Robert Ellis Scott (June 9, 1921 – January 5, 2006) was an American stage, film and television actor who appeared in over 100

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

s between

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

and

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. Sometimes he was credited as Mark Roberts, Bob Scott, Robert E. Scott, or Robert Scott.

Early years

A native of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, Roberts began acting when he was four, appearing in a play in kindergarten. "The smell of greasepaint got me", he said years later. During his childhood, the family moved to

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. The popula ...

, and later to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. Roberts attended Southwest High School in Kansas City and the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

at Tucson, where he majored in English.

Film

Soon after Roberts graduated from college, a screen test at

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

led to a long-term contract for him. He made his film debut in ''

Brother Rat ''Brother Rat'' is a 1938 American comedy drama film about cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, directed by William Keighley, and starring Ronald Reagan, Priscilla Lane, Eddie Albert (in his film debut), Jane Wyman, and W ...

'', a 1938 film directed by

William Keighley William Jackson Keighley (August 4, 1889 – June 24, 1984) was an American stage actor and Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood film director. Career After graduating from the Ludlum School of Dramatic Art, Keighley began acting at the age of ...

and starring

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 ...

. Roberts played an uncredited bit role as Tripod Andrews. After that, he was billed as Robert Scott in three films before obtaining his first and only leading role in the 1944 Columbia serial ''

Black Arrow Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW,Gibson and Buttler 2007, . was a British satellite expendable launch system. Black Arrow originated from studies by the Royal Aircraft Establishment for carrier rockets based on the earlier Blac ...

''. He also served in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after 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 ...

. Following discharge, he acted under the name of Mark Roberts. Roberts appeared (uncredited) in '' It's a Wonderful Life'', the 1946 classic

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

film. He and Carl (Alfalfa) Switzer played Mickey and Freddie Othello, respectively, the two guys who unlock the gym floor at the high school dance, exposing the pool below, into which George Bailey (

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

) and Mary Hatch ( Donna Reed) tumble.

Stage

Roberts played the role of Dunbar in the Broadway production of ''Stalag 17'' (1951). Concurrently, he was a member of the cast of ''Miss Susan'', a television serial. The dual responsibilities meant that Roberts usually left New York City via train at 8 a.m., going to Philadelphia for rehearsals and the program's live broadcast, then he would catch a 6:06 p.m. train back to New York to perform in the play.

Television

Roberts later became a familiar face in selected drama and action television series. He starred as reporter Hildy Johnson in the 1949-1950 syndicated television series ''The Front Page''. In the 1960–1961 season, he joined Stephen Dunne (1918–1977) playing brothers who were private detectives in the syndicated

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, '' The Brothers Brannagan'',Erickson, Hal (1989). ''Syndicated Television: The First Forty Years, 1947-1987''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 107-108. which aired 39 episodes. Roberts played Bob Brannagan; Dunne, Mike Brannagan. He made seven guest appearances on '' Perry Mason'', including two 1962 roles as the murder victim: title character Otto Gervaert/Gabe Phillips in "The Case of the Absent Artist," and Tod Richards in "The Case of the Playboy Pugilist." He portrayed murderer Wayne Jameson in "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew". Mark Roberts appeared in Barnaby Jones portraying a character named Tony Bloom; episode titled, "Perchance to Kill"(03/11/1973). Roberts made his last screen appearance in the short-lived 1994

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Monty Monty is a masculine given name, often a short form of Montgomery (name), Montgomery, Montague (given name), Montague and other similar names. It is also a surname. Notable people with the name or nickname include: Nickname *Bernard Montgomery ...

''.

Personal life

Roberts married Audrey Von Clemm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1953. The couple had three children—Col. Ward E. Scott II, Margot Silverman, and Jeffrey F. Scott—before divorcing in 1967. Roberts married ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

'' actress Emmaline Henry on November 1, 1969. Scott and Henry divorced in 1974.

Death

Roberts died at the age of 84 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on January 5, 2006. He was survived by his three children and his wife, Jane Cole Scott (married 1981).

Selected filmography

Films

*''

'' (1938) - Tripod Andrews (uncredited) *'' The Escape'' (1939) - Mickey (uncredited) *'' Those Were the Days!'' (1940) - Allison *'' Remember Pearl Harbor'' (1942) - Marine (uncredited) *'' The Girl in the Case'' (1944) - Tommy Rockwood (uncredited) *''

'' (1944, Serial) - Black Arrow *'' One Mysterious Night'' (1944) - George Daley *'' The Crime Doctor's Courage'' (1945) - Bob Rencoret *'' Ten Cents a Dance'' (1945) - Ted Kimball, III * ''

Prison Ship A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoner of war, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulk (ship type), hulked. W ...

'' (1945) - Maj. Trevor *'' Life with Blondie'' (1945) - Montana (uncredited) *'' Out of the Depths'' (1945) - 'Pills' Wilkins *'' A Close Call for Boston Blackie'' (1946) - John Peyton (uncredited) *'' The Notorious Lone Wolf'' (1946) - Dick Hale *''

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest ''The Bandit of Sherwood Forest'' is a 1946 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Henry Levin & George Sherman and starring Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Jill Esmond and Edgar Buchanan. Plot Robin Hood's son ( Cornel Wilde) returns to ...

