1914-05-18 Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Prolific American character actor of primarily villainous roles. The son of German parents, Cincinnati feed-store manager August Wilke and his wife Rose, Robert Joseph Wilke grew up in Cincinnati. He worked as a lifeguard at a Miami, Florida, hotel, where he made contacts in the film business. He was able to obtain work as a stuntman and continued as such until the mid-'40s, when he began getting actual roles in low-budget westerns and serials. A prominent appearance as one of the heavies in Le train sifflera trois fois (1952) led to work in higher-quality films. He worked extensively in television as well as movies, and became an enormously familiar face, though a fairly anonymous one to the general public. His weathered visage made him a perfect western bad guy, but he occasionally played sympathetic parts as well, as in Les moissons du ciel (1978). An expert golfer, he was said by his friend Claude Akins to have earned more money on the golf course than he ever did in movies. He died in 1989. -
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James Stewart: A Wonderful Life | Self (archive footage) | 1987-03-13 |
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Stripes | Gen. Barnicke | 1981-06-26 |
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The Sweet Creek County War | 1979-01-25 | |
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Days of Heaven | The Farm Foreman | 1978-09-13 |
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Wild and Wooly | Demas Scott | 1978-02-20 |
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The Boy Who Cried Werewolf | The Sheriff | 1973-08-01 |
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Santee | Deaks (as Robert Wilke | 1973-09-01 |
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The Rookies | Officer Shaw | 1972-03-07 |
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They Call It Murder | Sheriff Rex Brandon | 1971-12-17 |
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A Gunfight | Marshal Tom Cater | 1971-08-25 |
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The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler | Hugh Fielding | 1971-11-30 |
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The Cheyenne Social Club | Corey Bannister | 1970-06-12 |
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The Desperate Mission | Gant | 1969-11-20 |
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Tony Rome | Ralph Turpin | 1967-11-10 |
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El magnifico extranjero | Sheriff McVey | 1966-08-26 |
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Smoky | Jeff Nicks | 1966-08-03 |
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The Hallelujah Trail | Chief Five Barrels | 1965-06-23 |
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Shock Treatment | Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke) | 1964-07-22 |
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Fate Is the Hunter | Stillman | 1964-10-16 |
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The Gun Hawk | Johnny Flanders | 1963-08-28 |
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The Long Rope | Ben Matthews | 1961-03-26 |
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Spartacus | Guard captain | 1960-10-13 |
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The Slowest Gun in the West | Billy the Kid Blake | 1960-05-07 |
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The Magnificent Seven | Wallace | 1960-10-12 |
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Never Steal Anything Small | Lennie | 1959-02-11 |
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Return to Warbow | Red | 1958-01-15 |
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Man of the West | Ponch | 1958-10-01 |
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Night Passage | Concho | 1957-07-24 |
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The Tarnished Angels | Hank | 1957-11-21 |
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Hot Summer Night | Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke) | 1957-02-15 |
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The Lone Ranger | Cassidy | 1956-02-25 |
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Gun the Man Down | Matt Rankin | 1956-11-15 |
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Written on the Wind | Dan Willis | 1956-10-04 |
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The Rawhide Years | Neal (as Robert Wilke) | 1956-07-01 |
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Raw Edge | Sile Doty | 1956-03-24 |
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Backlash | Jeff Welker | 1956-03-14 |
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Canyon River | Joe Graycoe | 1956-08-04 |
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Smoke Signal | Daly | 1955-03-01 |
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Wichita | Ben Thompson | 1955-07-03 |
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Shotgun | Bentley (as Robert Wilke) | 1955-04-23 |
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Strange Lady in Town | Karg | 1955-04-12 |
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Two Guns and a Badge | Moore - Outlaw | 1954-09-11 |
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | First Mate of the Nautilus | 1954-12-23 |
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The Far Country | Madden | 1954-02-12 |
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The Lone Gun | Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke) | 1954-04-25 |
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From Here to Eternity | Sgt. Henderson (uncredited) | 1953-08-28 |
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Arrowhead | Sgt. Stone | 1953-08-03 |
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Cow Country | Sledge | 1953-04-25 |
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War Paint | Trooper Grady | 1953-08-28 |
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The Maverick | Massey | 1952-12-14 |
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Wyoming Roundup | Wyatt - Henchman | 1952-11-09 |
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Fargo | Link - Henchman | 1952-09-07 |
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Road Agent | Slab Babcock | 1952-03-29 |
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Hellgate | Sgt. Maj. Kearn | 1952-09-04 |
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The Las Vegas Story | Clayton (as Robert Wilke) | 1952-01-30 |
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Cattle Town | Keeno | 1952-09-06 |
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High Noon | Jim Pierce | 1952-06-09 |
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Cyclone Fury | Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke) | 1951-08-14 |
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Pistol Harvest | Andy Baylor | 1951-08-30 |
