Robert J. Wilke
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 18, 1914
- Died
- March 28, 1989
- Birthplace
- Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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. -
Filmography
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life 1987
as Self (archive footage)
Stripes 1981
as Gen. Barnicke
The Sweet Creek County War 1979
Actor
Days of Heaven 1978
as The Farm Foreman
Wild and Wooly 1978
as Demas Scott
Santee 1973
as Deaks (as Robert Wilke)
The Boy Who Cried Werewolf 1973
as The Sheriff
The Rookies 1972
as Officer Shaw
They Call It Murder 1971
as Sheriff Rex Brandon
The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler 1971
as Hugh Fielding
A Gunfight 1971
as Marshal Tom Cater
The Cheyenne Social Club 1970
as Corey Bannister
The Desperate Mission 1969
as Gant
Tony Rome 1967
as Ralph Turpin
The Magnificent Stranger 1966
as Sheriff McVey
Smoky 1966
as Jeff Nicks
The Hallelujah Trail 1965
as Chief Five Barrels
Fate Is the Hunter 1964
as Stillman
Shock Treatment 1964
as Technician Mike Newton (as Robert Wilke)
The Gun Hawk 1963
as Johnny Flanders
The Long Rope 1961
as Ben Matthews
Spartacus 1960
as Guard captain
The Magnificent Seven 1960
as Wallace
The Slowest Gun in the West 1960
as Billy the Kid Blake
Never Steal Anything Small 1959
as Lennie
Man of the West 1958
as Ponch
Return to Warbow 1958
as Red
The Tarnished Angels 1957
as Hank
Night Passage 1957
as Concho
Hot Summer Night 1957
as Tom Ellis (as Robert Wilke)
Gun the Man Down 1956
as Matt Rankin
Written on the Wind 1956
as Dan Willis
Canyon River 1956
as Joe Graycoe
The Rawhide Years 1956
as Neal (as Robert Wilke)
Raw Edge 1956
as Sile Doty
Backlash 1956
as Jeff Welker
The Lone Ranger 1956
as Cassidy
Wichita 1955
as Ben Thompson
Shotgun 1955
as Bentley (as Robert Wilke)
Strange Lady in Town 1955
as Karg
Smoke Signal 1955
as Daly
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954
as First Mate of the Nautilus
Two Guns and a Badge 1954
as Moore - Outlaw
The Lone Gun 1954
as Hort Moran (as Robert Wilke)
The Far Country 1954
as Madden
From Here to Eternity 1953
as Sgt. Henderson (uncredited)
War Paint 1953
as Trooper Grady
Arrowhead 1953
as Sgt. Stone
Cow Country 1953
as Sledge
The Maverick 1952
as Massey
Wyoming Roundup 1952
as Wyatt - Henchman
Fargo 1952
as Link - Henchman
Cattle Town 1952
as Keeno
Hellgate 1952
as Sgt. Maj. Kearn
High Noon 1952
as Jim Pierce
Road Agent 1952
as Slab Babcock
The Las Vegas Story 1952
as Clayton (as Robert Wilke)
Overland Telegraph 1951
as Bellew - Henchman (as Robert Wilke)
Hot Lead 1951
as Stoney Dawson
Pistol Harvest 1951
as Andy Baylor
Cyclone Fury 1951
as Henchman Bunco (as Bob Wilke)
Best of the Badmen 1951
as Jim Younger
Gunplay 1951
as Henchman Winslow
Saddle Legion 1951
as Henchman Hooker
Vengeance Valley 1951
as Cowhand (uncredited)
Frontier Outpost 1950
as Krag Benson
Across the Badlands 1950
as Duke Jackson / Keno Jackson (as Bob Wilke)
The Desert Hawk 1950
as Camel Driver
Outcast of Black Mesa 1950
as Curt - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Mule Train 1950
as Bradshaw - Henchman (uncredited)
The Blonde Bandit 1949
as Police Det. Walker
Coyote Canyon 1949
as Deputy Sheriff Ed (as Bob Wilkie)
Flaming Fury 1949
Actor
The Wyoming Bandit 1949
as Sam
Laramie 1949
as Cronin (uncredited)
Homicide for Three 1948
as Policeman
Daredevils of the Clouds 1948
as Joe
Carson City Raiders 1948
as Ed Noble
The Ghost Goes Wild 1947
as Burglar
Blackmail 1947
as Policeman
Web of Danger 1947
as Station Wagon Driver
Law of the Canyon 1947
as Knife-Throwing Henchman (uncredited)
Buck Privates Come Home 1947
as GI Buddy (uncredited)
Twilight on the Rio Grande 1947
as Henchman
White Tie and Tails 1946
as Starter (uncredited)
The Inner Circle 1946
as Police Officer Cummings (as Bob Wilke)
Rendezvous with Annie 1946
as MP (uncredited)
Traffic in Crime 1946
as Hogan's Driver
Passkey to Danger 1946
as Police Sergeant
Badman's Territory 1946
as Deputy Marshal (uncredited)
The Catman of Paris 1946
as The Catman (uncredited)
Rough Riders of Cheyenne 1945
as Smoke - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Sunset in El Dorado 1945
as Curley Roberts
Bandits of the Badlands 1945
as Keller
Hitchhike to Happiness 1945
as Stage Hand (uncredited)
Trail of Kit Carson 1945
as Dave MacRoy (as Bob Wilke)
Santa Fe Saddlemates 1945
as Rawhide
Lone Texas Ranger 1945
as Henchman (uncredited)
Corpus Christi Bandits 1945
as Henchman Steve
Earl Carroll Vanities 1945
as Cab Driver
Sheriff of Cimarron 1945
as Henchman Dobie
Faces in the Fog 1944
as Photographer
Vigilantes of Dodge City 1944
as Bill
Sheriff of Sundown 1944
as Bradley - Henchman (as Bob Wilke)
Code of the Prairie 1944
Actor
San Antonio Kid 1944
as Henchman
Bordertown Trail 1944
as Henchman
Call of the Rockies 1944
as Deputy Jim
Cowboy and the Senorita 1944
as Townsman (uncredited)
Hidden Valley Outlaws 1944
as Rancher (uncredited)
The Fighting Seabees 1944
as Arriving Construction Worker (uncredited)
Whispering Footsteps 1943
as Bank Customer
Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc. 1941
as Cutter Helmsman
Sierra Sue 1941
as Carnival Spectator (uncredited)
Adventures of Red Ryder 1940
as Henchman
Grand Ole Opry 1940
as Hillbilly (uncredited)
In Old Missouri 1940
as Hillbilly
In Old Monterey 1939
as Man on Wagon
Daredevils of the Red Circle 1939
as G-Man
S.O.S Tidal Wave 1939
as Man in TV Studio
Star Reporter 1939
as Reporter
The Fighting Devil Dogs 1938
as Marine in Shanghai (uncredited)
San Quentin 1937
as Young Convict in Yard (uncredited)
That Man's Here Again 1937
as (uncredited)
Credits from TMDB.