Cliff Robertson
Highest Rated: 100% Sunday in New York (1963)
Lowest Rated: 12% Renaissance Man (1994)
Birthday: Sep 9, 1923
Birthplace: Not Available
The scion of a prosperous California ranching family, actor Cliff Robertson took up drama in high school simply because it was the only "legal" way to cut classes. After wartime service, Robertson entered Ohio's Antioch College, beginning his professional career as a radio announcer. His first extensive stage work consisted of two years with the touring company of Mister Roberts. He made it to Broadway in 1952 in a play directed by Joshua Logan, and in 1955 made his film debut in the Logan-directed movie version of Picnic. As Joan Crawford's schizophrenic boyfriend in Autumn Leaves (1955), Robertson achieved the critical acceptance that would enable him to seek out choice film roles. In 1963, Robertson became the first American actor to portray a living American president when he was selected to play John F. Kennedy in PT 109; one year later, he showed up as a paranoid Nixon type in The Best Man. Equally busy on television, Robertson was universally applauded for his grueling performance as an alcoholic in the 1958 TV staging of Days of Wine and Roses, and in 1965 won an Emmy for a guest appearance on the dramatic anthology Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre. Having lost the film version of Wine and Roses to Jack Lemmon, Robertson made certain that he'd star in the filmization of his 1961 TV drama The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon by buying up the story rights. The result was the 1968 film Charly, in which Robertson played a retarded adult turned into a genius by a scientific experiment -- for which he won an Academy Award. In 1977, Robertson made headlines when he was one of the whistle-blowers in the embezzlement scandal involving Columbia executive David Begelman -- a fact that did more harm to Robertson's career than Begelman's. Robertson continued to act into the 2000s, including the recurring role of Ben Parker in the Spider-Man franchise reboot. He died of natural causes a day after his 88th birthday in 2011.

Photos

View All Photos

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

MOVIES

CREDIT
No Score Yet Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story Actor — 2010
No Score Yet For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots Actor — 2010
63% Spider-Man 3 Uncle Ben Parker $336.6M 2007
No Score Yet Of Wind and Waves: The Life of Woody Brown Narrator — 2006
27% Riding the Bullet Farmer $0.2M 2004
93% Spider-Man 2 Ben Parker $373.4M 2004
No Score Yet Spider-Man 2.1 (Extended Cut) Actor — 2004
No Score Yet Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star Actor — 2002
90% Spider-Man Uncle Ben $403.8M 2002
40% 13th Child Mr. Shroud — 2002
No Score Yet Mach 2 Vice President Pike — 2001
No Score Yet Family Tree Larry — 2000
No Score Yet Falcon Down Buzz Thomas — 2000
No Score Yet Race Jack Durman — 1997
52% John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. President — 1996
No Score Yet Judith Krantz's 'Dazzle' Mike Kilkullen — 1995
12% Renaissance Man Col. James — 1994
No Score Yet Sonja Henie - Queen of the Ice Narrator — 1993
50% Wind Weld — 1992
73% Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken Doctor Carver — 1991
No Score Yet Sacred Ground: The North American Indians' Relationship to the Land Actor — 1991
No Score Yet Cowboy Up Host — 1991
No Score Yet Dead Reckoning Daniel Barnard — 1989
33% Malone Charles Delaney — 1987
No Score Yet The Little Prince & Friends Actor — 1987
No Score Yet Ford: The Man and the Machine Henry Ford — 1987
No Score Yet Dreams of Gold Actor — 1986
No Score Yet Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story Mel Fisher — 1986
No Score Yet Shaker Run Judd Pierson — 1985
No Score Yet The Key to Rebecca Actor — 1985
83% Star 80 Hugh Hefner — 1983
59% Brainstorm Alex Terson — 1983
25% Class Burroughs — 1983
No Score Yet Two of a Kind Frank Minor — 1982
No Score Yet The Pilot Screenwriter Mike Hagan Director — 1980
No Score Yet Dominique (Avenging Spirit) (Dominique Is Dead) David Ballard — 1979
No Score Yet Little Prince Narrator — 1978
No Score Yet Fraternity Row Narrator — 1977
80% Obsession Michael Courtland — 1976
54% Midway Cmdr. Carl Jessop — 1976
No Score Yet Shoot Maj. Rex Jeanette — 1976
No Score Yet The Kennedys Don't Cry Actor — 1975
86% Three Days of the Condor J. Higgins — 1975
No Score Yet My Father's House Actor — 1975
No Score Yet Man on a Swing Lee Tucker — 1974
No Score Yet Lincoln: Trial By Fire Narrator — 1974
No Score Yet The Man Without a Country Actor — 1973
67% The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid Cole Younger — 1972
No Score Yet J.W. Coop Director J.W. Coop Screenwriter Producer — 1971
62% Too Late the Hero Lt. Lawson — 1970
63% Charly Charly Gordon — 1968
60% The Devil's Brigade Major Alan Crown — 1968
50% The Honey Pot William McFly — 1967
No Score Yet Masquerade (A Shabby Tiger) (Operation Masquerade ) David Frazer — 1965
No Score Yet Love Has Many Faces Pete Jordan — 1965
No Score Yet The Best Man Joe Cantwell — 1964
No Score Yet 633 Squadron Wing Cmdr. Roy Grant — 1964
No Score Yet The Life and Times of John F. Kennedy Actor — 1964
100% Sunday in New York Adam Tyler — 1963
64% PT 109 Lt. John F. Kennedy — 1963
No Score Yet My Six Loves Actor — 1963
No Score Yet The Interns Dr. John Paul Otis — 1962
No Score Yet Underworld, U.S.A. Tolly Devlin — 1961
No Score Yet All in a Night's Work Warren Kingsley, Jr. — 1961
No Score Yet Battle of the Coral Sea Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Conway — 1959
50% Gidget The Big Kahuna — 1959
83% The Naked and the Dead Lt. Hearn — 1958
No Score Yet The Girl Most Likely Pete — 1958
89% Autumn Leaves Burt Hanson — 1956
57% Picnic Alan — 1955

TV

CREDIT
No Score Yet The Lyon's Den
2003
Hal Malloy Hal Molloy
  • 2003
No Score Yet The Outer Limits
1995-2002
  • 1999
93% Batman
1966-1968
Shame
  • 1968
  • 1966
91% The Outer Limits (1963)
1963-1965
  • 1963
80% The Twilight Zone
1959-1964
Jerry Etherson Christian Horn
  • 1962
  • 1961
  • 1960

QUOTES FROM Cliff Robertson CHARACTERS