Robert Fuller (born Leonard Leroy Lee; July 29, 1933) is a retired American actor. Fuller was known for his deep "charcoal" voice, his roles on the popular Western series '' Laramie'' as Jess Harper and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' as Cooper Smith, and as Dr. Kelly Brackett in the medical/action drama ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American Action fiction, action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situatio ...

'' (1972–1977). He was also in several movies, including: '' The Brain from Planet Arous'' (1957), '' Teenage Thunder'' (1957), '' Return of the Seven'' (1966), '' Incident at Phantom Hill'' (1966), '' What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?'' (1969), and '' The Hard Ride'' (1971).

Early life

Robert Fuller was born Leonard Leroy Lee on July 29, 1933, in Troy, New York, the only child of Elizabeth Lee, a dance instructor. Later in his childhood, Betty married Robert Simpson Sr., a

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

officer. In 1939, the family moved to Key West, Florida, where, already known by the nickname of "Buddy", he took the name Robert Simpson Jr. His parents owned a dancing school in Florida. His family also lived in Chicago for a year before moving back to Florida. Simpson, Jr., as he was then still formally known, attended the Miami Military School for fifth and sixth grades, and Key West High School for ninth grade. He dropped out age 14 because he disliked school and was doing poorly there. In 1950, at the age of 16, he and his parents moved to Hollywood, California, where his first job was as a stunt man. He also worked at

Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known as the Chinese colloquially and officially billed as TCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is a movie palace on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...

, beginning as a doorman, becoming assistant manager by age 18. At the urging of friends, Simpson, Jr., joined the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

, changed his name to Robert Fuller, and embarked on a career in acting.

Career

Early career

He started his career in his teen years, as a dancer, stuntman, and extra. Fuller's first small role was as an extra in the 1952 film '' Above and Beyond''. This was the first of many projects, including as a cheerleader and football player in '' I Love Melvin.'' In 1953, he again had uncredited parts in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (which starred

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

) and the

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

classic, ''

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Canary (May 1, 1856 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American American frontier, frontierswoman, Exhibition shooting, sharpshooter, sex worker, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits, she was known f ...

''. His career went on hold for military service in Korea in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He returned to the United States in 1955. Although he had considered giving up acting, Fuller, at the suggestion of his best friend, Chuck Courtney, attended Richard Boone's acting classes. Boone suggested that Fuller study under the tutelage of Sanford Meisner at New York City's Neighborhood Playhouse. Fuller's first recorded speaking role was in '' Friendly Persuasion'' in 1956, where he worked with future ''Laramie'' co-star John Smith and another close friend, Doug McClure, as well as

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

. His speaking part was cut, though he can be seen in two separate roles in the film. He portrayed a POW in 1956's Strange Intruder. In the 1956 episode "The Comeback" in the religious

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 ...

, '' Crossroads,'' Fuller played a former soldier. In 1957, Fuller was cast in his first major film role in '' Teenage Thunder''. He said of it:

Television work in the late 1950s and 1960s

Fuller became an immensely popular

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

, guest-starring in dozens of television programs including '' Buckskin'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour epis ...

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

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne (actor), John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Ci ...

'', ''

The Lawless Years ''The Lawless Years'' is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16, 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind, set during the Roaring 20s, preceding '' The Untouchables'' by half a season. Premise T ...

'', '' U.S. Marshal'', '' Panic!'', '' M Squad'', '' The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin'', '' The Monroes'', and ''

Lux Playhouse ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

''. In 1959, he played a character accused of arson in

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...

's syndicated series, ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

''. He also made appearances in ABC's ''

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults.Mickey Spillane's syndicated '' Mike Hammer''. Robert Fuller Wagon Train

He played Alex in the 1958 "Gunsmith" episode of ''

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 ...

'', then portrayed the clever Mexican-American cattle rustler Johnny Santos in the episode "Ten in Texas" in 1959. On February 24, 1959, Fuller guest-starred as Joe Cole in the "Blind is the Killer" episode of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's '' Cimarron City'', a young gunfighter seeking a reputation who found his target in mayor Matt Rockford played by George Montgomery. (This appearance propelled him into a lead role seven months later in ''Laramie'' with ''Cimarron City'' regular John Smith.) In the summer of 1959, Fuller guest starred as young outlaw Buck Harmon in the episode "The Friend" on the ABC/

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

series, '' Lawman.'' In the story line, Harmon is estranged from his minister father, played by Robert F. Simon. When the outlaw gang comes to Laramie, Buck switches sides to help his old friend, Deputy Johnny McKay ( Peter Brown). In the shootout, Harmon is gunned down, but his father is spared. Fuller also appeared as Davey Carey in another ''Lawman'' episode, "The Souvenir", in 1959. Fuller was David Dortort's second choice for the role of

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

's youngest cocky, impish son, Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright, on NBC's ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

,'' but the role went to

Michael Landon Michael Landon Sr. (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on th ...

