Robert J. Wilke
Biography
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
First Mate of the Nautilus
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Jim Pierce
High Noon
Guard captain
Spartacus
Flaming Fury
Concho
Night Passage
Ralph Turpin
Tony Rome
Clayton (as Robert Wilke)
The Las Vegas Story
Stage Hand (uncredited)
Hitchhike to Happiness
Sheriff McVey
El magnifico extranjero
Ponch
Man of the West
Sgt. Stone
Arrowhead
Jeff Welker
Backlash
Hank
The Tarnished Angels
Townsman (uncredited)
Cowboy and the Senorita
Madden
The Far Country
Dan Willis
Written on the Wind
Burglar
The Ghost Goes Wild
Marshal Tom Cater
A Gunfight
Officer Shaw
The Rookies
Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke)
The Inner Circle
Keller
Bandits of the Badlands
Deaks (as Robert Wilke
Santee
The Sheriff
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
Matt Rankin
Gun the Man Down
Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke)
Hot Summer Night
Stillman
Fate Is the Hunter
Cassidy
The Lone Ranger
Marine in Shanghai (uncredited)
The Fighting Devil Dogs
Johnny Flanders
The Gun Hawk
Policeman
Homicide for Three
Trooper Grady
War Paint
Jim Younger
Best of the Badmen
Young Convict in Yard (uncredited)
San Quentin
Joe Graycoe
Canyon River
Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
San Antonio Kid
Keeno
Cattle Town
Red
Return to Warbow
Sgt. Maj. Kearn
Hellgate
Lennie
Never Steal Anything Small
Hugh Fielding
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler
Billy the Kid Blake
The Slowest Gun in the West
Code of the Prairie
Rancher (uncredited)
Hidden Valley Outlaws
Joe
Daredevils of the Clouds
Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke)
Overland Telegraph
Sledge
Cow Country
Sgt. Henderson (uncredited)
From Here to Eternity
First Sergeant Daly (as Robert Wilke)
Smoke Signal
Jeff Nicks
Smoky
G-Man
Daredevils of the Red Circle
(uncredited)
That Man's Here Again
Reporter
Star Reporter
Bill
Vigilantes of Dodge City
Henchman Steve
Corpus Christi Bandits
Henchman Dobie
Sheriff of Cimarron
Slab Babcock
Road Agent
Krag Benson
Frontier Outpost
Sheriff Rex Brandon
They Call It Murder
Wallace
The Magnificent Seven
Moore - Outlaw
Two Guns and a Badge
Rawhide
Santa Fe Saddlemates
Carnival Spectator (uncredited)
Sierra Sue
Gant
The Desperate Mission
Ben Matthews
The Long Rope
The Farm Foreman
Days of Heaven
Henchman Hooker
Saddle Legion
Henchman
Adventures of Red Ryder
Henchman
Bordertown Trail
Deputy Jim
Call of the Rockies
Stoney Dawson (as Robert Wilke)
Hot Lead
Henchman Winslow
Gunplay
Andy Baylor
Pistol Harvest
Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke)
Cyclone Fury
Corey Bannister
The Cheyenne Social Club
Hillbilly
In Old Missouri
Cutter Helmsman
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.
Karg
Strange Lady in Town
Wyatt - Henchman
Wyoming Roundup
Man on Wagon
In Old Monterey
Hillbilly (uncredited)
Grand Ole Opry
Station Wagon Driver
Web of Danger
Policeman
Blackmail
Henchman
Twilight on the Rio Grande
The Catman (uncredited)
The Catman of Paris
Hogan's Driver
Traffic in Crime
Police Sergeant
Passkey to Danger
Cab Driver
Earl Carroll Vanities
Photographer
Faces in the Fog
Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited)
The Fighting Seabees
Sam - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
The Wyoming Bandit
Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie)
Coyote Canyon
Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke)
Across the Badlands
Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Outcasts of Black Mesa
Camel Driver
The Desert Hawk
Link - Henchman
Fargo
Massey
The Maverick
Chief Five Barrels
The Hallelujah Trail
Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited)
Law of the Canyon
Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Sheriff of Sundown
Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Rough Riders of Cheyenne
Curley Roberts
Sunset in El Dorado
Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke)
Trail of Kit Carson
Ed Noble (as Bob Wilke)
Carson City Raiders
Neal (as Robert Wilke)
The Rawhide Years
Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke)
The Lone Gun
Ben Thompson
Wichita
Bentley (as Robert Wilke)
Shotgun
Sile Doty
Raw Edge
Man in TV Studio
S.O.S Tidal Wave
MP (uncredited)
Rendezvous with Annie
Bank Customer
Whispering Footsteps
The Sweet Creek County War
Self (archive footage)
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Deputy Marshal (uncredited)
Badman's Territory
GI Buddy (uncredited)
Buck Privates Come Home
Starter (uncredited)
White Tie and Tails
Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke)
Shock Treatment
Cronin (uncredited)
Laramie
Gen. Barnicke
Stripes
Demas Scott
Wild and Wooly
Cowhand (uncredited)
Vengeance Valley
Bradshaw - Henchman (uncredited)
Mule Train
Police Det. Walker
The Blonde Bandit
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
123
Gender
Male
Birthday
1914-05-18
Place of Birth
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Also Known As
Bob Wilke