Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923 – February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...

'' and railroad owner Ben Calhoun in '' Iron Horse''. He often was presented as a deceptively thoughtful but modest

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

hero. From 1968 to 1970, Robertson was the fourth and final host of the

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

''. Described by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine in 1959 as "probably the best horseman on television", for most of his career, Robertson played in Western films and television shows—well over 60 titles in all.

Early life

Born in 1923 to Melvin and Vervel Robertson in Harrah, Oklahoma, Robertson fought as a professional boxer while enrolled in the Oklahoma Military Academy in Claremore. During this time Columbia Pictures offered to test Robertson for the lead in their film version of '' Golden Boy'', but Robertson turned down the trip to Hollywood for a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

. He did not want to leave the ponies he was training, nor his home, and the role went to

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was commissioned through

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. H ...

, and served in the U.S. Army's 322nd Combat Engineer Battalion of the 97th Infantry Division in Europe. He was wounded twice and was awarded the

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

and

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

medals.

Career

Early roles

Robertson began his acting career by chance when he was in the army. When he was stationed at

San Luis Obispo, California ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...

, Robertson's mother asked him to have a portrait taken for her because she did not have one; so he and several other soldiers went to Hollywood to find a photographer. A large copy of his photo was displayed in his mother's living room window.Paregien Sr., Stan
Dale Robertson profile at www.fortunecity.com
(accessed May 26, 2010) He found himself receiving letters from film agents who wished to represent him. After the war, Robertson's war wounds prevented him from resuming his boxing career. He stayed in California to try his hand at acting. Hollywood actor Will Rogers Jr., gave him this advice: "Don't ever take a dramatic lesson. They will try to put your voice in a dinner jacket, and people like their hominy and grits in everyday clothes." Robertson thereafter avoided formal acting lessons. Robertson made his film debut in an uncredited role as a policeman in '' The Boy with Green Hair'' (1948). Two other uncredited appearances led to featured roles in two

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

Westerns: '' Fighting Man of the Plains'' (1949), where he played

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

, and '' The Cariboo Trail'' (1950). Popular acclaim to Robertson's brief roles led him to be signed to a seven-year contract to

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. Robertson's first role for Fox was a support part in a Western, '' Two Flags West'' (1951). He had a support part in the musical '' Call Me Mister'' (1951). He soon advanced to leading roles in films such as '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951), where he played

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in ''Pinky (film), Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films ''In the Meantime, Da ...

's love interest, and '' Golden Girl'' (1951), where he supported Mitzi Gaynor.

Stardom

Fox gave Robertson top billing in '' Return of the Texan'' (1952). He appeared opposite

Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway theatre, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe, and t ...

in '' The Outcasts of Poker Flat'' (1952), and starred in the historical adventure '' Lydia Bailey'' (1952). Robertson was never very cooperative with the press, even shunning the powerful columnist Louella Parsons. As a result, he won the press' Sour Apple Award for three years running. But then, commented Robertson, "that dang Sinatra had to hit some photographer in the nose and stop me from getting my fourth." He was one of several Fox names in '' O. Henry's Full House'' (1952) and was Betty Grable's love interest in '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1953). RKO borrowed him for '' Devil's Canyon'' (1953) with Virginia Mayo and '' Son of Sinbad'', filmed in 1953 but not released for two more years. He returned to Fox for '' City of Bad Men'' (1953) with Crain; '' The Silver Whip'' (1954) with

Rory Calhoun Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as ''How to Marry a Millio ...

and

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

; and '' The Gambler from Natchez'' (1954) with Debra Paget.

Freelancer

Robertson went over to

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

to star in ''

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...

'' (1954), and '' Top of the World'' (1955), an adventure film. Robertson did '' A Day of Fury'' (1956) for Universal and '' Dakota Incident'' (1956) for Republic, then traveled to Britain for '' High Terrace'' (1956).

