Cliff Robertson, 1923–2011
The Oscar-winning actor snubbed by Hollywood
Cliff Robertson had the best possible reference for landing the role of naval officer John F. Kennedy in the 1963 movie PT 109: JFK himself. But the president had one stipulation—that the actor promise not to even try to mimic his famous Boston accent. Robertson complied, and the film became a milestone in an Oscar-winning Hollywood career that spanned 50 years.
Clifford Parker Robertson III was born in San Diego and began acting in high school, said The New York Times. After serving in the merchant marine during World War II and attending Antioch College in Ohio, he moved to New York to pursue an acting career. He first found success on the stage, but by the mid-1950s he moved into TV acting during “what came to be called television’s golden age,” appearing in The United States Steel Hour, The Chrysler Theater, and Playhouse 90.
Playing JFK brought Robertson fame, said Politico. Treating a sitting president “as a matinee idol” was unheard of in Hollywood, earning both the movie and its star plenty of attention. Though the film was “hardly considered a classic” by critics, it propelled Robertson toward more prestigious roles. He won an Oscar in 1968 for his title role as a mentally disabled man in Charly.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Robertson’s career “lost its momentum” in 1977, said Variety, after he blew the whistle on a high-level check fraud. David Begelman, the head of Columbia Pictures, forged a $10,000 check in Robertson’s name and cashed it. Robertson noticed the missing payment and exposed Begelman as an embezzler. Robertson later claimed that “Hollywood’s old-boy network,” angry that he had crossed one of their own, blacklisted him from major roles thereafter.
But Robertson “became known to a whole new generation” in 2002, said the A.V. Club, when he played Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben in Spider-Man. His delivery of the movie’s most famous line (“With great power comes great responsibility”) gave the blockbuster a “moral backbone”—something Robertson had given Hollywood itself “for so many years, both onscreen and off.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Benjamin Zephaniah: trailblazing writer who 'took poetry everywhere'
Why Everyone's Talking About Remembering the 'radical' wordsmith's 'wit and sense of mischief'
By The Week UK Published
-
Shane MacGowan: the unruly former punk with a literary soul
Why Everyone's Talking About The Pogues frontman died aged 65
By The Week UK Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Legendary jazz and pop singer Tony Bennett dies at 96
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
Martin Amis: literary wunderkind who ‘blazed like a rocket’
feature Famed author, essayist and screenwriter died this week aged 73
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, is dead at 84
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Barry Humphries obituary: cerebral satirist who created Dame Edna Everage
feature Actor and comedian was best known as the monstrous Melbourne housewife and Sir Les Patterson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mary Quant obituary: pioneering designer who created the 1960s look
feature One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century remembered as the mother of the miniskirt
By The Week Staff Published