Bob Random (born January 29, 1945) is a Canadian

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 ...

who appeared in both movies and television from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s.

Television and film roles

Random's television work tended to be in

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

tic roles, in venerable programs like '' Dr. Kildare'', ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...

'', ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'', and ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with anot ...

'', or

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 id ...

series, such as ''

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 ...

'' - in 1965/66 playing “Verlyn Print” in series 11 episode 11 “South Wind”, then six weeks later as the title character and Festus's nephew in series 11 episode 17 "Sweet Billy, Singer of Songs"), also in 1966’s series 12 episode 4 "The Mission” as Reb Jessup,'' The Virginian'', ''

Iron Horse ''Iron horse'' is a pervasive term (considered by the early twenty-first century to be transitioning into an archaic reference) for a steam locomotive and the railway on which it travels, originating in the early 1800s, when horses still powered ...

'', and '' The Legend of Jesse James''. He also did occasional comedies, including ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calv ...

'' and '' Gidget'' (in a recurring role as Gidget's friend Mark). He appeared in ''

This Property Is Condemned ''This Property Is Condemned'' is a 1966 American drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Kate Reid, Charles Bronson, Robert Blake and Mary Badham. The screenplay, inspired by the 1946 one-act play of ...

'' (1966) and '' ...tick...tick...tick...'' (1970). ''

Mosby's Marauders ''Mosby's Marauders'' is a 1967 American film about the raids by John S. Mosby during the US Civil War. It was originally filmed for US television under the title ''Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders''. Mosby's Marauders was later released Wal ...

'' (1967), in which he played Private Lomax, was later repeated on ''

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onward. The program mo ...

'' under the title ''Willie and the Yank''. His last appearances were in an episode of ''

Get Christie Love ''Get Christie Love!'' is an American crime drama TV series starring Teresa Graves as an undercover female detective which originally aired on ABC from January 22, 1974, until April 5, 1975. The starring television role made Graves the second b ...

'', and as the biker Reaper in the second and third '' The Danger Zone'' movies, taking over from Robert Canada, who played the character in the original. Random played John Dale in

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

's long-unfinished film ''

The Other Side of the Wind ''The Other Side of the Wind'' is a 2018 satirical drama film co-written, co-edited, and directed by Orson Welles, and posthumously released after 48 years in development. The film stars John Huston, Bob Random, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasb ...

'', which was finally released in 2018. Random appeared alongside

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

and

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

Personal life

Random was divorced from Ida Random, who received an Academy Award nomination in 1988 for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration on ''

Rain Man ''Rain Man'' is a 1988 American road movie, road comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive and selfish wikt:wheeler-dealer, wheeler-dea ...

''. Random currently resides near

Qualicum Beach Qualicum Beach () is a town located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In the 2021 census, it had a population of 9,303. It is situated at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith, along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island's northeastern ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Random, Bob Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Living people People from Chilliwack Male actors from British Columbia 1940s births Year of birth missing (living people)