Robert Carson
Carson in The Fighting Stallion (1950)
Born
Robert Samuel Carson

(1909-06-08)June 8, 1909
Hennepin County, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 1979(1979-06-02) (aged 69)
Atascadero, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
OccupationActor
Years active1939–1974

Robert Samuel Carson (June 8, 1909 – June 2, 1979) was an American actor noted for dozens of supporting roles in films and television series during a career that spanned three and a half decades. He was also occasionally billed as Bob Carson or Robert S. Carson.

Early years

Carson was born in Hennepin County, Minnesota, to Elmer Llewellyn Carson and Elsa W. Carson (née Brunke) and grew up in Carman, Manitoba, Canada, along with his younger brother and actor Jack Carson.[1] The family later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2] Robert was active as a singer and musician while he was a student at the University of Minnesota.[3]

Noted appearances

Carson portrayed the ringmaster in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) with Charlton Heston.

Carson was cast in five episodes of the religion anthology series, Crossroads: as a police lieutenant in "The Unholy Trio" (1955) and in "The Two-Fisted Saint" and "False Prophet" (both 1956), as a coach in "The Comeback" (1956), and as Senator Crocker in "In God We Trust" (1957). Carson also co-starred in four episodes of Space Patrol (1950 TV series) as Governor Willis.[4]

In 1957, he portrayed Kittredge the riverboat card dealer in the third segment of the ABC/Warner Brothers Western television series, Maverick, in the episode entitled "According to Hoyle" opposite James Garner and Diane Brewster, as well as playing various roles in the episodes "The Lonesome Reunion" (1958) with Garner, "The Thirty-ninth Star" (1958) with Jack Kelly, "The Rivals" (1959) with Garner and Roger Moore in a story based upon the 1775 play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, "The Brasada Spur" (1959) with Kelly, and "Guatemala City" (1960) with Garner. Between 1957 and 1962 he appeared in five episodes of Perry Mason. Among his roles he played the prison warden in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Wandering Widow," and Commodore Galen Holmes in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Weary Watchdog."

His other television credits include a 1951 and 1955 episode of The Lone Ranger; The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show; Cheyenne; Green Acres; Make Room for Daddy; M Squad with Lee Marvin; Riverboat with Darren McGavin; Bourbon Street Beat with Andrew Duggan; 77 Sunset Strip; Bonanza; Bronco with Ty Hardin; The Deputy with Henry Fonda and Allen Case; Checkmate with Doug McClure and Sebastian Cabot; nine episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and two of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; The Andy Griffith Show; Thriller; Hawaiian Eye; Mister Ed; The Beverly Hillbillies with Buddy Ebsen; My Three Sons with Fred MacMurray; Petticoat Junction; Hawaii Five-O; Here's Lucy with Lucille Ball; and The High Chaparral, among many others.

Civic involvement

For more than a decade, Carson was active as a speaker for the American Cancer Society. His efforts were prompted by the death of his first wife Anna Kutner Carson from uterine cancer and his brother's death from stomach cancer.[3]

Death

Carson died in Atascadero in San Luis Obispo County, California and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[5]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Jack Carson". Turner Classic Movies.
  2. ↑ "An Act of Faith". Springfield Leader and Press. Missouri, Springfield. March 13, 1966. p. 30. Retrieved May 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. 1 2 "Robert Carson, TV-Movie Actor, Cancer Speaker at LH". The Express. Pennsylvania, Lock Haven. April 2, 1968. p. 2. Retrieved May 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "Space Patrol - Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
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