Robert Wightman (born December 29, 1952) is an American actor.

Biography

Wightman often works in the theater, notably in the West Coast Premier of the

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

' play ''

Vieux Carré The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

,'' produced with Williams' blessing by Karen Kondazian and starring

Ray Stricklyn Lewis Raymond Stricklyn (October 8, 1928 – May 14, 2002) was an American film actor, stage actor, television actor, soap opera star and publicist. His acting career took off with B-movie Westerns that placed his boyish good looks playing oppo ...

. Critic

Robert Osborne Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, author, actor and the primary television host for the premium cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for over twenty years. Prior to hosting at TCM, Os ...

said both Stricklyn and Wightman gave "touching and heartbreaking performances". Wightman has appeared in two other works of Williams produced by Kondazian, ''

Sweet Bird of Youth ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams that tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his hometown as the companion of a faded movie star, Alexandra del Lago (travelling incognito as Princess K ...

'' with

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in '' Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Awa ...

, and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award-winning production of ''

The Rose Tattoo ''The Rose Tattoo'' is a three-act play written by Tennessee Williams in 1949 and 1950; after its Chicago premiere on December 29, 1950, he made further revisions to the play for its Broadway premiere on February 2, 1951, and its publication b ...

'', which was praised by Williams himself who said he had never seen the play better directed than by Clyde Ventura. Sylvie Drake in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' singled-out "the excellent Robert Wightman" as Edgar in LATC's ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', and

Hoyt Hilsman Hoyt R. Hilsman is an author, journalist and political figure. He has written novels, non-fiction books, plays and screenplays, and is a regular contributor to national media. He was a candidate for Congress in California in 2006 and 2008, and has ...

writing for ''

Backstage Backstage may refer to: * Backstage (theatre), the areas of a theatre that are not part of the house or stage Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1917 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1919 film), a silent film starri ...

'' praised his "lovely and mysterious" portrayal as Budge in the dark comedy '' The Day Room'' by

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as consumerism, nuclear war, the complexities of language, art, televi ...

. Wightman replaced

Richard Thomas Richard Thomas or Dick Thomas may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Dick Thomas (singer) (1915–2003), American singing cowboy and actor * Richard Thomas (actor) (born 1951), American actor * Richard Thomas (author) (born 1967), America ...

in the role of John-Boy Walton in the TV series ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural mountainous Western Virginia of the Appalachian Mountains / Allegheny Mountains / Blue Ridge Mountains chain, during the economic hardships and mass unemp ...

''. He played the role beginning with the show's eighth season in 1979 until the end of the series in 1981.Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present'' (7th edition), page 1094, Ballantine, 1999 He also appeared in the role in the TV movie ''A Day of Thanks on Walton's Mountain'' in 1982. His movie credits include ''

American Gigolo ''American Gigolo'' is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story of a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically ...

'' and the starring role in ''

Stepfather III ''Stepfather III'' (also known as ''Stepfather III: Father's Day'') is a 1992 American horror film directed and written by Guy Magar. It stars Robert Wightman, Priscilla Barnes, David Tom, and Season Hubley. It is the sequel to the 1989 film '' ...

'', taking over the role originally played by

Terry O'Quinn Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance as John Locke on the TV series '' Lost'' (2004–2010). In film, he also played the title role i ...

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1979–1981; 1982 movie) *''

'' (1980) *''Missing Children : A Mother's Story'' (1982) *''

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per unit ...

'' (1984) *''

Capitol Capitol, capitols or The Capitol may refer to: Places and buildings Legislative building * United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C. * National Capitol of Colombia, in Bogotá * Palacio Federal Legislativo, in Caracas, Venezuela * National Ca ...

'' (1985–86) *''

On Wings of Eagles ''On Wings of Eagles'' is a 1983 non-fiction thriller written by British author Ken Follett. Set against the background of the Iranian revolution, it tells a story based on the rescue of Paul Chiapparone and Bill Gaylord from prison in Tehran ...

'' (1986) *''Opposing Force'' (1986) *''

It's a Living ''It's a Living'' (renamed ''Making a Living'' for Season 2) is an American Ensemble cast, ensemble sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on Ame ...

'' (1987) *''

'' (1992) *'' Matlock'' (1993) *''

Living in Oblivion ''Living in Oblivion'' is a 1995 American independent satirical black comedy film written and directed by Tom DiCillo. It stars Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, Danielle von Zerneck, James LeGros, and Peter Dinklage in his fi ...

'' (1995) *''

Box of Moon Light ''Box of Moonlight'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom DiCillo, and starring John Turturro, Sam Rockwell, Lisa Blount and Catherine Keener. Plot summary Al Fountain is a methodical and somewhat neurotic enginee ...

'' (1996) *'' Poodle Springs'' (1998)

References

External links

* Living people 1952 births Place of birth missing (living people) American male film actors American male television actors {{US-screen-actor-stub