Television

'', his best-remembered series, aired on NBC from 1957 to 1962. Weekly B & W episodes were 30 minutes in length from 1957-1961. The program expanded to an hour and switched to color for its final season in 1961-1962. The show originally was produced by Nat Holt whom Robertson felt he owed his career to for giving him his first leading roles. Robertson used his own horse, Jubilee, throughout the run of the series. Robertson also did the narration for ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' through which he often presented his own commentary on matters of law, morality, and common sense. He was unique among his television contemporaries, stating that he hated the gun he was forced to carry, but saw it as a necessary evil, a "tool of the trade", and kept practicing. In its cover story on television Westerns, published March 30, 1959, ''Time'' reported Robertson was 6 feet tall, weighed 180 pounds, and measured 42–34–34. He sometimes made use of his physique in " beefcake" scenes, such as one in 1952's '' Return of the Texan'' where he is seen bare-chested and sweaty, repairing a fence. In 1960, Robertson guest-starred as himself in NBC's '' The Ford Show'', starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1962, he similarly appeared and sang a perfect rendition of "High Noon" on the short-lived Western comedy and variety series ''

The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show was a musical variety series that aired Saturday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 29, 1962Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Ti ...

''.

1960s work

In 1963, after ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' ended its five-year run, he played the lead role in the first of A. C. Lyles' '' Law of the Lawless''. The film was initially set to star

, but Calhoun came down with pneumonia the night before the production was set to start filming. Dale Robertson, star of the television series, ''

,'' stepped in at six hours' notice. Lyles had acquired the friendship and respect of a galaxy of experienced actors who offered their services to his production. Robertson filmed a television pilot; about Diamond Jim Brady that was not picked up as a series. Robertson created United Screen Arts in 1965 which released two of his films, '' The Man from Button Willow'' (1965, animated) that he did the voice for and '' The One Eyed Soldiers'' (1966) which he starred in. In the 1966–67 season, Robertson starred in ''Scalplock'' another television pilot released as a movie that became '' Iron Horse'', in which his character wins an incomplete railroad line in a poker game and then decides to manage the company. In 1968, he succeeded Robert Taylor as the host of ''Death Valley Days'', a role formerly held by Stanley Andrews and future U.S. President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

. The series would come to its end, after 19 years on the air, with Robertson's 26 episodes as host. In rebroadcasts, ''Death Valley Days'' (often known as ''Trails West'' at the time), featured Ray Milland in the role of revised host. Robertson guest-starred on the November 17, 1969, episode of ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

''.

Later career

In 1970 he had the lead playing a US Army Major in the Japanese film ''Aru heishi no kake''. Robertson guest-starred as himself in the episode "Little Orphan Airplane" of ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

'' in 1974. He portrayed legendary FBI agent Melvin Purvis in two made-for-television movies '' Melvin Purvis: G-Man'' (1974) and '' The Kansas City massacre'' (1975). In 1981, Robertson was in the original starring cast of ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

'', playing Walter Lankershim, a character who disappeared after the first season. In 1983, Robertson made ''Big John'', another television pilot, where he played a Georgia sheriff who becomes a New York Police Department detective. From 1987 to 1988, he starred as the title character the detective series '' J.J. Starbuck''. Robertson also played Frank Crutcher in five episodes of the TV series ''

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'' during the 1982–83 season. In December 1993 and January 1994, Robertson appeared in two episodes of '' Harts of the West'' in the role of Zeke Terrell. During an appearance on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'', Robertson said he was of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

ancestry. He joked, "I am the tribe's West Coast distributor." Robertson played a central part in two episodes of ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' with Angela Lansbury but he was not credited in either appearance. He received the Golden Boot Award in 1985, has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

, and is also in the Hall of Great Western Performers and the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

in Oklahoma City. In 1999, Robertson won the award for film and television from the American Cowboy Culture Association in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

. In the last few years before his death, Robertson hosted a radio program called ''Little Known Facts'', which was broadcast on 400 radio stations.

Death

In his later years, Robertson and his wife, Susan Robbins, whom he married in 1980, lived on his ranch in

Yukon, Oklahoma Yukon is a city in eastern Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 23,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Founded in the 1890s, the town was named in reference to a gold rush in Yukon Territory, Canada, at the ...

, where it was reported he owned 235 horses at one time, with five mares foaling grand champions. Due to his declining health, he relocated to the

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

area in what would be his final months, passing away at Scripps Memorial Hospital in

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, on February 27, 2013, from lung cancer and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

TV and filmography

* '' The Boy with Green Hair'' (1948) – Cop (uncredited) * '' Flamingo Road'' (1948) – Tunis Simms (uncredited) * '' The Girl from Jones Beach'' (1949) – Lifeguard (uncredited) * '' Fighting Man of the Plains'' (1950) – Jesse James * '' The Cariboo Trail'' (1950) – Will Gray * '' Two Flags West'' (1950) – Lem * '' Call Me Mister'' (1951) – Capt. Johnny Comstock * '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951) – Joe Blake * '' The Secret of Convict Lake'' (1951) – Narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' Golden Girl'' (1951) – Tom Richmond * '' Return of the Texan'' (1952) – Sam Crockett * '' The Outcasts of Poker Flat'' (1952) – John Oakhurst * '' Lydia Bailey'' (1952) – Albion Hamlin * '' Lure of the Wilderness'' (1952) – Opening off-screen narrator (voice, uncredited) * '' O. Henry's Full House'' (1952) – Barney Woods (segment "The Clarion Call") * '' The Silver Whip'' (1953) – Race Crim * '' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1953) – Dan Harrow * '' Devil's Canyon'' (1953) – Billy Reynolds * '' City of Bad Men'' (1953) – Brett Stanton * '' The Gambler from Natchez'' (1954) – Capt. Vance Colby * ''

'' (1954) – Major Robert 'Bob' Parrish * '' Top of the World'' (1955) – Maj. Lee Gannon * '' Son of Sinbad'' (1955) – Sinbad * '' The Ford Television Theatre'' (1956) – Donny Weaver (1 episode, "The Face") * '' A Day of Fury'' (1956) – Jagade * '' Dakota Incident'' (1956) – John Banner * '' High Terrace'' (1956) – Bill Lang * ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playh ...

'' (1956) – Jim Hardie (1 episode, ''A Tale of Wells Fargo'') * ''A Tall Trouble'' (1957) – Sheriff Caleb Wells * ''

'' (1957–1962) – Jim Hardie (all 201 episodes) * '' Anna of Brooklyn'' (1958) – Raffaele * ''Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon'' (1961, TV movie) – Jim Hardie * '' Law of the Lawless'' (1964) – Judge Clem Rogers * '' Blood on the Arrow'' (1964) – Wade Cooper * '' The Man from Button Willow'' (1965) – Justin Eagle (voice) * ''

Coast of Skeletons ''Coast of Skeletons'' is a 1965 adventure film, directed by Robert Lynn and starring Richard Todd and Dale Robertson. It is a sequel to the 1963 film '' Death Drums Along the River'', and just as that film, it uses the characters from Edga ...

'' (1965) – A. J. Magnus * '' The Hollywood Squares'' (1966) – himself (5 episodes) * '' Scalplock'' (1966, TV movie) – Benjamin Calhoun (a repackaging of the series pilot of ''Iron Horse'') * '' The One Eyed Soldiers'' (1966) – Richard Owen * '' Iron Horse'' (1966–1968) – Benjamin Calhoun (all 48 episodes) * ''

'' (1969) – himself (1 episode) * ''

'' (1969–1970) – host (26 episodes) * ''East Connection'' (1970) * ''Aru heishi no kake'' (''The Walking Major'', 1970) – Major Clark J. Allen * ''

''(1974) – himself (1 episode) * '' Melvin Purvis: G-Man'' (1974, TV movie) – Melvin Purvis * '' The Kansas City massacre'' (1975, TV movie) – Melvin Purvis * '' Fantasy Island'' (1979) – Peter Dawlings (1 episode) * '' The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang'' (1979, TV movie) – Judge Isaac C. Parker * ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' (1980) – Mason Fleers (1 episode) * ''

'' (1981) – Walter Lankershim (9 episodes) * ''

'' (1982) – Frank Crutcher (5 episodes) * '' The New Hollywood Squares'' (1987) – himself (1 episode) * '' J.J. Starbuck'' (1987–1988) – J.J. Starbuck (all 16 episodes) * ''

'' (1988–1989) – Col. Lee Goddard (2 episodes, uncredited) * ''Wind in the Wire'' (1993, TV movie) * '' Harts of the West'' (1993–1994) – Zeke (3 episodes, final role)

Radio appearances

References

External links

*
Dale Robertson biographical sketchIMDb entry
for the episode of ''

'' in which Dale Robertson appeared {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Dale 1923 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American sportsmen American male boxers American male film actors American male television actors Classen School of Advanced Studies alumni Deaths from lung cancer in California Deaths from pneumonia in California Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Oklahoma Male Western (genre) film actors Military personnel from Oklahoma People from Oklahoma County, Oklahoma People from Yukon, Oklahoma Ranchers from Oklahoma Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Western (genre) television actors