'' (1946) - Robin Hood's Man *'' Gilda'' (1946) - Gabe Evans *'' Talk About a Lady'' (1946) - Reporter (uncredited) *'' The Unknown'' (1946) - Reed Cawthorne *'' Cowboy Blues'' (1946) - Jerry Winston *'' Shadowed'' (1946) - Mark Bellaman *'' It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) - Mickey (uncredited) *''

Dead Reckoning In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating the current position of a moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, and incorporating estimates of speed, heading (or direction or course), and elapsed time. T ...

'' (1947) - Bandleader (uncredited) *'' Prairie Raiders'' (1947) - Bronc Masters *'' Exposed'' (1947) - William Foresman III *'' The Invisible Wall'' (1947) - Bellhop (uncredited) *'' The Bride Goes Wild'' (1948) - Piute (uncredited) *'' Shed No Tears'' (1948) - Ray Belden *'' Michael O'Halloran'' (1948) - Pete *'' The Blonde Bandit'' (1950) - Airport Mechanic *'' Call Me Mister'' (1951) - Sergeant to Chief of Staff (uncredited) *'' The Unknown Man'' (1951) - Reporter (uncredited) *'' The Pride of St. Louis'' (1952) *'' Just for You'' (1952) - Reporter (uncredited) *'' Off Limits'' (1952) - Non-Com (uncredited) *''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (1953) - Jim Turner *'' Ma and Pa Kettle on Vacation'' (1953) - Teddy Kettle (uncredited) *''

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

'' (1953) - Pony Express Rider (uncredited) *'' The Buster Keaton Story'' (1957) *''

The Sad Sack ''The Sad Sack'' is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private Meredith Bixby ...

'' (1957) - Sergeant (uncredited) *'' Onionhead'' (1958) - Lt. J.G. Bennett *'' Last Train from Gun Hill'' (1959) - Train Conductor (uncredited) *'' Perry Mason'' (1959) (Season 2, Episode 16: "The Case of the Fraudulent Photo") - James Castleton *''The Money Jungle'' (1967) - Joe Diguseppe *'' The Girl Who Knew Too Much'' (1969) - Stephen Kasai *'' Posse'' (1975) - Mr. Cooper *'' Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough'' (1975) - Rheingold *''

Spontaneous Combustion Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high tem ...

'' (1990) - Dr. Simpson

Television

*''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947, on NBC, airing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Impe ...

'' (1949–1958) - Kelly / Pete Redfield / Adam Smith *'' Miss Susan'' (1951) - Bill Carter (1951) *'' Three Steps to Heaven'' (1953) - Bill Morgan #1 *''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

'' (1954) *'' Studio One'' (1954) - David Thorpe *''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The Live television, live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run ...

'' (1955) *'' The Alcoa Hour'' (1955) - Dr. Emmett *'' Letter to Loretta'' (1956–1960) *''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' (1957) - Boyd Copeland *''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (1957) - Joel Adams *'' Perry Mason'' (1957–1965) - Customer in restaurant / Irving Florian / Ben Scott / Wayne Jameson / Tod Richards / Otto Gervaert / Gabe Phillips / James Castleton / Bob Kimber *'' The Millionaire'' (1958) - Bob Harris *''

Richard Diamond, Private Detective ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960. Radio Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective' ...

'' (1958, Episode: "Bungalow Murder" ) - Rod Leighton *'' M Squad'' (1959) - Joey Devon *''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...

'' (1959) - Johnny Liston / Harry Orrwitt *'' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' (1960) - Pete Rankin *'' Surfside 6'' (1961) - Ted Walters *'' The Brothers Brannagan'' (1960–1961) - Bob Brannagan / Bill Brannagan *'' Adventures in Paradise'' (1961) - Ralph Harris *'' Follow the Sun'' (1962) - Howard Ramsey *''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' (1963) - Charles Sutton (1982) *'' The Outer Limits'' (1963, Episode: " The Hundred Days of the Dragon") - Bob Conner *'' 12 O'Clock High'' (1966) - Maj. John Davidson *'' The F.B.I.'' (1966–1972) - Ernest Malloy / SAC Murray Davis / SAC Owen Clark / SRA Will Channahon / SAC Johnson / SAC Warren Berwick / Howard Schaal *'' The Invaders'' (1967) - Dr. Sam Larousse *'' Ironside'' (1968) - Jim Hennessy *'' Dan August'' (1970–1971) - Spence *''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'' (1973–1975) - Donald Harrelson / Ted Mason / Curt Fowler / Tony Bloom *'' Doctors' Hospital'' (1976) - Dr. Malone *''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

'' (1978) - Hillman Stewart / Agent Kleinhoff *''

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 ...

'' (1987) - Harry Donalds *''

Dark Justice ''Dark Justice'' is an American crime drama television series about a judge who becomes a vigilante by night so that he can bring high-level offenders who use Legal technicality, technicalities to "escape" the legal system to what he calls "dar ...

'' (1993) - Mr. Collins

References

Demetria Fulton previewed Mark Roberts' appearance in Barnaby Jones portraying a character named Tony Bloom; episode titled, "Perchance to Kill"(03/11/1973).

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Mark 1921 births 2006 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army soldiers Male actors from Denver 20th-century American male actors