Rolland Keith Richey (February 10, 1898December 22, 1966), known professionally as Robert Keith, was an American stage and film

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who appeared in several dozen films, mostly in the 1950s as a

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 ...

Early life

Keith was born in Fowler, Indiana, the son of Mary Della (née Snyder) and James Haughey Richey.

Career

He portrayed characters such as the father in '' Fourteen Hours'' (1951) and a psychopathic gangster in '' The Lineup'' (1958). He also played the police chief and father of biker

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

's love interest in the 1953 film ''

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the ...

'', and as another cop, this time Brando's antagonist, in the film musical, ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

''. Keith had a large supporting role in

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

's '' Written on the Wind''. He had roles on television, including a role as

Richard Kimble ''The Fugitive'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Roy Huggins and produced by Quinn Martin, QM Productions and United Artists Television. It aired on American Broadcasting Compan ...

's father in '' The Fugitive'' and lead roles on episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''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 ...

'' ( "Ten O'Clock Tiger" and "Final Escape") and ''

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 Masks"), which was his last screen effort, in the role of Jason Foster, the rich New Orleans patriarch to a family waiting for their benefactor to die. He appeared as scientist Garson Lee in a 1954 episode of '' The Motorola Television Hour'' "Atomic Attack".

Personal life

Keith's second wife was stage actress Helena Shipman, with whom he had a son, actor

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 ...

. On April 18, 1927, Keith married Peg Entwistle, an actress who was a decade his junior. They were divorced in 1929, with Entwistle citing abuse and domestic cruelty in her divorce filing. Entwistle also stated that Keith had deceived her into believing that he had never been married before. Keith married his fourth wife, Dorothy Tierney, in a secret wedding ceremony on an undisclosed date in 1930. They met in late 1929 while both were acting at different theatres in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. The couple remained together until Keith's death on December 22, 1966. Among the honorary pallbearers at his funeral were

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 ...

, Edward G. Robinson, and

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

Partial filmography

* '' The Other Kind of Love'' (1924) as George Benton * ''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

'' (1930) as Union Courier (uncredited) * '' Just Imagine'' (1930) as Chorus Man (uncredited) * ''

White Shoulders ''White Shoulders'' is a lost film, lost 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Melville W. Brown and starring Mary Astor and Jack Holt (actor), Jack Holt, with major supporting roles by Ricardo Cortez and Sidn ...

'' (1931) as Bit Part (uncredited) * ''

Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...

'' (1931) as Crump aka Professor aka Prof (uncredited) * '' The Shadow Laughs'' (1933) as George Hackett * '' Boomerang!'' (1947) as 'Mac' McCreery * '' My Foolish Heart'' (1949) as Henry Winters * ''

The Reformer and the Redhead ''The Reformer and the Redhead'' is a 1950 American romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, and starring June Allyson and Dick Powell. Plot Kathleen Maguire is the daughter of a long-time zookeeper ...

'' (1950) as Tim Harveigh * '' Edge of Doom'' (1950) as Detective Lieutenant Mandel * '' Woman on the Run'' (1950) as Inspector Ferris * '' Branded'' (1950) as T. Jefferson Leffingwell * '' Fourteen Hours'' (1951) as Paul E. Cosick * '' Here Comes the Groom'' (1951) as George Degnan * '' I Want You'' (1951) as Thomas Greer * '' Just Across the Street'' (1952) as Walter Medford * '' Somebody Loves Me'' (1952) as Sam Doyle * '' Battle Circus'' (1953) as Lieutenant Colonel Hilary Walters * '' Small Town Girl'' (1953) as Judge Gordon Kimbell * '' Devil's Canyon'' (1953) as Warden Steve Morgan * ''

'' (1953) as Police Chief Harry Bleeker * '' Drum Beat'' (1954) as Bill Satterwhite * '' Young at Heart'' (1954) as Gregory Tuttle * '' Underwater!'' (1955) as Father Cannon * '' Love Me or Leave Me'' (1955) as Bernard V. Loomis * ''

'' (1955) as Lieutenant Brannigan * '' Ransom!'' (1956) as Police Chief Jim Backett * '' Between Heaven and Hell'' (1956) as Colonel Cousins * '' Written on the Wind'' (1956) as Jasper Hadley * ''

Men in War ''Men in War'' is a 1957 black-and-white American war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin th ...

'' (1957) as The Colonel * '' My Man Godfrey'' (1957) as Alexander Bullock * '' The Lineup'' (1958) as Julian * '' Tempest'' (1958) as Captain Miranov * '' They Came to Cordura'' (1959) as Colonel Rogers * '' Cimarron'' (1960) as Sam Pegler * '' Posse from Hell'' (1961) as Captain Jeremiah Brown * '' Duel of Champions'' (1961) as Tullio Hostilio, King of Rome * ''

'' (1962) (Season 7 Episode 26: "Ten O'Clock Tiger") as Arthur 'The Professor' Duffy * ''

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 ...

'' (1964) (Season 2 Episode 18: "Final Escape") as Doc

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Robert 1898 births 1966 deaths Male actors from Indiana 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors People from Lafayette, Indiana People from Fowler, Indiana Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City