Jason Nelson Robards (December 31, 1892 – April 4, 1963) was an American stage and screen actor, and the father of

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-winning actor Jason Robards Jr. Robards appeared in many films, initially as a leading man, then in character roles and occasional bit parts. Most of his final roles were in television.

Life and career

Robards was born on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

Hillsdale, Michigan Hillsdale is the largest city and county seat of Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,036 at the 2020 census. The city is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college noted for its academics ...

, the son of Elizabeth (née Loomis), a schoolteacher, and Frank P. Robards Sr., a farmer and post office inspector who managed

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

's 1912 Presidential campaign in Michigan. He was raised in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. He trained at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ar ...

. He was billed simply as "Jason Robards" through most of his career, but in his latter years, after his namesake son took up acting, he was generally listed in credits as Jason Robards Sr. He died in 1963 (after which his son switched from "Jason Robards Jr." to "Jason Robards"). Contemporary actors Jason Robards III and Sam Robards are Jason Sr.'s grandsons.

Acting career

Robards's film career lasted primarily from 1921 to 1961. His

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

credits include the musical ''Turn To The Right'' (1917). Robards's best known stage role was John Marvin in the long-running hit ''Lightnin. Robards's connection to the part caused his son to equate him to the character of James Tyrone in '' Long Day's Journey Into Night,'' which

Jason Jr. ''Jason Junior'', also called ''JJ'', was a small remotely operated vehicle (ROV) designed and built by the Deep Submergence Laboratory at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). ''Jason Jr.'' was a prototype for a larger, more capable ROV na ...

played on Broadway in 1956 and on screen in 1962. In the play, Tyrone is an actor whose career is limited by his identification with a single part,

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with '' The Three Musketeers''. L ...

. Jason Jr. would later say "One of the most damaging things for me, I realize now, was playing a drunk in the play ''Long Day's Journey Into Night.'' In the play, the drunk's father is a failed artist and his mother was a drug addict. It was only after years of analysis I realized I was acting out events in my own life on stage." In one of his television appearances, Robards played Judge Hesby in the 1958 episode "Dead Reckoning" of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

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 i ...

series, '' Colt .45'', starring

Wayde Preston Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre), Western ...

. The Robardses, father and son, acted on stage together only once, in

Budd Schulberg Budd Schulberg (born Seymour Wilson Schulberg, March 27, 1914 – August 5, 2009) was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels ''What Makes Sammy Run?'' and ''The Harder They Fall;'' ...

's ''The Disenchanted'', a play inspired by the story of

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

. Jason Jr. won his only

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for his performance. Robards Sr. died, aged 70, in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

, at his home.

Partial filmography

* '' The Land of Hope'' (1921) * ''

Footloose Widows ''Footloose Widows'' is a 1926 silent film feature comedy produced and distributed by Warner Bros., directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Louise Fazenda and Jacqueline Logan. A print is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. A 16mm c ...

'' (1926) * '' The Third Degree'' (1926) * '' Tracked by the Police'' (1927) * '' Polly of the Movies'' (1927) * '' Jaws of Steel'' (1927) * '' Wild Geese'' (1927) * '' Streets of Shanghai'' (1927) * '' On Trial'' (1928) * '' The Isle of Lost Ships'' (1929) * ''

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

'' (1929) * '' The Flying Marine'' (1929) * '' Some Mother's Boy'' (1929) * ''Trifles'' (1930) * '' Peacock Alley'' (1930) * '' The Jazz Cinderella'' (1930) * ''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

'' (1930) * '' Crazy That Way'' (1930) * ''

Charlie Chan Carries On ''Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1930) is the fifth novel in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers. Plot summary Inspector Duff, a Scotland Yard detective and friend of Chan's, first introduced in '' Behind That Curtain'', is pursuing a murd ...

'' (1931) * '' Salvation Nell'' (1931) * ''

The Law of the Tong ''The Law of the Tong'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Phyllis Barrington, John Harron and Jason Robards Sr.Pitts p.394 Synopsis A dance hall hostess becomes mixed up in a gang smuggling illega ...

'' (1931) * '' Discarded Lovers'' (1932) * '' Docks of San Francisco'' (1932) * ''

The Pride of the Legion ''The Pride of the Legion'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Victor Jory Victor Jory (November 23, 1902 – February 12, 1982) was a Canadian-American actor of stage, film, and television. He initially ...

