Prolific American character actor of primarily villainous roles. The son of German parents, Cincinnati feed-store manager August Wilke and his wife Rose, Robert Joseph Wilke grew up in Cincinnati. He worked as a lifeguard at a Miami, Florida, hotel, where he made contacts in the film business. He was able to obtain work as a stuntman and continued as such until the mid-'40s, when he began getting actual roles in low-budget westerns and serials. A prominent appearance as one of the heavies in Le train sifflera trois fois (1952) led to work in higher-quality films. He worked extensively in television as well as movies, and became an enormously familiar face, though a fairly anonymous one to the general public. His weathered visage made him a perfect western bad guy, but he occasionally played sympathetic parts as well, as in Les moissons du ciel (1978). An expert golfer, he was said by his friend Claude Akins to have earned more money on the golf course than he ever did in movies. He died in 1989. -
Known For
| Birth Location | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
|---|---|
| Born | 1914-05-18 |
| Died | 1989-03-28 |
Movies
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self (archive footage)
1988
Stripes
as Gen. Barnicke
1981
Days of Heaven
as The Farm Foreman
1978
Wild and Wooly
as Demas Scott
1978
Santee
as Deaks (as Robert Wilke
1973
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
as The Sheriff
1973
The Rookies
as Officer Shaw
1972
They Call It Murder
as Sheriff Rex Brandon
1971
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler
as Hugh Fielding
1971
A Gunfight
as Marshal Tom Cater
1971
The Cheyenne Social Club
as Corey Bannister
1970
The Desperate Mission
as Gant
1969
Tony Rome
as Ralph Turpin
1967
The Magnificent Stranger
as Sheriff McVey
1966
Smoky
as Jeff Nicks
1966
The Hallelujah Trail
as Chief Five Barrels
1965
Fate Is the Hunter
as Stillman
1964
Shock Treatment
as Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke)
1964
The Gun Hawk
as Johnny Flanders
1963
The Long Rope
as Ben Matthews
1961
Spartacus
as Guard captain
1960
The Magnificent Seven
as Wallace
1960
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Billy the Kid Blake
1960
Never Steal Anything Small
as Lennie
1959
Man of the West
as Ponch
1958
Return to Warbow
as Red
1958
The Tarnished Angels
as Hank
1957
Night Passage
as Concho
1957
Hot Summer Night
as Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke)
1957
Gun the Man Down
as Matt Rankin
1956
Written on the Wind
as Dan Willis
1956
Canyon River
as Joe Graycoe
1956
The Rawhide Years
as Neal (as Robert Wilke)
1956
Raw Edge
as Sile Doty
1956
Backlash
as Jeff Welker
1956
The Lone Ranger
as Cassidy
1956
Wichita
as Ben Thompson
1955
Shotgun
as Bentley (as Robert Wilke)
1955
Strange Lady in Town
as Karg
1955
Smoke Signal
as First Sergeant Daly (as Robert Wilke)
1955
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
as First Mate of the Nautilus
1954
Two Guns and a Badge
as Moore - Outlaw
1954
The Lone Gun
as Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke)
1954
The Far Country
as Madden
1954
From Here to Eternity
as Sgt. Henderson (uncredited)
1953
War Paint
as Trooper Grady
1953
Arrowhead
as Sgt. Stone
1953
Cow Country
as Sledge
1953
The Maverick
as Massey
1952
Wyoming Roundup
as Wyatt - Henchman
1952
Fargo
as Link - Henchman
1952
Cattle Town
as Keeno
1952
Hellgate
as Sgt. Maj. Kearn
1952
High Noon
as Jim Pierce
1952
Road Agent
as Slab Babcock
1952
The Las Vegas Story
as Clayton (as Robert Wilke)
1952
Overland Telegraph
as Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke)
1951
Hot Lead
as Stoney Dawson (as Robert Wilke)
1951
Pistol Harvest
as Andy Baylor
1951
Cyclone Fury
as Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke)
1951
Best of the Badmen
as Jim Younger
1951
Gunplay
as Henchman Winslow
1951
Saddle Legion
as Henchman Hooker
1951
Frontier Outpost
as Krag Benson
1950
Across the Badlands
as Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke)
1950
The Desert Hawk
as Camel Driver
1950
Outcasts of Black Mesa
as Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
1950
Coyote Canyon
as Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie)
1949
1949
The Wyoming Bandit
as Sam - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
1949
Laramie
as Cronin (uncredited)
1949
Homicide for Three
as Policeman
1948
Daredevils of the Clouds
as Joe
1948
Carson City Raiders
as Ed Noble (as Bob Wilke)
1948
The Ghost Goes Wild
as Burglar
1947
Blackmail
as Policeman
1947
Web of Danger
as Station Wagon Driver
1947
Law of the Canyon
as Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited)
1947
Buck Privates Come Home
as GI Buddy (uncredited)
1947
Twilight on the Rio Grande
as Henchman
1947
White Tie and Tails
as Starter (uncredited)
1946
The Inner Circle
as Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke)
1946
Rendezvous with Annie
as MP (uncredited)
1946
Traffic in Crime
as Hogan's Driver
1946
Passkey to Danger
as Police Sergeant
1946
Badman's Territory
as Deputy Marshal (uncredited)
1946
The Catman of Paris
as The Catman
1946
Rough Riders of Cheyenne
as Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
1945
Sunset in El Dorado
as Curley Roberts
1945
Bandits of the Badlands
as Keller
1945
Hitchhike to Happiness
as Stage Hand (uncredited)
1945
Trail of Kit Carson
as Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke)
1945
Santa Fe Saddlemates
as Rawhide
1945
Corpus Christi Bandits
as Henchman Steve
1945
Earl Carroll Vanities
as Cab Driver
1945
Sheriff of Cimarron
as Henchman Dobie
1945
Faces in the Fog
as Photographer
1944
Vigilantes of Dodge City
as Bill
1944
Sheriff of Sundown
as Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
1944
1944
San Antonio Kid
as Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
1944
Bordertown Trail
as Henchman
1944
Call of the Rockies
as Deputy Jim
1944
Cowboy and the Senorita
as Townsman (uncredited)
1944
Hidden Valley Outlaws
as Rancher (uncredited)
1944
The Fighting Seabees
as Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited)
1944
Whispering Footsteps
as Bank Customer
1943
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.
as Cutter Helmsman
1941
Sierra Sue
as Carnival Spectator (uncredited)
1941
Adventures of Red Ryder
as Henchman
1940
Grand Ole Opry
as Hillbilly (uncredited)
1940
In Old Missouri
as Hillbilly
1940
In Old Monterey
as Man on Wagon
1939
Daredevils of the Red Circle
as G-Man
1939
S.O.S Tidal Wave
as Man in TV Studio
1939
Star Reporter
as Reporter
1939
The Fighting Devil Dogs
as Marine in Shanghai (uncredited)
1938
San Quentin
as Young Convict in Yard (uncredited)
1937
That Man's Here Again
as (uncredited)
1937
Robert J. Wilke hasn't worked on any movies or TV shows
