Robert Rae Cornthwaite (April 28, 1917 – July 20, 2006) was an American film and television character actor.

Biography

Cornthwaite was born in

Saint Helens, Oregon St. Helens is the county seat of Columbia County, Oregon. It was founded by Captain Henry Montgomery Knighton, a native of New England, in 1845, as "Plymouth". The name was changed to St. Helens in the latter part of 1850 for its view of Moun ...

on April 28, 1917. His interest in acting began in his early teens, when he was forced to recite one line in a school play. He began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', while attending

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. In the late 1930s, he enrolled in

Long Beach City College Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California, United States. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC) in Lakewood Village and the Trades, Technology, an ...

and worked at radio stations in Southern California. He earned a degree from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

after serving as an intelligence officer in the

Army Air Force 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 ...

. Cornthwaite began his time in the US Army Air Force as a radio-gunner in B-25 aircraft as part of the 12th Medium Bombardment Group in 1942. He then served as a radio operator and superintendent of the watch with the 79th Fighter Group from 1943-1944. This was followed by serving as a writer and broadcaster with the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces from 1944 until 1945. In this position he performed Public Relations duties in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Rome,

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

, and other locations in the Mediterranean area. While on Corsica, Cornthwaite worked on his first film which was for the Free French Air Force. He acted as a writer and sound engineer recording Capitaine Eve Curie (daughter of

Marie Marie may refer to the following. People Given name * Marie (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** List of people named Marie * Marie (Japanese given name) Surname * Jean Gabriel-Marie, French compo ...

and

Pierre Curie Pierre Curie ( ; ; 15 May 1859 – 19 April 1906) was a French physicist, Radiochemistry, radiochemist, and a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. He shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, ...

) of the Free French Air Force. He did the commentary in French and English. Cornthwaite also dubbed the voice of American Air Force General

Ira Eaker General officer, General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to En ...

, who did not speak French. In 1951, Cornthwaite was cast in

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...

's production of ''

The Thing from Another World ''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporatio ...

''. His character, Dr. Carrington, the unofficial leader of an Arctic polar expedition, observes the nearby crash of an

unidentified flying object An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...

, and urges his military counterparts to communicate with the creature inside, even at the cost of their own lives. This performance eventually earned him entry into the "Science Fiction Hall of Fame" in 1993. Other notable films include ''

The War of the Worlds ''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was written between 1895 and 1897, and serialised in '' Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and ''Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US in 1897. The full novel was ...

'', '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'', '' Colossus: The Forbin Project'' and the

Joe Dante Joseph James Dante Jr. (; born November 28, 1946) is an American film director. His films—notably ''Gremlins'' (1984) alongside its sequel, ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'' (1990)—often mix the 1950s-style B movie genre with Counterculture of th ...

production of '' Matinee'', in which he shared screen time with fellow 1950s screen notables,

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on ''Richard Diamond, Private ...

and

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

in the "film within a film", "MANT", a spoof of sci-fi films. Similarly, Cornthwaite appeared as Dr. Carrington opposite Ken Tobey (again as Hendry) in a spoof titled ''Attack of the B Movie Monster'', shot in 1984. Expanded and retitled ''

The Naked Monster ''The Naked Monster'' is a 2005 American ultra low-budget science-fiction and horror comedy fan film written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s. ...

'', it was released on DVD in 2005 by Anthem Pictures.

Stage and television work

He remained primarily a stage actor throughout his career, and translated a number of plays from French to English. Balancing his theater work with "bill-paying" jobs, he appeared frequently on television, including a role as

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

John James Audubon John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin, April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a French-American Autodidacticism, self-trained artist, natural history, naturalist, and ornithology, ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornitho ...

in three episodes of the

Desilu Studios The Culver Studios is a film studio in Culver City, California. Originally created by silent movie pioneer Thomas H. Ince, the studios have operated under a multitude of names: Ince Studio (1918–1925), De Mille Studios (1925–1928), Pathé S ...

Production, ''

The Adventures of Jim Bowie ''The Adventures of Jim Bowie'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1956 in television, 1956 to 1958 in television, 1958. Its setting was the 1830s-era Louisiana T ...

'', starring

Scott Forbes Conrad Scott Forbes (11 September 1920 – 25 February 1997), popularly known as Scott Forbes, was a British film and television actor and screenwriter. In his later career as a screenwriter, he was credited as C. Scott Forbes. Early year ...

. He appeared twice as Joe Brennan in the first

Brian Keith Robert Alba Keith (November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997), known professionally as Brian Keith, was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family ...

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 ...

, ''Crusader'', which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

in the middle 1950s. He appeared in five episodes of CBS's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', including the role of murderer Herbert Dean in the series' third episode in 1957, "The Case of the Nervous Accomplice", and murderer Carl Bruner in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Ancient Romeo". He also made appearances during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in such series as ''

'', ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'', ''

The Untouchables Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...

'', ''

Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...

'', '' The Californians'', ''

Rescue 8 ''Rescue 8'' is a syndicated American action adventure drama series about Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD) Rescue Squad 8. It premiered in 1958 and originally ran for two seasons with syndicated reruns continuing for almost a deca ...

'', ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'', '' The Roaring 20s'', ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'', ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' (episodes 35 and 36), ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

'', '' Gidget'', ''

Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' is an American television sitcom that ran for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Wi ...

'', '' Dragnet'', ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American soldiers ...

'', ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'', '' Laredo'', '' Kate and Allie'', and ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'', in which he had a semi-recurring role as CONTROL's lab scientist, Professor Windish. One of his last major stage roles was in a

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

production of ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'' opposite

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was a British and American actress. During a career that spanned five decades, she won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, two Em ...

