Robert Trebor (born June 7, 1953) is an American character actor, perhaps best known for starring as

Salmoneus In Greek mythology, Salmoneus (; Ancient Greek: Σαλμωνεύς) was 'the wicked'Hesiod, '' Ehoiai'' fr. 4 as cited in Plutarch, ''Moralia'' p. 747; Scholia on Pindar, ''Pythian Ode'' 4.263 eponymous king and founder of Salmone in Pisatis. ...

on the cult hits ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

'' and '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. The surname of his stage name (Trebor) is an

anadrome An anadrome is a word whose spelling is derived by reversing the spelling of another word. It is therefore a special type of anagram. There is a long history of names being coined as ananyms of existing words or names for entities related to the ...

of his given name, Robert.

Biography

Early life

Trebor was born Robert Schenkman and grew up in Northeast Philadelphia; he is of Jewish origin. He first showed signs of interest in acting around age 13. He was soon taking acting classes and participating in local theater groups. He also won several filmmaking awards from

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

short film competitions, and the local ABC Philadelphia and PBS affiliates for a short black and white film called "Communicate!?"

''Starring Himself''

He wrote, directed, and starred in this short, as well as composed the music on an early version of a

Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...

. His first lead role on the stage was as Finch in ''

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'' for the St. Joseph's Summer Music Theatre Festival. Along with his acting Robert won several national awards from Scholastic Magazines for writing film and theatre reviews. Ironically one of his award-winning reviews was for

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962), '' The Manchurian Candidate'' ( ...

's ''The Fixer''. Years later he would appear in Frankenheimer's 1986 film ''

52 Pick-Up ''52 Pick-Up'' is a 1986 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, and Vanity. It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1974 novel of the same name, and is the second adaptation of it after '' The ...

''. After a brief focus on oratory, he returned to acting, majoring in theater at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He returned to Philadelphia to star with

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a n ...

in a revival of George Gershwin's ''Strike Up The Band'' for the inaugural season of the American Music Theatre Festival at the historic Walnut Street Theatre. Trebor has since alternated between film and television.

Film and television

Trebor played the

Son of Sam David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco, June 1, 1953), also known as the Son of Sam and .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer who pleaded guilty to eight shootings that began in New York City on July 29, 1976. Berkowitz ...

killer in '' Out of the Darkness'' opposite

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

. On television, after playing Waylin the slave in ''

Hercules and the Lost Kingdom ''Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'' is the second television movie in the syndicated fantasy series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. In the film, Hercules comes to the aid of a young woman who is seeking the lost city of Troy. Eventually, ...

'', the second of five TV movies, Trebor rose to fame for playing the ever-out-to-make-a-dinar merchant Salmoneus, a character originating on ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and making occasional crossovers to

sister show Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one ...

''Xena: Warrior Princess''. He appeared in the 2016 Coen Brothers film ''

Hail, Caesar! ''Hail, Caesar!'' is a 2016 period mystery musical black comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. An American-British-Japanese co-production, the film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehr ...

'', playing opposite Josh Brolin.

Theatre

A recent project for the theatre is a one-man show called "The Return of Brother Theodore". The ''

Los Angeles Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' gave the show its prized "GO" recommendation and said, "actor Robert Trebor reincarnates Gottlieb in a 45-minute late-night solo performance that paints

Brother Theodore Theodore Isidore Gottlieb (November 11, 1906 – April 5, 2001), mostly known as Brother Theodore, was a Germany, German-born United States, American actor and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness monologues which he called "st ...

’s belligerent reflections on a twisted life with broad yet powerful comedic strokes." This production was nominated by The ''LA Weekly'' for Best Solo Performance of 2007. Trebor starred as the Russian Major Viktor Davidykov in the drama '' Ravensridge'' written by TS Cook. Mr. Cook was the writer of the aforementioned '' Out Of The Darkness'' produced in 1985. His work in this play has been widely praised, Variety saying "Trebor is superb as the acerbic Davidykov, ironically bemoaning, "We used to be such a beautiful police state," and then affectingly describing how for all of communism's faults, how important it was that the whole country was experiencing it together. Trebor's Russian accent is excellent, and his perf is multilayered and nimble."