'' (1932) * '' Slightly Married'' (1932) * ''

A Strange Adventure ''A Strange Adventure'' is a 1956 American crime film directed by William Witney, written by Houston Branch and starring Joan Evans, Ben Cooper, Marla English, Jan Merlin, Nick Adams and Peter Miller. It was released on August 24, 1956 by Re ...

'' (1932) * ''

Damaged Lives ''Damaged Lives'' is a 1933 Canadian/American pre-Code exploitation film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The screenplay is based on the French play ''Les Avariés'' (1901) by Eugène Brieux.Bogdanovich, Peter (1997) (New York: Knopf) The film ...

'' (1933) * '' Devil's Mate'' (1933) * '' Dance Hall Hostess'' (1933) * ''

Ship of Wanted Men ''Ship of Wanted Men'' is a 1933 American pre-Code crime film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Dorothy Sebastian, Fred Kohler and Leon Ames.Pitts p.334 The film's sets were designed by the art director Fred Preble. Synopsis A gang ...

'' (1933) *'' Carnival Lady'' (1933) * ''

Public Stenographer ''Public Stenographer'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code romantic comedy. Stenographer Ann McNair (Lane) en route to a job mistakenly gets in the wrong car and ends up at a wild party thrown by Jim Martin (Collier). While in pursuit of McNair, Martin ...

'' (1933) * ''

Corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Woman Condemned ''The Woman Condemned'' is a 1934 American pre-Code film directed by Dorothy Davenport, best known as a silent actress and the wife of actor Wallace Reid. Plot A radio star takes a vacation and is later found murdered. Barbara Hammond is ac ...

'' (1934) * ''

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a ma ...

'' (1934) * ''

Ladies Crave Excitement ''Ladies Crave Excitement'' is a 1935 American action–comedy drama film released by Mascot Pictures, directed by Nick Grinde and starring Norman Foster, Evalyn Knapp and Esther Ralston. Plot Don Phelan, the ace newsreel reporter, falls in ...

'' (1935) * '' Clipped Wings'' (1937) * '' Flight to Fame'' (1938) * '' Cipher Bureau'' (1938) * '' Sky Patrol'' (1939) * '' The Mad Empress'' (1939) * '' The Fighting Marines'' (1939) serial * '' The Fatal Hour'' (1940) * ''

Betrayal from the East ''Betrayal from the East'' is a 1945 American spy drama film starring Lee Tracy and Nancy Kelly. The film was directed by William A. Berke and based on the book ''Betrayal from the East: The Inside Story of Japanese Spies in America'' by Alan ...

'' (1945) * '' Man Alive'' (1945) * '' Isle of the Dead'' (1945) * ''

Bedlam Bedlam, a word for an environment of insanity, is a term that may refer to: Places * Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England * Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet in England * Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London psychiatric institution and the ...

'' (1946) * '' Trail Street'' (1947) * '' Desperate'' (1947) * '' Thunder Mountain'' (1947) * ''

Guns of Hate ''Guns of Hate'' is a 1948 Western film''Guns of Hate''
at

'' (1948) * '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948) * '' Western Heritage'' (1948) * '' Fighting Father Dunne'' (1948) * ''

Return of the Bad Men ''Return of the Bad Men'', also known as ''Return of the Badmen'', is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan and Anne Jeffreys.Jarlett p.192-93 A loose sequel to the 1946 film '' Badman's T ...

'' (1948) * '' Rimfire'' (1949) * '' Horsemen of the Sierras'' (1949) * ''

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impac ...

'' (1949) * '' The Second Woman'' (1950) * '' Cimarron City'' (

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

) (1958) * ''

Wild in the Country ''Wild in the Country'' is a 1961 American musical–drama film directed by Philip Dunne and starring Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld, and Millie Perkins. Based on the 1958 novel ''The Lost Country'' by J. R. Salamanca, the screenplay c ...

'' (1961)

References

External links

* * *
Jason Robards Sr. – Rotten Tomatoes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robards, Jason Sr. 1892 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male silent film actors American male stage actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) People from Hillsdale, Michigan