Robert Pastene

Robert Pastene
Robert Pastene as the title character in Pirandello's play Enrico IV
Born	(1918-01-29)January 29, 1918
Died	October 15, 1991(1991-10-15) (aged 73)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor

Robert Pastene (January 29, 1918 – October 15, 1991) was an American actor who appeared films, television and on stage. He acted in a variety of television dramas during what is known as the “Golden Age” of television throughout the 1950s and 60s. On Broadway he performed in plays by Shakespeare, Strindberg, Brecht, Aeschylus, Shaw and Lillian Hellman. In the 1960s and 70s he had a significant career at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, which began in 1963 with the theater’s inaugural season.

In 1963, Pastene appeared as Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Guthrie Theater. It was the first production at the new theater, it was directed by Tyrone Guthrie, and it featured George Grizzard in the title role, and Jessica Tandy as Gertrude. He then went on to play many roles at the Guthrie, in dramas and comedies, modern and classic. He played Henry in Pirandello’s play Enrico IV, a production that also featured Michael Moriarty and Gale Sondergaard.

The actress, Zoe Caldwell, acted with Pastene at the Guthrie Theater several times, including productions of Chekov’s Three Sisters and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. She describes him in her memoir, I Will Be Cleopatra; An Actress’s Journey:

Pastene is a tall, elegant man, who for reasons known only to himself, keeps his head on one side. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It doesn’t matter because he is one of the best actors in the world. All the equipment is his. He is dangerous, intelligent, articulate, and beautiful, and has a well of sadness to draw from. Wit is his easy companion. He keeps himself away from the big cities of the world and so he will never have a Tony, an Oscar, an agent, or a big bank account, but he will forever have my admiration and respect because I have never seen him play any role that he did not totally define.”