Acting
Robert J. Wilke
EN, FR cinema · 124 credits
Born
18 May 1914
Died
28 March 1989 (aged 74)
Birthplace
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Also known as Bob Wilke · Robert Wilke · Robert Joseph Wilke
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
Filmography
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self (archive footage)
Stripes
as Gen. Barnicke
Days of Heaven
as The Farm Foreman
Wild and Wooly
as Demas Scott
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
as The Sheriff
Santee
as Deaks (as Robert Wilke)
The Rookies
as Officer Shaw
A Gunfight
as Marshal Tom Cater
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler
as Hugh Fielding
They Call It Murder
as Sheriff Rex Brandon
The Cheyenne Social Club
as Corey Bannister
Tony Rome
as Ralph Turpin
The Magnificent Stranger
as Sheriff McVey
Smoky
as Jeff Nicks
The Hallelujah Trail
as Chief Five Barrels
Fate Is the Hunter
as Stillman
Shock Treatment
as Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke)
The Gun Hawk
as Johnny Flanders
The Long Rope
as Ben Matthews
Spartacus
as Guard captain
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Billy the Kid Blake
The Magnificent Seven
as Wallace
Man of the West
as Ponch
Night Passage
as Concho
Hot Summer Night
as Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke)
Backlash
as Jeff Welker
Written on the Wind
as Dan Willis
Gun the Man Down
as Matt Rankin
The Lone Ranger
as Cassidy
Canyon River
as Joe Graycoe
The Rawhide Years
as Neal (as Robert Wilke)
Raw Edge
as Sile Doty
Smoke Signal
as Daly
Wichita
as Ben Thompson
Shotgun
as Bentley (as Robert Wilke)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
as First Mate of the Nautilus
The Far Country
as Madden
Two Guns and a Badge
as Moore - Outlaw
The Lone Gun
as Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke)
Arrowhead
as Sgt. Stone
War Paint
as Trooper Grady
Cow Country
as Sledge
From Here to Eternity
as Sgt. Henderson (uncredited)
High Noon
as Jim Pierce
The Las Vegas Story
as Clayton (as Robert Wilke)
Cattle Town
as Keeno
Hellgate
as Sgt. Maj. Kearn
Road Agent
as Slab Babcock
Wyoming Roundup
as Wyatt - Henchman
Fargo
as Link - Henchman
The Maverick
as Massey
Best of the Badmen
as Jim Younger
Overland Telegraph
as Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke)
Saddle Legion
as Henchman Hooker
Gunplay
as Henchman Winslow
Pistol Harvest
as Andy Baylor
Hot Lead
as Stoney Dawson
Cyclone Fury
as Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke)
Vengeance Valley
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Frontier Outpost
as Krag Benson
Across the Badlands
as Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke)
Outcast of Black Mesa
as Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
The Desert Hawk
as Camel Driver
Mule Train
as Bradshaw - Henchman (uncredited)
Coyote Canyon
as Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie)
Laramie
as Cronin (uncredited)
The Blonde Bandit
as Police Det. Walker
Homicide for Three
as Policeman
Carson City Raiders
as Ed Noble
The Ghost Goes Wild
as Burglar
Twilight on the Rio Grande
as Henchman
Web of Danger
as Station Wagon Driver
Blackmail
as Policeman
Law of the Canyon
as Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited)
Buck Privates Come Home
as GI Buddy (uncredited)
The Inner Circle
as Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke)
Traffic in Crime
as Hogan's Driver
The Catman of Paris
as The Catman (uncredited)
Passkey to Danger
as Police Sergeant
Rendezvous with Annie
as MP (uncredited)
Badman's Territory
as Deputy Marshal (uncredited)
White Tie and Tails
as Starter (uncredited)
Hitchhike to Happiness
as Stage Hand (uncredited)
Bandits of the Badlands
as Keller
Corpus Christi Bandits
as Henchman Steve
Sheriff of Cimarron
as Henchman Dobie
Santa Fe Saddlemates
as Rawhide
Earl Carroll Vanities
as Cab Driver
Rough Riders of Cheyenne
as Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Sunset in El Dorado
as Curley Roberts
Trail of Kit Carson
as Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke)
Lone Texas Ranger
as Henchman (uncredited)
Cowboy and the Senorita
as Townsman (uncredited)
San Antonio Kid
as Henchman
Hidden Valley Outlaws
as Rancher (uncredited)
Bordertown Trail
as Henchman
Call of the Rockies
as Deputy Jim
Faces in the Fog
as Photographer
The Fighting Seabees
as Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited)
Sheriff of Sundown
as Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Whispering Footsteps
as Bank Customer
Sierra Sue
as Carnival Spectator (uncredited)
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.
as Cutter Helmsman
Adventures of Red Ryder
as Henchman
In Old Missouri
as Hillbilly
Grand Ole Opry
as Hillbilly (uncredited)
Star Reporter
as Reporter
In Old Monterey
as Man on Wagon
S.O.S Tidal Wave
as Man in TV Studio
The Fighting Devil Dogs
as Marine in Shanghai (uncredited)
San Quentin
as Young Convict in Yard (uncredited)
That Man's Here Again
as (uncredited)