. Fuller then landed the role of Jess Harper on '' Laramie'', which ran from 1959 to 1963. Fuller was cast opposite one of his best friends, John Smith. Smith had already been cast as Jess Harper; Fuller was asked to screen test for the character of Slim Sherman. Fuller insisted he would be better as Harper, and after the screen test, he became Jess and Smith got the part of Slim. ''Laramie'' eventually aired in more than 70 countries. When it ended its run in 1963, Fuller jumped to another Western, ''

'' alongside John McIntire (a veteran film actor, a two-time guest-star on ''Laramie''), Frank McGrath, and Terry Wilson. According to an August 17, 2009, interview for On Screen and Beyond, Fuller noted that he was not brought in to replace Robert Horton (a lifelong friend Fuller had met in 1954) as the wagon train scout. He resembled Horton and the two shared the same birthday, but Horton was nine years Fuller's senior. Horton had already departed from the cast a year prior to Fuller's stepping in to complete the series' final two seasons. Though the genre was fading in the late 1960s, Fuller appeared in a handful more westerns in 1966. He starred in'' Incident at Phantom Hill''. He portrayed the ill-fated military

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

William Judd Fetterman in "Massacre at Fort Phil Kearney" on NBC's '' Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre''. He was Vin in '' Return of the Seven'' (1966), a sequel to ''

The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay, credited to William Roberts, is a remake – in an Old West-style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film '' Seven Samurai'' (itself init ...

''. He portrayed Captain Jeffrey Stone in the "Court Martial" episode of The Monroes (1966). He also appeared in the 1969 thriller '' What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?'', and worked with

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...

in the 1976 Western '' Mustang Country'', McCrea's last role. Fuller also appeared in the 1979 TV action movie '' Disaster on the Coastliner''.

''Emergency!''

After producer

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, most famous for his role as Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise), ''Dragnet'' franchise ...

saw Fuller in the 1971 movie '' The Hard Ride,'' he insisted Fuller star in his new NBC medical drama, ''

''. He had already cast singer and actress,

Julie London Julie London (born Julie Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch song, torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty album ...

, a best friend of Fuller's, in the role of Dixie McCall, Chief Nurse of The Emergency Room. Fuller was reluctant to play a doctor, especially in a series with a contemporary urban setting. The persistent Webb convinced him to accept the role of Dr. Kelly Brackett, Chief of Emergency Medicine, at the fictitious Rampart General Hospital. In the aforementioned 2009 interview with ''On Screen and Beyond'', Fuller said that he had twice, politely, rejected the role of Brackett. Webb then reminded Fuller, much less politely, that Western shows had been repeatedly cancelled over the previous five years and that the genre was on the decline. Fuller's on-screen appearances on the last season of ''Emergency!'' had been reduced, because not only did the show go into a completely different direction, he also wanted to look for more work in Westerns and go fishing with his friends; the series then focused much more on Randolph Mantooth and

Kevin Tighe Kevin Tighe (; born Jon Kevin Fishburn; August 13, 1944) is an American actor who has worked in television, film, and theater since the late 1960s. He is best known for portraying firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto, on the 1972–1977 NBC series ' ...

's characters.

In the 1980s and the 1990s

In 1980, Fuller starred in the pilot of a CBS Western series ''Jake's Way'' as the title character, but the series failed to sell. As the 1990s approached, he guest starred in more than 20 television shows, including ''

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 ...

'', '' The Fall Guy'' (two episodes), ''

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 ...

'', ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' is an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who holds a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, it origin ...

'', ''

Tour of Duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

'', '' The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.'', '' JAG'', and '' Diagnosis: Murder'' (two episodes). He had a

recurring role Recurring means occurring repeatedly and can refer to several different things: Mathematics and finance *Recurring expense, an ongoing (continual) expenditure *Repeating decimal, or recurring decimal, a real number in the decimal numeral syste ...

as Laramie's Jess Harper's great-great-grandson and retired El Paso Texas Ranger Wade Harper on ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...

'' with

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

and Clarence Gilyard. He also portrayed Ranger Cabe Wallace in the episode "Last of a Breed." His final film appearances included portraying Dr. Hackett, based on his Emergency! character, in the parody film '' Repossessed'' (1990) and a cameo as a poker player along with many other old western stars in '' Maverick'' (1994).

Personal life

Fuller dabbled in singing. He did several "bandstand" gigs with Bill Aken's Los Nomadas rock group at holiday festivities in Whiskey Flats, California. While acting as grand marshal for the local

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

parade, he performed the 1950s song "Caribbean", singing the same verse over and over. He later told the band that he only knew the first verse of the song. In 1967, he recorded an LP in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany. Most of the songs were recorded in German, including "''Ein einsamer Cowboy''" ("Lonesome Cowboy"), "''Adios Mexicana''" ("Goodbye Mexican Girl"), "''Überall auf der Welt''" ("All Over the World"), and "''Sind wie Blumen''" ("Girls Are Like Flowers"). Fuller and Patricia Lee Lyon married on December 20, 1962, and had three children. The two divorced in 1984; Lyon died of cancer in 1994. By the 1990s, Fuller had largely retired from the film business. His last acting credit was in 2001. He married actress Jennifer Savidge, known for her role on NBC's ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'' series, on May 19, 2001. Fuller reunited with the rest of the surviving ''Emergency!'' cast at the Emergency! Convention '98, at the Burbank Airport Hilton, October 9–11, 1998. All of the main actors attended except for

