Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support


      NEW YORK (AP) - Cliff Robertson, the handsome movie actor who
played John F. Kennedy in "PT-109," won an Oscar for "Charly"
and was famously victimized in a 1977 Hollywood forgery scandal,
died Saturday. He was 88.


      His secretary of 53 years, Evelyn Christel, said he died in
Stony Brook of natural causes a day after his 88th birthday.


      Robertson never elevated into the top ranks of leading men, but
he remained a popular actor from the mid-1950s into the following
century. His later roles included kindly Uncle Ben in the
"Spider-Man" movies.


      He also gained attention for his second marriage to actress and
heiress Dina Merrill, daughter of financier E.F. Hutton and
Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune and
one of the world's richest women.


      His triumph came in 1968 with his Academy Award performance in
"Charly," as a mentally disabled man who undergoes medical
treatment that makes him a genius - until a poignant regression to
his former state.


      "My father was a loving father, devoted friend, dedicated
professional and honorable man," daughter Stephanie Saunders said
in a statement. "He stood by his family, friends, and colleagues
through good times and bad. He made a difference in all our lives
and made our world a better place. We will all miss him terribly."


      Robertson had created a string of impressive performances in
television and on Broadway, but always saw his role played in films
by bigger names. His TV performances in "Days of Wine and Roses"
and "The Hustler," for example, were filmed with Jack Lemmon and
Paul Newman, respectively. Robertson's role in Tennessee Williams'
play "Orpheus Descending" was awarded to Marlon Brando in the
movie.

      Robertson first appeared in the "Charly" story in a TV
version, "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon." Both were based on
"Flowers for Algernon," a short story that author Daniel Keyes
later revised into a novel. Robertson was determined that this time
the big-screen role would not go to another actor.

      "I bought the movie rights to the show, and I tried for eight
years to persuade a studio to make it," he said in 1968. "Finally
I found a new company, ABC Films. I owned 50 percent of the gross,
but I gave half of it to Ralph Nelson to direct."


      Critic Roger Ebert called Robertson's portrayal "a sensitive,
believable one." The motion picture academy agreed, though
Robertson was unable to get a break from an overseas movie shoot
and was not on hand when his Oscar was announced.


      Another memorable movie role, portraying future President
Kennedy in the World War II drama "PT-109," presented other
challenges.


      Released in 1963, it was the first movie to be made about a
sitting president, and dozens of actors were considered. Kennedy
himself favored Robertson, but he warned him he didn't want someone
trying to imitate his distinctive New England accent.


      "That was fine with me," the actor commented in 1963. "I
think it would have been a mistake for me to say 'Hahvahd' or try
to reproduce gestures. Then the audience would have been constantly
aware that an actor was impersonating the president."
     

 He added that the film obviously couldn't be done with heroics,
"like Errol Flynn gunning down 30 of the enemy. This young naval
officer just does things because they have to be done."


      After seeing photos of Robertson in costume, Kennedy had one
critique: His hair was parted on the wrong side.


      The actor dutifully trained his hair to part on the left.


      "PT-109" was plagued with problems from the start: script
changes, switch of directors, bad weather, snakes and mosquitoes in
the Florida Keys where it was filmed.


      The troubles were evident on the screen, and critics roundly
rapped the film, although Robertson's work won praise.


      In 1977, Robertson made the headlines again, this time by
blowing the whistle on a Hollywood financial scandal.


      He had discovered that David Begelman, president of Columbia
Pictures, had forged his signature on a $10,000 salary check, and
he called the FBI and the Burbank and Beverly Hills police
departments. Hollywood insiders were not happy with the ugly
publicity.


      "I got phone calls from powerful people who said, 'You've been
very fortunate in this business; I'm sure you wouldn't want all
this to come to an end,'" Robertson recalled in 1984.


      Begelman served time for embezzlement, but he returned to the
film business. He committed suicide in 1995.


      Robertson said neither the studios nor the networks would hire
him for four years.


      He supported himself as a spokesman for AT&T until the drought
ended in 1981 when he was hired by MGM for "Brainstorm," Natalie
Wood's final film.


      Born Sept. 9, 1923, in La Jolla, Calif., Robertson was 2 when he
was adopted by wealthy parents who named him Clifford Parker
Robertson III. After his parents divorced and his mother died, he
was reared by his maternal grandmother, whom he adored.

      Robertson studied briefly at Antioch College, majoring in
journalism, then returned to California and appeared in two small
roles in Hollywood movies. Rejected by the services in World War II
because of a weak eye, he served in the Merchant Marine.


      He set his sights on New York theater, and like dozens of other
future stars, profited from the advent of live television drama.
His Broadway roles also attracted notice, and after avoiding
Hollywood offers for several years, he accepted a contract at
Columbia Pictures.


      "I think I held the record for the number of times I was on
suspension," he remarked in 1969. "I remember once I turned down
a B picture, telling the boss, Harry Cohn, I would rather take a
suspension. He shouted at me, 'Kid, ya got more guts than brains.'
I think old Harry might have been right."
      


Robertson's first performance for Columbia, "Picnic," was
impressive, even though his screen pal, William Holden, stole the
girl, Kim Novak. He followed with a tearjerker, "Autumn Leaves,"
as Joan Crawford's young husband, then a musical, "The Girl Most
Likely" with Jane Powell. 


In 1959 he endeared himself to
"Gidget" fans as The Big Kahuna, the mature Malibu surf bum who
takes Gidget under his wing.

      He remained a busy, versatile leading man through the '60s and
'70s, but lacked the intensity of Brando, James Dean and others who
brought a new style of acting to the screen.
 


     "I'm not one of the Golden Six," he commented in 1967,
referring to the top male stars of that day. "I take what's left
over."


      "They all know me as a great utility player. 'Good old Cliff,'
they say. Someday I'd like to be in there as the starting
pitcher."


      The chance came with "Charly," but after the usual Oscar
flurry, he resumed his utility position.

      Robertson had the most success in war movies. His strong
presence made him ideal for such films as "The Naked and the
Dead," "Battle of Coral Sea," "633 Squadron," "Up From the
Beach," "The Devil's Brigade," "Too Late the Hero" and
"Midway."


      He had a passion for flying, and he poured his movie earnings
into buying and restoring World War I and II planes. He even
entered balloon races, including one in 1964 from the mainland to
Catalina Island that ended with him being rescued from the Pacific
Ocean.


      In 1957, Robertson married Lemmon's ex-wife, Cynthia Stone, and
they had a daughter, Stephanie, before splitting in 1960. In 1966,
he married Merrill and they had a daughter, Heather. The couple
divorced in 1989.


      Robertson's funeral is set for Friday in East Hampton.


      Former Associated Press writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles
contributed to this report.

Gallery

Cliff Robertson, the handsome movie actor who
played John F. Kennedy in "PT-109," won an Oscar for "Charly"
and was famously victimized in a 1977 Hollywood forgery scandal,
died Saturday. He was 88.

Oscar winner Cliff Robertson dies in NY at 88

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox