Robert R. Phillips (April 10, 1925 – November 5, 2018) was an American film and television actor.
Robert Phillips | |
|---|---|
.webp) Phillips in Dusty's Trail, 1973 | |
| Born | Robert R. Phillips[1] April 10, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 5, 2018 (aged 93) |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television actor |
| Years active | 1950s–1997 |
Life and career
editPhillips was born in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He was a self-defense instructor while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II[3] and later played football for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins.[2] Phillips was also a police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department and Illinois State Police.[3] He was a personal bodyguard for the 31st Governor of Illinois, Adlai Stevenson II.[3][4][5] Phillips began his film and television career in the 1950s,[2] when a film producer suggested he should become an actor, and gave him a role in a film,[3] and the TV series Tightrope! was based on aspects of his life.[5]
Phillips retired as a police officer after being injured while working undercover,[5] and attended acting school in the early 1950s.[3] Phillips was hired by studios as a minder for Lee Marvin, to prevent him getting into fights after hours.[4][5] He appeared in two films with actor Richard Jaeckel: The Gun Runners (1958) and The Dirty Dozen (1967).[5] His other film roles included appearances in The Killers (1964) and Cat Ballou (1965), Dimension 5 (1966), Hour of the Gun (1967), Mackenna's Gold (1969), Slaughter (1972), The Slams (1973), I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973), The Dion Brothers (1974), Capone (1975, as Bugs Moran), Mitchell (1975), Mean Johnny Barrows (1975), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Walking Tall: Final Chapter (1977). Phillips also guest-starred in numerous television programs including Star Trek: The Original Series (in the episode "The Cage"), Gunsmoke, The Rockford Files, Bonanza, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Wild Wild West, Rawhide, Mission: Impossible, The High Chaparral, Mannix, The Fall Guy and Planet of the Apes.[2] His last credit was for the western television series Bordertown.[2]
Death
editFilmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Code Two | Henchman | Uncredited |
| 1956 | UFO (1956 film) | Edward J. Ruppelt | Edward J. Ruppelt |
| 1958 | The Gun Runners | Outlaw | Uncredited |
| 1962 | Hell Is for Heroes | Jeep driver | |
| 1964 | The Killers | George Fleming | |
| 1965 | Cat Ballou | Klem | Uncredited |
| 1966 | The Silencers | 1st Armed Man | |
| 1966 | Dimension 5 | George | |
| 1967 | The Dirty Dozen | Corporal Morgan | |
| 1967 | Hour of the Gun | Frank Stilwell | |
| 1969 | Mackenna's Gold | Monkey | |
| 1970 | Darker than Amber | Griff | |
| 1972 | Slaughter | Frank | |
| 1973 | The Student Teachers | ||
| 1973 | Detroit 9000 | Captain Chalmers | |
| 1973 | The Slams | Cohalt | |
| 1973 | I Escaped from Devil's Island | Blassier | |
| 1974 | The Dion Brothers | Gino | |
| 1975 | Capone | Bugs Moran | |
| 1975 | Mitchell | Chief Albert Pallin | |
| 1975 | Mean Johnny Barrows | Ben | |
| 1975 | Adios Amigo | Notary | |
| 1976 | The Killing of a Chinese Bookie | Phil | |
| 1977 | The Car | Metcalf | |
| 1977 | Walking Tall: Final Chapter | Johnny | |
| 1977 | Telefon | Highway Patrolman #1 | |
| 1984 | Delta Pi | Pud | |
| 1987 | Cry Freedom | Speaker at Funeral | |
| 1997 | A Time to Revenge | Billy Two Feathers | (final film role) |
References
edit- ^ a b "SAG-AFTRA - Special Edition 2019". SAG-AFTRA. p. 95. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Lentz, Harris (May 30, 2019). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2018. McFarland. pp. 299–300. ISBN 9781476636559 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e Wister, Emery (August 27, 1966). "Film Star? Not Bob". The Charlotte News. Charlotte, North Carolina. p. 25. Retrieved December 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Freese, Gene (October 5, 2017). Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914-1989. McFarland. p. 197. ISBN 9781476669434 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e Freese, Gene (April 6, 2016). Richard Jaeckel, Hollywood's Man of Character. McFarland. pp. 59–60. ISBN 9781476662107 – via Google Books.
