Biography
Robert Armstrong (November 20 1890-April 20 1973) was a film actor probably best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the screen's second most famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end. (An exit line eclipsed in fame only by Clark Gable's riposte, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" in 1939 at the conclusion of Gone With the Wind.) Months later, he starred as Carl Denham again in the sequel, Son of Kong, released the same year.
Armstrong worked throughout the 30s and 40s for many studios. For example, prior to World War II, in the early 1940s, Universal Pictures released Enemy Agent, about a plot to thwart the Nazis. In the film, Armstrong co-starred with Helen Vinson, Richard Cromwell, and Jack La Rue. Later, 1942, Armstrong played again opposite Cromwell in Baby Face Morgan, a notable "B" effort for PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation). Later in that decade, Armstrong played another Carl Denham-like leading role, as "Max O'Hara," in 1949's Mighty Joe Young. This film was yet another entertaining stop-motion gorilla opus also made by the King Kong team of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and it was remade in 1998 with Charlize Theron.
Although King Kong in 1933 was the pinnacle of Armstrong's career, he appeared in 127 films between 1927 and 1964. Armstrong and King Kong 's co-producer, Merian C. Cooper, died within 24 hours of each other. Armstrong was born in Saginaw, Michigan and died in Santa Monica, California.
External links
- Profile page for Robert Armstrong on the Find A Grave web site
IGN RSS Feeds