. Among Cornthwaite's last television works was a recurring role as a man with

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

on the series ''

Picket Fences ''Picket Fences'' is an American family drama television series about the residents of the town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on CBS in the United States. ...

''.

Death

Cornthwaite died at the

Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as tempo ...

Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

, aged 89, on July 20, 2006. His death was attributed to natural causes.

Partial filmography

* ''

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

'' (1950) as Emergency Room Orderly (uncredited) * '' Gambling House'' (1950) as Stefan (uncredited) * ''

'' (1951) as Dr. Arthur Carrington * '' The Mark of the Renegade'' (1951) as Innkeeper * ''

His Kind of Woman ''His Kind of Woman'' is a 1951 film noir starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. The film features supporting performances by Vincent Price, Raymond Burr and Charles McGraw. The direction of the film, which was based on the unpublished sto ...

'' (1951) as Hernandez (uncredited) * '' Something to Live For'' (1952) as Young Man (uncredited) * '' Monkey Business'' (1952) as Dr. Zoldeck * ''

'' (1953) as Dr. Pryor * '' Day of Triumph'' (1954) as Simon the Zealot * '' Stranger on Horseback'' (1955) as Arnold Hammer * ''

Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing i ...

'' (1955) as FBI Agent #1 * ''

The Purple Mask ''The Purple Mask'' is a 1955 American swashbuckler film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone starring Tony Curtis and set in 1803 France.Database (undated)."''The Purple Mask'' (1955)" Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 26, 2013. Plot Franc ...

'' (1955) as

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

* '' The Leather Saint'' (1956) as Dr. Lomas * ''

The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight ...

'' (1957) as Harry Knight, Lindbergh Student (uncredited) * ''

Hell on Devil's Island ''Hell on Devil's Island'' is a 1957 American adventure film directed by Christian Nyby and written by Steven Ritch. The film stars Helmut Dantine, William Talman (actor), William Talman, Donna Martell, Jean Willes, Rex Ingram (actor), Rex Ingram ...

'' (1957) as Governor Renault * ''

The Power of the Resurrection ''The Power of the Resurrection'' is a 1958 American feature film directed by Harold D. Schuster and starring Richard Kiley, Jon Shepodd, Morris Ankrum. The film is also known as ''The Passion and the Power of the Christ''. Plot A young man soon f ...

'' (1958) as Caiaphas * '' Ten Seconds to Hell'' (1959) as Franz Loeffler * ''

Day of the Outlaw ''Day of the Outlaw'' is a 1959 American Western film starring Robert Ryan, Burl Ives, and Tina Louise. It was directed by Andre de Toth; this was de Toth's final Western feature film. Plot Blaise Starrett is a ruthless cattleman who helped fou ...

'' (1959) as Tommy Preston, Wyoming Hotel Owner * ''

'' (1960) as Bill Worth * ''

Reptilicus ''Reptilicus'' is the mutual title of two monster films about a giant, prehistoric reptile. A pair of Danish-American co-productions produced by Cinemagic and Saga Studio, the Danish-language ''Reptilicus'' was directed by Poul Bang and release ...

'' (1961) as Man (voice, uncredited) * '' All Hands on Deck'' (1961) as Naval Inspector (uncredited) * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 a ...

'' (1962) (Season 1 Episode 10: "Day of Reckoning") as District Attorney * '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962) as Dr. Shelby * ''

'' (1963) (Season 4 Episode 10: " No Time Like the Past") as Hanford * ''

'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 12: "Three Wives Too Many") as Mr. Bleeker * '' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'' (1966) as Lawyer Springer * '' The Ride to Hangman's Tree'' (1967) as T.L. Harper * '' Waterhole No. 3'' (1967) as George, Hotel Clerk * ''

'' (1967) (Season 2 Episode 9: "The Card Carrying Red Shoes") – Nyetovitch * '' The Legend of Lylah Clare'' (1968) as Studio Photo Archivist (uncredited) * '' Colossus: The Forbin Project'' (1970) as First Scientist * ''The Peace Killers'' (1971) as Ben * '' The Longest Night'' (1972) as Frank Cavanaugh * '' Journey Through Rosebud'' (1972) as Hearing Officer * ''

Futureworld ''Futureworld'' is a 1976 American science fiction thriller film directed by Richard T. Heffron and written by Mayo Simon and George Schenck. It is a sequel to the 1973 Michael Crichton film '' Westworld'', and is the second installment in ...

'' (1976) as Mr. Reed * ''

Deal of the Century ''Deal of the Century'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by William Friedkin and starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines, and Sigourney Weaver. The film follows the adventures of several arms dealers that compete to sell weapons to a South ...

'' (1983) as Huddleston * ''

Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to: Film and television * Who's That Girl (1987 film), ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna * ''Who's That Girl'', a List of Philippine films of 2011#Films, Philippine film of 2011 * "Who's T ...

'' (1987) as Minister * ''Time Trackers'' (1989) as Dr. Alistair Craig * ''Frame Up'' (1991) as Earl Cott * '' Matinee'' (1993) as Dr. Flankon (uncredited) * ''

'' (2005) as Dr. Carrington (final film role) * '' The Primevals'' (2023) as Lloyd Trent (completed posthumously)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cornthwaite, Robert 1917 births 2006 deaths American male film actors American male television actors University of Southern California alumni Reed College alumni People from St. Helens, Oregon Long Beach City College alumni Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American male actors United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers