Robert Kendall (June 26, 1927 – November 12, 2009) was an American actor, writer and teacher. Kendall was born Arthur Robert Kendall in

Stephenson Stephenson is a medieval patronymic surname meaning "son of Stephen". The earliest public record is found in the county of Huntingdonshire in 1279. There are variant spellings including Stevenson. People with the surname include: *Ashley Stephen ...

, Michigan in 1927, and moved to Battle Creek as a child. In 1945, he won a "Hollywood at Your Door" talent contest at the W.K. Kellogg Auditorium, and headed to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

to take up the prize of a screen test. Upon his arrival, Kendall was told the company who had sponsored the contest had gone bankrupt and was asked for a loan. He returned to the YMCA where he was staying to discover that his clothes had been stolen. Undeterred, he took work as a waiter in a drive-in restaurant until he was noticed by

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Aca ...

's talent agent Christopher Hofeld, and invited to try out for some roles at the Universal Studios lot. Kendall auditioned for Universal and was given the small role of Hassan in the 1947 musical '' Song of Scheherazade'' starring

Yvonne De Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...

and Jean-Pierre Aumont, and the next year appeared in '' Casbah'', also starring De Carlo, alongside Tony Martin. During the 1950s, he played gangster Baby Face Nelson in several installments of the '' Gang Busters'' TV serial.Robert Kendall, actor and author, dies at 82
''The Battle Creek Enquirer'', November 23, 2009. He also played him in the 1960 film '' Ma Barker's Killer Brood''.

Selected filmography

* '' The Women of Pitcairn Island'' (1956)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kendall, Robert 1927 births 2009 deaths American male film actors People from Battle Creek, Michigan Male actors from Michigan People from Menominee County, Michigan 20th-century American male actors