Robert Middleton
Known for Acting · 90 credits
- Born
- 1911-05-13
- Died
- 1977-06-14
- Place of birth
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Also known as
- Samuel Abraham Messer
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Middleton, born Samuel G. Messer (May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977), was an American film and television actor known for his large size and beetle-like brow. With a deep, booming voice, Middleton trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked steadily as a radio announcer and actor.
One of his early works was as the narrator of the educational film "Duck and Cover". After appearing on the Broadway stage and live television, Middleton began appearing in films in 1954. He's also remembered on television as the boss Mr. Marshall on The Jackie Gleason Show and in film opposite Humphrey Bogart in The Desperate Hours (1955), Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion (1956), Richard Egan and Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender (1956), Dorothy Malone and Robert Stack in The Tarnished Angels (1958), and Dean Martin in Career (1959).
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Middleton appeared in many television programs in the 1950s and 1960s, including the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure. He was cast as "The Tichborne Claimant" in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show. He appeared in ten episodes of ABC's family Western The Monroes, with costars Michael Anderson, Jr., and Barbara Hershey. Among his several appearances in the long-running Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he portrayed a gangster in high places, Mr. Koster, in the 1956 episode "The Better Bargain". In 1958, he played the villain in the first episode of Bat Masterson. In 1961, he appeared in the episode "Accidental Tourist" on the James Whitmore ABC legal drama The Law and Mr. Jones. That same year, he portrayed the highly sympathetic but fiercely dedicated state executioner in an episode of Thriller (U.S. TV series) entitled "Guillotine". He also appeared in at least one episode of Bonanza (1964).
In the early 1950s, Middleton appeared on Broadway in Ondine. Other significant film roles include The Court Jester (1956) as a grim and determined knight who jousts with Danny Kaye in the famous "pellet with the poison" sequence, and as a sinister politician in The Lincoln Conspiracy (1977). Betwixt and between were an array of brutish mountain daddies, corrupt, cigar-chomping town bosses and lynch mob leaders. Occasionally he showed a bit of levity, as in his recurring role as Jackie Gleason's boss on The Honeymooners (1955) sketches.
Known For
TV Shows (50)
Columbo
1971
as Victor Norris
Perry Mason
1957
as Judge Daniel Redmond
Bonanza
1959
as C.J. Shasta / Sam Bryant / Grizzly Martingale
Mannix
1967
as Jake Coryell
Wagon Train
1957
as Nate Burkett
Mission: Impossible
1966
as Clavering
Get Smart
1965
as The Whip
Climax!
1954
as Sheriff
The Wild Wild West
1965
as Emir El Emid
The Untouchables
1959
as Barney Loomis / Mayer Wartel / Mayor Anton J. Cermak
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
as Whitney 'Whit' Gaynor
Daniel Boone
1964
as Simon Brasher
Rawhide
1959
as Josh Green / Matt Harger / Judge John Jefferson Hogan / Duke Aberdeen
Matinee Theater
1955
Burke's Law
1963
as Ezekiel Kindworth aka 'Rocky Mountain' / Ragnar Windsor / Jed Hawkes
The Big Valley
1965
as Judge Tyrone / Sidney Glover
Gunsmoke
1955
as Jake Worth / Dutch George / Dorf
Thriller
1960
as Ohrback / Monsieur de Paris
McCloud
1970
as Elliott Jason
Adventures in Paradise
1959
as Howard Bailey
Bat Masterson
1958
as Big Keel Roberts
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Sam Klinker / Louis Koster / Cato Stone
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
The Detectives
1959
as 'Big Jim'
The Rebel
1959
as Arthur Sutro
Suspense
1949
as Bill West
Studio 57
1954
as Maggio
Telephone Time
1956
as Heinrich Schliemann
Cavalcade of America
1952
as William Harper
The Tall Man
1960
as Paul Mason
Tales of Tomorrow
1951
as Dr. John Borrow
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Titus Semple
MGM Parade
1955
Suspicion
1957
as Banton
Target: The Corruptors!