, who had suffered a stroke in 1995, and was later diagnosed with lung cancer. London's husband Bobby Troup passed away just four months after the reunion. Fuller and the rest of the cast and crew answered fans' questions and reminisced about their time together, during which the castmates said they got along well. On March 10, 2010, Fuller presented

James Drury James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series '' The Virginian'', which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 ...

with the "Cowboy Spirit Award" at the Festival of the West. He also paid tribute to late co-star John Smith. During the tribute, he recounted many details about Smith's life, especially their on- and off-screen chemistry during their days on ''Laramie.'' Smith had also attended the Festival of the West for two seasons before his declining health rendered his appearance impossible. In 2004, Fuller and wife Jennifer Savidge moved from Los Angeles to a ranch in north Texas. His neighbor and long-term friend Alex Cord had urged Fuller to move to Cooke County. The two met in 1961 on the set of ''Laramie'' when Cord made his television acting debut. Fuller's stepfather, Robert Simpson Sr., died in 2009. On October 9, 2010, Fuller, Drury, and Don Reynolds participated in the Wild West Toy Show, sponsored by Bob Terry in Azle, Texas near

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. The event promotes horse riding and the purchase and exchange of Western merchandise. In September 2012, Fuller, along with several other Western celebrities, attended the first-ever Spirit of the Cowboy Western Festival held at Chestnut Square in

McKinney McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas, United States. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano, Texas, Plano and Frisco, Texas, Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about ...

, Texas. The event is billed as the biggest and best Western festival in north Texas. On July 29, 2013, Fuller celebrated his 80th birthday with his fans and his wife while vacationing on a ranch in

Libby, Montana Libby is a city in northwestern Montana, United States and the county seat of Lincoln County, Montana, Lincoln County. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Libby suffered from the area's contamination from nea ...

. On November 9, 2014, Fuller and fellow actor/fishing buddy, James Best, whom he met on the sixth episode of ''Laramie'', attended the 100th birthday celebration of their lifelong friend and fellow actor Norman Lloyd, in Los Angeles, California. Best passed away a few months later.

Awards

In 1961, Fuller won the Best Actor Award in Japan and the Japanese Golden Order of Merit, presented by the Empress of Japan. Fuller was the first American ever to earn this award. In 1970, he won five Ottos, which are the German equivalent of the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

s. That same year, he won the

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

award for Outstanding Western Entertainment. On April 16, 1974, Fuller won the Outstanding Service Award from the Huntsville (Alabama) Fire Department. For his contribution to the television industry, Robert Fuller 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 ...

at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. In 1989, he won the Golden Boot Award. On March 18, 2006, a bronze sculpture of Jess Harper on Traveller was awarded to him by the Robert Fuller Fandom and the National Festival of the West. On October 12, 2007, he won the Silver Spur Award along with

Stuart Whitman Stuart Maxwell Whitman (February 1, 1928 – March 16, 2020) was an American actor, known for his lengthy career in film and television. Whitman was born in San Francisco and raised in New York until the age of 12, when his family relocated to ...

, Peter Brown, and Dean Smith, who received a lifetime achievement award. On April 12, 2008, Fuller was inducted into the

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native American art works and Artifact (archaeology), artifacts. The facility also has the worl ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. On October 12, 2013, Fuller was the first recipient of the Spirit of the Cowboy Lonestar Legacy Award. On October 27, 2018, Fuller was inducted into the Texas Trail Of Fame. On April 11, 2019, Fuller was inducted into the Newhall Walk of Western Stars.

Filmography

* 1971 : ''

The Virginian (TV series) ''The Virginian'' (later renamed ''The Men from Shiloh'' in its final year) is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring James Drury in the title role, along with Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, and others. It originall ...

'' (TV) season 9 episode 19 ''(Flight from Memory)'' : Carl Ellis * 1989 : ''

Paradise (American TV series) ''Paradise'' (later renamed ''Guns of Paradise'') is an American family Westerns on television, Western television series, broadcast by CBS from October 27, 1988, to May 10, 1991. Created by David Jacobs (writer), David Jacobs and Robert Porte ...

'' (TV) season 2 episode 3 ''(Home Again)'' : Sam Clanton * 2001 : '' JAG (American TV series)'' (TV) Season 6 Episode 16 ''(Retreat, Hell)'' : Marine Corps General

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Robert 1933 births Living people American male film actors American male television actors United States Army personnel of the Korean War People from Key West, Florida Actors from Troy, New York Male Western (genre) film actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Florida Male actors from New York (state) Ranchers from Texas People from Cooke County, Texas Western (genre) television actors