Author

He wrote the critically acclaimed satiric novella ''The Haircut Who Would Be King'', that Kirkus said was "A hilarious rendering of the contemporary political scene." Bookpleasures.com wrote, "This is a parody at its supreme best; uproariously funny yet accurate. If you are feeling down from the bombardment of the daily outrageous behavior of the idiot in the White House, the read will provide you with just the right medicine to cure your ills and put away those anti-depressants that you may be taking."

Filmography

*''Face of Fire'' (1959) *'' Magnum Force'' (1973) - Reporter (uncredited) *''

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'' (1980) - Rabbi Blowitz *''The First Time'' (1983) - Joel *'' Turk 182'' (1985) - Copy Boy *''

The Purple Rose of Cairo ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' is a 1985 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello. Inspired by the films '' Sherlock Jr.'' (1924) and '' Hellzapoppin ( ...

'' (1985) - Reporter *''The Sex O'Clock News'' (1985) - Mr. Rajah *'' Out of the Darkness'' (1985) (TV) - David Berkowitz *''

'' (1986) - Leo Franks *'' Making Mr. Right'' (1987) - Tux Salesman *''

My Demon Lover ''My Demon Lover'' is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Charlie Loventhal and written by Leslie Ray. The film stars Scott Valentine, Michele Little, Robert Trebor, Gina Gallego, Alan Fudge, Calvert DeForest and Arnold Johnson. The ...

'' (1987) - Charles *''

Talk Radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...

'' (1988) - Jeffrey Fisher / Francine *'' Universal Soldier'' (1992) - Motel Owner *''

The Nutt House ''The Nutt House'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for five episodes on NBC from September 20 to October 25, 1989. Overview ''The Nutt House'' was the creation of executive producers Mel Brooks and Alan Spencer and was a broad ...

'' (1992) - Buddy *''

'' (1994) (TV) - Waylin *''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

'' (1994) - Harried Man in Taxi (uncredited) *''

'' (1995–1999) (TV series) - Salmoneus / B.S. Hollingsfoffer, Studio Head *'' Xena: Warrior Princess'' (1995–2001) (TV series) - Salmoneus / Marco / Lord Seltzer *''Dying on the Edge'' (2001) - Mel Weiner *''

Wedding Daze ''Wedding Daze'' (also known as ''The Pleasure of Your Company'' and ''The Next Girl I See'') is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Michael Ian Black and starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher. Plot Against the advice ...

'' (2004) (TV) - Rabbi Feldman *''

Jiminy Glick in Lalawood ''Jiminy Glick in Lalawood'' is a 2004 American comedy film starring Martin Short as Jiminy Glick, a morbidly obese movie critic who is involved in a murder case at the Toronto International Film Festival. The supporting cast features Jan Hooks, ...

'' (2004) - Jay Schiffer *''

Raise Your Voice ''Raise Your Voice'' is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Hilary Duff. Canadian rock band Three Days Grace made a cameo appearance in the film, performing the songs "Are You Ready" and "Home". Pl ...

'' (2004) - Mr. Wesson *''

Meet Market A meet market (or meat market) is a location or activity in which people are viewed as commodities, or a business like a nightclub where people typically look for a casual sex partner. The term is also used metaphorically, for example, to refer to t ...

'' (2004) - Director Dick *'' The Devil's Rejects'' (2005) - Marty Walker (uncredited) *''

'' (2016) - Producer of 'Hail, Caesar!'

References

External links

*
"The Return of Brother Theodore" A one-man theatrical tribute starring Robert Trebor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trebor, Robert 1953 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors American people of Jewish descent Male actors from Philadelphia