1961
The New Breed
1961
as Stanley Mannis
The Wonderful World of Disney
1954
as Frank Davis / Dutch Mac
Vacation Playhouse
1963
as Homer Ferguson
Letter to Loretta
1953
as Henry Tremaine
The Monroes
1966
Hunter
1977
The Walter Winchell File
1957
as Aaron Benjamin
The Americans
1961
The Investigators
1961
as John DeLuca
Wichita Town
1959
General Electric Theater
1953
as Lt. Toler / Innkeeper
Man Against Crime
1949
as Joseph Merko
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
as Sheriff Ed Mullen
Kung Fu
1972
as Marshal Ford
The Adventures of Gallegher
1965
as Dutch Mac
Movies (40)
Friendly Persuasion
1956
as Sam Jordan
The Cheyenne Social Club
1970
as Barkeeper - Great Plains Saloon
Love Me Tender
1956
as Mr. Siringo
The Desperate Hours
1955
as Sam Kobish
The Big Combo
1955
as Police Capt. Peterson
Cattle King
1963
as Clay Mathews
The Harrad Experiment
1973
as Sidney Bower
The Silver Chalice
1954
as Idbash
A Big Hand for the Little Lady
1966
as Dennis Wilcox
The Court Jester
1955
as Sir Griswold
Red Sundown
1956
as Rufus Henshaw
Even Angels Eat Beans
1973
as Angelo
The Tarnished Angels
1957
as Matt Ord
Trial
1955
as A.A. "Fats" Sanders
The Great Impostor
1960
as R.C. Brown
The Lonely Man
1957
as Ben Ryerson
Career
1959
as Robert Kensington
Don't Give Up the Ship
1959
as Vice Adm. Philo Tecumseh Bludde
For Those Who Think Young
1964
as Burford Sanford Cronin
Hell Bent for Leather
1960
as Ambrose
Which Way to the Front?
1970
as Colonico
Day of the Badman
1958
as Charlie Hayes
The Mark of Zorro
1974
as Don Luis Quintero
The Law and Jake Wade
1958
as Ortero
Gold of the Seven Saints
1961
as Amos Gondora
The Proud Ones
1956
as Honest John Barrett
Nightmare at Ground Zero
1958
as Narrator
The Adventures of Gallegher
1965
as Dutch Mac
Something For An Empty Briefcase
1953
as Sloane
The Lincoln Conspiracy
1977
as Edwin M. Stanton
No Place to Land
1958
as Buck LaVonne
Bitter Heritage
1958
as Luke Crocker
Company of Killers
1970
as Owen Brady
Fair Play
1972
as Jova Purvis
Duck and Cover
1952
as Narrator
The Death of Manolete
1957
as Perea
Remember When
1974
as Kraus, the butcher
So Lovely, So Deadly
1957
as Eddie Rocco
Witchcraft: The Doll in Brambles
1961
as Martin Plomb
Confessions of a Nervous Man
1953
as The Manager
About Robert Middleton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Middleton, born Samuel G. Messer (May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977), was an American film and television actor known for his large size and beetle-like brow. With a deep, booming voice, Middleton trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked steadily as a radio announcer and actor. One of his early works was as the narrator of the educational film "Duck and Cover". After appearing on the Broadway stage and live television, M… With 90 credits spanning from 1949 to 1977, Robert Middleton has appeared in 40 films and 50 TV shows.
Fans searching for Robert Middleton movies, Robert Middleton filmography, or the latest projects starring Robert Middleton can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Robert Middleton Movies
- Friendly Persuasion (1956) — as Sam Jordan
- The Cheyenne Social Club (1970) — as Barkeeper - Great Plains Saloon
- Love Me Tender (1956) — as Mr. Siringo
- The Desperate Hours (1955) — as Sam Kobish
- The Big Combo (1955) — as Police Capt. Peterson
Where to Watch Robert Middleton Films
Most Robert Middleton movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Robert Middleton, check our movies catalogue and browse page.