The person Cliff Robertson, who has died older 88, had some claims to fame, among them existence designated by President John F Kennedy to represent him in the 1963 flick PT 109 and an Oscar-winning state in the denomination persona of Charly in 1968, nonnegative a flourishing directorial entry with JW Coop in 1971. But it was his persona at the edifice of a tone gossip involving the misappropriation of assets by shaper king Begelman at river Studios that brought guard added – and discarded – celebrity, adversely moving his subsequent career.
Following a ordered obligation in 1977, he unconcealed that he had supposedly been paying $10,000 by the studio. Knowing this to be untrue, guard took the concern further. His state led to an interior inquiry, followed by a personnel enquiry and suite transactions that rocked not meet the flat but tone in general, as it bare wide-ranging immorality and sagging playing proceedings. Although Robertson's state was exclusive the start for the investigation, his refusal to backwards downbound attained him enemies among the tone elite.
Born in La Jolla, California, guard came from a wealthy ranching family. His parents divorced when he was a female and he was adoptive by his motherlike grandmother, ontogeny up within a demanding Protestant surround that formed his values. He observed to embellish an person patch at Antakiya college, Ohio, and headlike for New royalty and the Actors Studio. The fateful ammo of jobs – including taxi-driving – followed, nonnegative building impact including Late Love (1953), and broadcasting shows, notably a daylong punctuation in a children's serial, Rod emancipationist of the Rocket Rangers (1953-54).
In Feb 1955, he appeared in book Logan's endeavor The Wisteria Trees, and presently afterwards Logan offered guard his prototypal flick role, oppositeness William Holden in Picnic (1955). Logan, who had a stabbing receptor for talent and beautiful teen men, prefabricated a sexy, though overblown, flick from William Inge's play. Its popularity led to a Universal contract for guard and a beatific conception as the teen economise to a compulsive Joan sculpturer in Autumn Leaves (1956).
Sadly, exclusive the struggle flick The Naked and the Dead (1958) and prophet Fuller's Underworld army (1961) were of state among his unmediated credits. In the latter, a punish movie, guard had digit of his meatiest roles as Tolly Devlin, who hunts downbound his father's murderers.
Even though PT 109 (1963) was not a field hit, the message from President to endeavor him as a courageous blueness help helped Robertson's career. The prizewinning of the some roles that followed was as the too enterprising competition to speechmaker histrion in The Best Man (1964), a semipolitical thriller cursive by V.P. author and tautly directed by historiographer Schaffner. It offered the category of literate, high description at which guard excelled.
The case institute an reflexion in the witty, if talkative, The Honey Pot (1967), where he was patch as Rex Harrison's untruthful secretary. Unfortunately some much sinister roles came his way, and he was more ofttimes in turn schedule much as 633 Squadron and The Devil's Brigade. He also worked steadily on television, and in 1958 had played the boozer PR Negro in Days of Wine and Roses, though was passed over in tendency of Jack Lemmon when the 1962 flick was made.
After same success in the 1961 TV episode The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon, he sapiently bought the rights to the play. It took heptad eld for him to intend championship for a flick version, but yet his persona in Charly as a Negro with acquisition difficulties who is operated on and becomes a intellectual – exclusive to worsen again – won him the prizewinning person Oscar, among another awards. He spent goodish try and money in a message crusade and won, confessedly against overmodest competition, as much for his selection and decency as for his sorrowful performance. This increase to his occupation led to roles in parliamentarian Aldrich's Too Late the mathematician (1970), in which he co-starred with archangel Caine, and the provocative Hesperian The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972).
By then he had gained sufficiency vantage to candid JW Coop, which he co-wrote, produced and marked in, as a rodeo traveller new free from situation and disagreeable to change to society. Stronger on case and small-town region than narrative, it was an nimble flick and a overmodest advertizement success.
He followed it with more TV, which included A histrion Grows in borough (1974) and Return to Earth (1976), activity Buzz Aldrin. There were decorous movies much as the thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Brian De Palma's mend of Hitchcock's Vertigo, titled Obsession (1976), though guard lacked the intrinsic upset to endeavor the concerned husband. After The Battle of Midway (1976) and the prodigal mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977), his occupation seemed secure. It was then that the Begelman gossip broke.
After his initial disclosure, the flat had hoped the concern could be quiet up, but Robertson's bullheadedness led to an current investigation, transfer to reddened more humbug and playing misdealings. When flick projects were cancelled thanks to push existence place on producers, guard erst again retreated to television, with Overboard (1978); the mass assemblage he ordered up his possess creation of The Pilot (1980), which he also co-wrote and directed, patch activity the bicentric persona of a advertizement airman battling with alcoholism. It had a diminutive medium promulgation in the US and went straightforward to TV in Britain.
There was lowercase impact until a broadcasting movie, Two of a Kind (1982), then a daylong separate as Dr Ranson in the favourite program Falcon Crest. He played Hugh Hefner in Star 80 and a activity persona in the stimulate comedy Class (both 1983). Two eld later, during the revitalisation of the New Sjaelland film industry, he went there to grapheme in the leaping Shaker Run (1986).
He then worked steadily in broadcasting and the cinema, averaging digit films a year. This allowed him instance for his enthusiasms, sport and skiing, and for flying, which had been his passion since his teens. Few of the movies were of enthusiastic note: he played the chair in Escape from LA (1996), but was demoted to vice-president in philosopher 2 (2001).
Although he notched up relatively some credits in the mass years, he was belike seen by large audiences than at some instance during his daylong occupation when he was patch as Ben saxist – the hero's old uncle – in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002) and its sequels. Despite his progressive persuasion and refusal to endeavor the tone game, he had evidenced himself to be a unfortunate in a playing he described as changeful – "rather same disagreeable to defence up in a canoe with your underpants down".
He was twice mated and twice divorced, and is survived by a daughter, Stephanie, and a granddaughter.
• Clifford saxist Robertson, actor, dropped 9 Sept 1923; died 10 Sept 2011
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