Robert Alan Trebor (né Schenkman; June 7, 1953 — March 11, 2025) was an American character actor, known for starring as

Salmoneus In Greek mythology, Salmoneus (; Ancient Greek: Σαλμωνεύς) was 'the wicked'Hesiod, '' Ehoiai'' fr. 4 as cited in Plutarch, ''Moralia'' p. 747; Scholia ad Pindar, ''Pythian Ode'' 4.263 eponymous king and founder of Salmone in Pisatis. ...

in the television series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and '' Xena: Warrior Princess''.

Life and career

Background

Trebor was born and grew up in

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Great Northeast, and known colloquially as simply "the Northeast", is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of betw ...

. He was of Jewish descent. He first showed signs of interest in acting around age 13. He was soon taking acting classes and participating in local theater groups. He also won several filmmaking awards from

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

short film competitions, and the local ABC Philadelphia and PBS affiliates for a short black and white film called ''Communicate!?''. His first lead role on the stage was as Finch in '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' for the St. Joseph's Summer Music Theatre Festival. He also won several national awards from Scholastic Magazines for writing film and theatre reviews. One of his award-winning reviews was for

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

's ''The Fixer''; years later he would appear in Frankenheimer's 1986 film ''

52 Pick-Up ''52 Pick-Up'' is a 1986 American neo-noir crime film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Roy Scheider, Ann-Margret, and Vanity. It is based on Elmore Leonard's 1974 novel ''52 Pickup'' and is the second adaptation of it after '' The Amb ...

''. After a brief focus on oratory, he returned to acting, majoring in theater at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

. He returned to Philadelphia to star with

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. ...

in a revival of George Gershwin's ''Strike Up The Band'' for the inaugural season of the American Music Theatre Festival at the historic Walnut Street Theatre. The pseudonym he chose for himself has the particularity of being a

palindrome A palindrome (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpæl.ɪn.droʊm/) is a word, palindromic number, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date "Twosday, 02/02/2020" and th ...

. Trebor played the

Son of Sam David Richard Berkowitz (born Richard David Falco; June 1, 1953), also known as the Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and former United States Army, U.S. Army soldier who committed a series of stabbings and ...

killer in '' Out of the Darkness''. He plays a killer in the 1987 American comedy horror film '' My Demon Lover''. On television, after playing Waylin the slave in ''

Hercules and the Lost Kingdom ''Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'' is the second television movie in the syndicated fantasy series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. In the film, Hercules comes to the aid of a young woman who is seeking the lost city of Troy. Eventually ...

'', the second of five TV movies, Trebor rose to fame playing the merchant Salmoneus, a character originating on '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and making occasional crossovers to

sister show Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one ...

'' Xena: Warrior Princess''. He appeared in the 2016 Coen Brothers film ''

Hail, Caesar! ''Hail, Caesar!'' is a 2016 black comedy mystery film written, produced, edited, and directed by the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. An American-British co-production, the film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jo ...

''. In 2007 Trebor performed in the one-man show ''The Return of Brother Theodore''. The ''

Los Angeles Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' gave the show its prized "GO" recommendation and said, "actor Robert Trebor reincarnates Gottlieb in a 45-minute late-night solo performance that paints

Brother Theodore Theodore Isidore Gottlieb (November 11, 1906 – April 5, 2001), mostly known as Brother Theodore, was a German-born American actor and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness monologues which he called "stand-up tragedy". His st ...

's belligerent reflections on a twisted life with broad yet powerful comedic strokes." The production was nominated by The ''LA Weekly'' for Best Solo Performance of 2007. Trebor starred as the Russian Major Viktor Davidykov in the drama ''Ravensridge'' by TS Cook. His performance was praised by

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. Trebor died of

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

on March 11, 2025, at the age of 71. He had been diagnosed with

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

in 2012. He was interred at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

Author

Trebor was the author of ''The Haircut Who Would Be King'' which parodies Donald Trump and his relationship with Vladimir Putin.

Filmography

*'' Face of Fire'' (1959) *''

Magnum Force ''Magnum Force'' is a 1973 American action-thriller film and the second to feature Clint Eastwood as maverick cop Harry Callahan after the 1971 film '' Dirty Harry''. Ted Post, who had previously worked with Eastwood on '' Rawhide'' and '' H ...

'' (1973) – Reporter (uncredited) *''

Gorp Trail mix is a type of snack mix, typically a combination of granola, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes candy, developed as food to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is a popular snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to sto ...

'' (1980) – Rabbi Blowitz *''The First Time'' (1983) – Joel *'' Turk 182'' (1985) – Copy Boy *''

The Purple Rose of Cairo ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' is a 1985 American period fantasy romantic comedy film, written and directed by Woody Allen. Set in Depression-era New Jersey, it stars Mia Farrow as a film lover who flees her abusive husband (Danny Aiello) after ...

'' (1985) – Reporter *''The Sex O'Clock News'' (1985) – Mr. Rajah *'' Out of the Darkness'' (1985) (TV) – David Berkowitz *''

'' (1986) – Leo Franks *'' Making Mr. Right'' (1987) – Tux Salesman *'' My Demon Lover'' (1987) – Charles *''

Talk Radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

'' (1988) – Jeffrey Fisher / Francine *'' Universal Soldier'' (1992) – Motel Owner *''

The Nutt House ''The Nutt House'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for five episodes on NBC from September 20 to October 25, 1989. Overview ''The Nutt House'' was the creation of executive producers Mel Brooks and Alan Spencer and was a bro ...

'' (1992) – Buddy *''

'' (1994) (TV) – Waylin *''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...

'' (1994) – Harried Man in Taxi (uncredited) *'' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' (1995–1999) (TV series) – Salmoneus / B.S. Hollingsfoffer, Studio Head *'' Xena: Warrior Princess'' (1995–2001) (TV series) – Salmoneus / Marco / Lord Seltzer *''Dying on the Edge'' (2001) – Mel Weiner *'' Wedding Daze'' (2004) (TV) – Rabbi Feldman *'' Jiminy Glick in Lalawood'' (2004) – Jay Schiffer *''

Raise Your Voice ''Raise Your Voice'' is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Hilary Duff. Canadian rock band Three Days Grace makes a cameo appearance in the film, performing the songs "Are You Ready" and "Home". U ...

'' (2004) – Mr. Wesson *'' Meet Market'' (2004) – Director Dick *''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 American black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to Zombie's 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses'', and fol ...

'' (2005) – Marty Walker (uncredited) *''

'' (2016) – Producer of 'Hail, Caesar!'

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trebor, Robert 1953 births 2025 deaths American male film actors American male television actors American people of Jewish descent Male actors from Philadelphia Deaths from sepsis in the United States Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery