Robert Heath Foxworth (born November 1, 1941) is an American film, stage, and television actor.

Early life

Foxworth was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by b ...

, the son of Erna Beth (née Seamman), a writer, and John Howard Foxworth, a roofing contractor. He attended Lamar High School and earned a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree in

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad ra ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technolog ...

Career

Foxworth first gained attention as a stage actor, particularly at Washington, DC's

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

. He was offered the role of

J. R. Ewing John Ross "J.R." Ewing Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series ''Dallas'' (1978–1991) and its spin-offs, including the revived ''Dallas'' series (2012–2014). The character was portrayed by Larry Hagman from the series ...

in ''

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

'', but turned it down and

Larry Hagman Larry Martin Hagman (September 21, 1931 – November 23, 2012) was an American film and television actor, director, and producer, best known for playing ruthless oil baron J. R. Ewing in the 1978–1991 primetime television soap opera, ''Dal ...

was cast. Among his numerous film and television roles, such as in the television series '' The Storefront Lawyers'' (1970–1971), Foxworth is best known for his stints on ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' (he played

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)"Actress, P ...

's long-suffering nephew, Chase Gioberti, from 1981–1987) and '' Six Feet Under'' (he played

Bernard Chenowith The following is a list of descriptions for characters on the HBO television series ''Six Feet Under (TV series), Six Feet Under'', which aired for five seasons, from 2001 through 2005. While the series ends in 2005, the finale (“Everyone's Wai ...

from 2001–2003), as well as a starring role in

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and '' St ...

's 1974 movie ''

The Questor Tapes ''The Questor Tapes'' is a 1974 American made-for-television sci-fi drama film about an android (portrayed by Robert Foxworth) with incomplete memory tapes who is searching for his creator and his purpose. Conceived by Gene Roddenberry, who is c ...

''. He also appeared in the episode "All My Tomorrows" of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

romantic anthology series ''

Love Story Love Story or A Love Story may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres * Romance (love) ** Romance film ** Romance novel Films * ''Love Story'' (1925 film), German silent film * ''Love Story'' (1942 film), Italian drama film * ''Love ...

'' in 1973 and in the episode "The Mask of Adonis" from the 1977 NBC science fiction-horror anthology series ''

Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected ''Quinn Martins Tales of the Unexpected'' is an American horror and science fiction anthology television series produced by Quinn Martin, and hosted and narrated by William Conrad. It aired from February 2 to August 24, 1977.McNeil, Alex, ''Tot ...

'' (known in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

as ''Twist in the Tale'').Classic Television Archive: Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (1977)
/ref> He had a guest-starring role on the seventh season of ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, ...

'' and a guest spot on ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...

''. Foxworth played the murderer, an Army colonel, in "Grand Deceptions," a 1989 episode of the TV series ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

''. He has also guest-starred in ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'', ''

Password Plus ''Password Plus'' and ''Super Password'' are American TV game shows that aired separately between 1979 and 1989. Both shows were revivals of ''Password'', which originally ran from 1961 to 1975 in various incarnations. With only subtle differen ...

'', ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The seri ...

'', ''

seaQuest DSV ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it ...

'', ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', '' The Outer Limits'', '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, i ...

'', and ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Telev ...

''. He has done voice acting as the corrupt

Professor Hamilton Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Superman. The character was portrayed by Richard Schiff in '' Man of Steel''. Publicati ...

on ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, a ...

''. He also voiced the

Autobot The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...

Ratchet, in the film version of ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, su ...

'' and its sequels.

Personal life

Foxworth was married from 1964 until 1974 to Marilyn McCormick, with whom he had two children, including actor Bo Foxworth. Foxworth was married to actress

Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1932 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She is best remembered for her leading role as the witch Samantha Stephens on the televis ...

from 1993 until her death in 1995. They had been together for 20 years before marrying. Foxworth later married Stacey Thomas on August 2, 1998.

TV and filmography

*1970–1971: '' The Storefront Lawyers'' as David Hansen *1971: ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III a ...

'' as Dr. Gary Lefferts *1972: ''

Streets Of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...

'' as Hailey *1973: ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific e ...

'' as Dr. Victor Frankenstein *1973: ''

'' as Dr. Eric Fowler *1974: ''Mrs. Sundance'' as Jack Maddox *1974: ''

'' as Questor *1974: ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was o ...

'' as Whit Brewer *1975: ''Cannon'' as Lanny McCrea *1976: '' Treasure of Matecumbe'' as Jim Burnie *1976: ''

Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...

'' as Congressman Charles Sinclair *1977: ''

Airport '77 ''Airport '77'' is a 1977 American air disaster film, and the third installment of the ''Airport'' film series. The film stars a number of veteran actors including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, and Brenda Vac ...

'' as Chambers *1978: '' Invisible Strangler'' (aka ''The Astral Factor'') as Lt. Charles Barrett *1978: '' Damien: Omen II'' as Paul Buher *1979: ''

'' (with

and

Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress and comedian, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies. She is best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitc ...

, 10 episodes) as Himself *1979: ''

Prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pret ...

'' as Rob *1980: ''

The Black Marble ''The Black Marble'' is a 1980 mystery/romantic comedy film directed by Harold Becker and starring Robert Foxworth, Paula Prentiss and Harry Dean Stanton. It is based on the 1978 novel by Joseph Wambaugh. Plot Pragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman ...

'' as Sgt. A.M. Valnikov *1980: ''

The Memory of Eva Ryker ''The Memory of Eva Ryker'' is a 1980 American television drama film starring Natalie Wood, Robert Foxworth and Ralph Bellamy. It was produced by Irwin Allen and directed by Walter Grauman. It was based on a 1978 novel by Donald Stanwood which wa ...

'' as Norman Hall *1981: '' Peter and Paul'' as Peter the Fisherman *1981–1987: ''

'' as Chase Gioberti *1988: ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'' S6/E21-22 as Agent Duggan *1989: ''

Beyond the Stars ''Beyond the Stars'' is a 1989 American drama film written and directed by David Saperstein and starred Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Olivia d'Abo, and F. Murray Abraham. Plot This science fiction drama centers on Eric, teena ...

'' as Richard Michaels *1994: ''

'' as Royce Shelton *1994: ''

'' – " Points of Departure", "

All Alone in the Night ''Babylon 5'' is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the y ...

" as General William Hague *1995: ''

'' as Prof. Harry Matthews *1996: ''

'' - " Homefront" and "

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, ...

" as Admiral Leyton *1996: '' The Outer Limits'' - " Trial by Fire" as Charles Halsey *1996: ''

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' (also known as ''Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996, to April 16, 1997. A continuati ...

'' as Roger T. "Race" Bannon/Vladimire Oistrakh/Captain Briggs/Goon #2 *1997–2003: ''

'' as Dr. Frederick Barrett / Professor Charles Evans *1998–1999: ''

LateLine ''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...

'' (17 episodes) as Pearce McKenzie *2000–2005: '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as Dr. Lett / Dr. Ben Hadley *2001–2003: '' Six Feet Under'' (6 episodes) as Dr. Bernard Chenowith *2003: ''

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...

'' as President Emerson *2003: ''

'' as Chairman Ashwan *2004: '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' - " The Forge", " Awakening", and "

Kir'Shara "Kir'Shara" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. It was writer Michael Sussman's third episode of the season, while it was director David Livingston's second. T ...

" as Administrator V'Las *2004-2005: ''

'' as (6 episodes)

*2005: '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as Dr. Lett / Dr. Ben Hadley *2005: ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, ...

'' as Tommy Barton *2005: ''

'' as Senator George Montgomery *2006: ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and ...

'' as Branson Rose *2006: '' Brothers & Sisters'' as Harry Packard *2006: ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'' as Judge Simon Devon *2007: ''

'' as Ratchet (voice) *2007: '' Kiss the Bride'' as Wayne *2009: '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' as Ratchet (voice) *2011: '' Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' as Ratchet (voice) *2014: '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' as Ratchet / Leadfoot (voice) *2019 ''A.C'' (Short)

Television films

*1971: '' Hogan's Goat'' *1973: '' The Devil's Daughter'' as Steve Stone *1973: ''The Wide World of Mystery'' (''Frankenstein'') as Dr. Victor Frankenstein *1974: ''Mrs. Sundance'' as Jack Maddox *1974: ''

'' as Questor *1977: '' It Happened at Lakewood Manor'' as Mike Carr *1978: '' Deathmoon'' as Jason Palmer *1980: ''

'' as Norman Hall *1981: '' Peter and Paul'' as

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a s ...

*1988: ''Double Standard'' as Leonard Harik *1989: '' Columbo: Grand Deceptions'' as Frank Brailie *1990: ''Face to Face'' (''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in th ...

'' presentation) as Tobias Williams *1992: ''With Murder in Mind'' as Bob Sprague *2006: '' The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines'' as Uncle Jerry

Video games

*2009: '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox/PS3)'' as Ratchet (voice)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foxworth, Robert 1941 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Carnegie Mellon University alumni Lamar High School (Houston, Texas) alumni Male actors from Houston American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Living people