez Moore |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Casey Bryan |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Walt DeVries |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Trail Boss Rook |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Maj. Blake |
| 1957 | Zorro | Capt. Salvador Mendoza |
| 1956 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Bob Manson |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Hickock |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Carl Banner |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Kelso Prather |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Jed Begert |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Ben Creed |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Pitt |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Pegger |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Tom |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Ab Rankin |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Kelby |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Luke Cumberledge |
| 1955 | Screen Director's Playhouse | Zecca |
| 1954 | Lassie | Mr. Corey |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Jed - Outlaw |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Ben Tilton |
| 1952 | Adventures of Superman | Bingham |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of America | |
| 1952 | Four Star Playhouse | George |
| 1952 | Four Star Playhouse | Ben Crane |
| 1952 | The Abbott and Costello Show | Mike Brodie |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Red Fischer |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | |
| 1951 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Whitey |
| 1951 | The Adventures of Boston Blackie | Edgar |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Henchman Cody |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Charlie Bolton |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Monte - Henchman |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Henchman in Plaid Shirt |
| 1950 | The Cisco Kid | Judd Storme |
| 1950 | The Cisco Kid | Henchman Vic |
| 1950 | The Cisco Kid | Barney |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger | Henchman (uncredited) |