Robert B. Williams (actor)
| Robert B. Williams | |
|---|---|
Williams in the 1955 film, Revenge of the Creature
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| Born |
September 23, 1904 Glencoe, Illinois, United States |
| Died | June 17, 1978 (aged 73) Orange County, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1935-77 |
Robert B. Williams (September 23, 1904 - June 17, 1978), also known simply as Robert Williams, was an American character actor from the 1940s through the 1970s. During his 37-year career, he appeared in over 150 feature films, as well as numerous film shorts, television films, and television shows. He would not break into the film business until he was in his 30s.
His first big screen appearance was in the film short Mixed Policies in 1936. After several roles as an extra in films, he made his feature debut in a small role in the 1941 film How Green Was My Valley, starring Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara. During the 1940s he appeared in some notable films in small supporting roles, including the 1947 film noir, Lady in the Lake, starring Robert Montgomery;Henry Hathaway's Call Northside 777 (1948), starring James Stewart, Richard Conte, and Lee J. Cobb;It Happens Every Spring (1949), starring Ray Milland, Jean Peters, and Paul Douglas; and the classic musical On the Town (1949), starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen.
The 1950s would see him appear in over 80 films, including such notable pictures as: Father's Little Dividend (1951), the sequel to the 1950 hit, Father of the Bride, starring Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Bennett;Magnificent Obsession (1954), starring Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman; 1952's Singin' in the Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds; the classic teenage drama, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean and Natalie Wood; the biopic The Spirit of St. Louis, starring James Stewart;Desire Under the Elms (1958), based on the Eugene O'Neill play of the same name, starring Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, and Burl Ives; the war classic, Pork Chop Hill, starring Gregory Peck; the Alfred Hitchcock classic, North by Northwest (1959), starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason; and the 1959 romantic comedy, Pillow Talk, directed by Michael Gordon, and starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. Williams would begin to appear on the small screen in the 1950s as well, his first performance would be on an episode of the short-lived series, Dangerous Assignment. He would continue to make guest appearances on numerous television shows throughout the decade, including Perry Mason, The Millionaire, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, and The Lone Ranger.
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