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Gunplay | Henchman Winslow | 1951-07-23 |
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Best of the Badmen | Jim Younger | 1951-08-09 |
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Vengeance Valley | Cowhand (uncredited) | 1951-02-14 |
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Hot Lead | Stoney Dawson | 1951-09-30 |
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Overland Telegraph | Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke) | 1951-12-15 |
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Saddle Legion | Henchman Hooker | 1951-04-07 |
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Outcasts of Black Mesa | Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) | 1950-04-13 |
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Across the Badlands | Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke) | 1950-09-14 |
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Frontier Outpost | Krag Benson | 1950-12-29 |
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The Desert Hawk | Camel Driver | 1950-08-05 |
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Mule Train | Bradshaw - Henchman (uncredited) | 1950-02-22 |
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Flaming Fury | 1949-07-28 | |
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Coyote Canyon | Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie) | 1949-11-17 |
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The Wyoming Bandit | Sam | 1949-07-15 |
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The Blonde Bandit | Police Det. Walker | 1949-12-22 |
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Laramie | Cronin (uncredited) | 1949-05-19 |
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Carson City Raiders | Ed Noble | 1948-05-13 |
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Homicide for Three | Policeman | 1948-12-08 |
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Daredevils of the Clouds | Joe | 1948-07-26 |
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Blackmail | Policeman | 1947-07-24 |
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The Ghost Goes Wild | Burglar | 1947-08-08 |
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Law of the Canyon | Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited) | 1947-04-23 |
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Twilight on the Rio Grande | Henchman | 1947-03-31 |
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Web of Danger | Station Wagon Driver | 1947-06-10 |
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Buck Privates Come Home | GI Buddy (uncredited) | 1947-04-04 |
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White Tie and Tails | Starter (uncredited) | 1946-08-30 |
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Badman's Territory | Deputy Marshal (uncredited) | 1946-05-04 |
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Rendezvous with Annie | MP (uncredited) | 1946-07-22 |
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The Inner Circle | Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke) | 1946-08-07 |
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Traffic in Crime | Hogan's Driver | 1946-06-28 |
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The Catman of Paris | The Catman (uncredited) | 1946-04-20 |
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Passkey to Danger | Police Sergeant | 1946-05-11 |
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Trail of Kit Carson | Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke) | 1945-07-11 |
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Hitchhike to Happiness | Stage Hand (uncredited) | 1945-07-16 |
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Santa Fe Saddlemates | Rawhide | 1945-06-01 |
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Sheriff of Cimarron | Henchman Dobie | 1945-02-28 |
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Sunset in El Dorado | Curley Roberts | 1945-09-29 |
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Rough Riders of Cheyenne | Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) | 1945-10-31 |
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Bandits of the Badlands | Keller | 1945-09-14 |
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Lone Texas Ranger | Henchman (uncredited) | 1945-05-20 |
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Corpus Christi Bandits | Henchman Steve | 1945-04-20 |
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Earl Carroll Vanities | Cab Driver | 1945-04-05 |
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Call of the Rockies | Deputy Jim | 1944-07-14 |
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Vigilantes of Dodge City | Bill | 1944-11-15 |
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San Antonio Kid | Henchman | 1944-08-16 |
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Faces in the Fog | Photographer | 1944-11-30 |
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Cowboy and the Senorita | Townsman (uncredited) | 1944-05-13 |
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Sheriff of Sundown | Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke) | 1944-11-07 |
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The Fighting Seabees | Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited) | 1944-01-27 |
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Code of the Prairie | 1944-10-06 | |
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Bordertown Trail | Henchman | 1944-08-11 |
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Hidden Valley Outlaws | Rancher (uncredited) | 1944-04-01 |
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Whispering Footsteps | Bank Customer | 1943-12-30 |
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Sierra Sue | Carnival Spectator (uncredited) | 1941-11-12 |
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Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. | Cutter Helmsman | 1941-12-27 |
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In Old Missouri | Hillbilly | 1940-04-17 |
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Adventures of Red Ryder | Henchman | 1940-06-28 |
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Grand Ole Opry | Hillbilly (uncredited) | 1940-06-25 |
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Daredevils of the Red Circle | G-Man | 1939-06-10 |
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In Old Monterey | Man on Wagon | 1939-08-14 |
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Star Reporter | Reporter | 1939-02-22 |
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S.O.S Tidal Wave | Man in TV Studio | 1939-06-02 |
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The Fighting Devil Dogs | Marine in Shanghai (uncredited) | 1938-05-27 |
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San Quentin | Young Convict in Yard (uncredited) | 1937-05-24 |
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That Man's Here Again | (uncredited) | 1937-04-16 |
