Robert Emhardt

Robert Emhardt (July 24, 1914 – December 26, 1994)[1] was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film, and on television.[2] Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician.

Robert Emhardt
Robert Emhardt in Perry Mason 1960
Born
Robert Christian Emhardt

(1914-07-24)July 24, 1914
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 1994(1994-12-26) (aged 80)
Ojai, California, U.S.
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1939–1982
Spouse(s)Martha Rofheart (Martha Jones; 1943–1950)
Silvia Sideli (1954–1994; his death; 4 children)

Early years

Emhardt was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.[3]

Career

Emhardt studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[3] He began his Broadway career in the 1930s as an understudy for the equally heavyset Sydney Greenstreet. Emhardt made his stage debut in The Pirate (1942).[2][4] One of the founding members of the Actors Studio,[5] Emhardt was a member of the cast of the original 1952 Broadway stage production of The Seven Year Itch. He won the Critics Circle Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Life with Mother in the 1948–1949 season.[2]

His notable film appearances include 3:10 to Yuma (1957) and Underworld U.S.A. (1961).

On television, he was the first actor to play Mac Cory on Another World. He also made over 250 guest appearances on such series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Riverboat, The Tall Man, The Twilight Zone, GE True, Stoney Burke, Going My Way, The Untouchables, Perry Mason (3 episodes), The Naked City, The Tom Ewell Show, My Three Sons, The Wild Wild West, The Andy Griffith Show (2 episodes), Gunsmoke, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Invaders, Adam-12, The Brady Bunch, Cannon, Kojak, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bonanza, Have Gun, Will Travel and Quincy, M.E..

Personal life and death

Emhardt married actress Martha Jones (later married name Martha Rofheart) in 1943,[6][7] with whom he had appeared on Broadway in both Harriet and The Pirate. After the dissolution of the marriage, he married actress Silvia Sideli in 1954. They had a son named Christopher and a daughter named Mia.

Emhardt died of heart problems at his home in Ojai, California, on December 26, 1994, at the age of 80.[2]

Filmography

Partial television credits

(Season 1 Episode 4: "Don't Come Back Alive") (1955) - Mr. Kettle

(Season 2 Episode 3: "De Mortuis") (1956) - Professor Rankin

(Season 2 Episode 15: "Crackpot") (1957) - Mr. Moon

(Season 2 Episode 34: "Martha Mason, Movie Star") (1957) - Henry G. McKay

(Season 3 Episode 23: "The Right Kind of House") (1958) - Mr. Waterbury

(Season 5 Episode 11: "Road Hog") (1959) - Ed Fratus

References
  1. "Obituaries : Robert Emhardt; Actor, School Board Member". December 30, 1994 – via LA Times.
  2. "Character actor Emhardt dies of heart failure". San Bernardino County Sun. Associated Press. January 2, 1995 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "Robert Emhardt; Character Actor (obituary)". New York Times. January 5, 1995. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
  4. IBDB, The Internet Broadway Database. "The Pirate – Opening Night Cast". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  5. Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947-1950". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN 0-02-542650-8. Also [in Lewis' class were] Henry Barnard, Jay Barney, John Becher, Philip Bourneuf, Joan Chandler, Peter Cookson, Stephen Elliott, Robert Emhardt, Joy Geffen, William Hansen, Will Hare, Jane Hoffman, George Keane, Don Keefer, George Matthews, Peggy Meredith, Ty Perry, Margaret Phillips, David Pressman, William Prince, Elliot Reid, Frances Reid, Kurt Richards, Elizabeth Ross, Thelma Schnee, Joshua Shelley, Fed Stewart, John Straub, Michael Strong, John Sylvester, Julie Warren, Mary Welch, Lois Wheeler, and William Woodson.
  6. City Clerk, City of New York (1943). "Emhardt Jones Marriage Certificate". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  7. "Emhardt Jones Marriage License". City Clerk, City of New York. 1943. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
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