Silas Merritt Robertson (born April 27, 1948), known as Si Robertson and often referred to as "Uncle Si", is an American television personality,
veteran, and a retired reed maker for
duck calls at
Duck Commander
Duck Commander is an American hunting and outdoor recreation company in West Monroe, Louisiana. Founded by Phil Robertson, a football quarterback at Louisiana Tech University, he developed and patented the company's namesake duck call the ''Duc ...
. He is best known for his role on
A&E's ''
Duck Dynasty'', on which he has emerged as a breakout cast member. He has also appeared on other shows such as the
Outdoor Channel's ''Buck Commander'' and The Duckmen of Louisiana, and was the eponymous host of the ''Duck Dynasty'' spin-off ''
Going Si-Ral
Silas Merritt Robertson (born April 27, 1948), known as Si Robertson and often referred to as "Uncle Si", is an American television personality, veteran, and a retired reed maker for duck calls at Duck Commander. He is best known for his role on ...
''. Si has also made a guest appearance on ''
Last Man Standing'', and in
Big Idea Entertainment's
Veggie Tales
''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, computer generated musical children's animation, and book franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series sees fruit and vegetable characters retelling ...
episode ''Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas'' as Silas the Narrator.
Early life
Robertson was born to James and Merritt (née Hale) Robertson in
Vivian, Louisiana, the sixth of seven children. He has four brothers, Jimmy Frank, Harold, Tommy, and
Phil
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...
(who was born 2 years before him), and two sisters, Judy and Jan. Because of financial setbacks of their family during Si and his siblings' childhoods, the Robertson family lived in rugged conditions with significantly fewer amenities than the average American enjoyed. In high school, Si attended
North Caddo High School
North Caddo High School is a public high school in Vivian, Louisiana, Vivian, Louisiana. The school is a part of Caddo Public Schools (Louisiana), Caddo Public Schools.
History
Established in 1955, North Caddo High School is home to the Titans. T ...
in
Vivian, Louisiana which is in
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish (French language, French: ''Paroisse de Caddo'') is a Parish (administrative division), parish located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the parish ...
. He played on the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team in the footsteps of his brother Phil, even wearing the same #10 jersey.
Military career
After dropping out of
Louisiana Tech University in
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a small city and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in the Eastern Ark-La-Tex region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 21,859, reflecting an increase of 6.4 percent ...
after three quarters, he was drafted into the
United States Army during the
Vietnam War.
[Si Robertson profile](_blank)
, aetv.com; retrieved August 19, 2013. During the war, his mother sent him a set of Tupperware cups, beans and rice, two boots, and two jars of jalapeño peppers in each boot.
[''Duck Dynasty'' star Si Robertson on His Iced Tea Habit and Keeping Everyone Happy](_blank)
parade.com; retrieved August 19, 2013. He is rarely seen without one of his plastic cups drinking iced tea, which he treats with equal importance.
Si retired from the Army in 1993 with the rank of Sergeant First Class (E-7).
[Si Robertson profile](_blank)
duckcommander.com; accessed August 25, 2015. Robertson is recognized for his military career with an exhibit at the
Chennault Aviation and Military Museum
The Chennault Aviation and Military Museum is a museum located in Monroe, Louisiana that preserves and highlights the establishment of the local aviation industry. It exhibits artifacts from World War I to the Afghanistan War, including aircraft ...
in
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...
.
Business with Duck Commander
Upon retirement from the Army in 1993, Si found employment at his brother Phil's
Duck Commander
Duck Commander is an American hunting and outdoor recreation company in West Monroe, Louisiana. Founded by Phil Robertson, a football quarterback at Louisiana Tech University, he developed and patented the company's namesake duck call the ''Duc ...
business.
Si has been a big part of the growing business. His job is to fashion the
reeds that are inserted in every patented duck call. Si thinks that it is a pretty easy job and is depicted in ''
Duck Dynasty'' as having difficulties staying on task; he often seeks breaks to take a nap or play around with equipment in the warehouse.
Personal life
In an interview with ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'', Robertson described his wife, "One woman has already got my heart, we've been married for 43 years (at that time) and her name is Miss Christine Robertson". He discussed how after he had asked for her hand in marriage about 70 times, she finally accepted his proposal. The two married in 1971, and they have a daughter, Trasa, and a son, Scott. They also have eight grandsons.
Like the rest of his family, Robertson is very open about his
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
faith. "That's what got me through 65 years of life, my belief in
God and what He's done for us and what He will do for us". His favorite Scripture verses are
John 3:16 and 17. "When I sign people's stuff I put down John 3:16 and 17. Most people can tell you what 16 says, OK. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son.' But they don't know nothin' about 17. It says Jesus didn't come to condemn us. If anybody had a right to condemn someone, it would be the son of God. If he didn't do it, then hey, we definitely are not qualified to do it."
Robertson lent his voice and personal appearance to the ''
VeggieTales'' video ''Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas'', in which he narrates the video and appears as a mall janitor, in the tradition of the mid 1960s and early 1970s
Rankin/Bass Christmas specials and their use of celebrity narrators.
Along with his nephew and ''Duck Dynasty'' co-star
Willie, he appeared on an episode of ''
Last Man Standing''. He also appeared as a gas station clerk in the 2015
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
drama film ''
Faith of Our Fathers''.
Robertson's son Scott served in the U.S. Army and completed eight
tours in Iraq, after which he was diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder, motivating Robertson to advocate for better care for veterans.
Robertson's net worth is more than $18 million.
''Duck Dynasty''
In
A&E's reality television show ''Duck Dynasty'', Si (or Uncle Si) is one of the main characters. He is perhaps the most well-known and recognized character of the bunch, due to the frequency and quality of his jokes and stories, as well as his general manner. His spontaneous nature often launches the plot of the show into action, whether handcuffing himself to his nephew Willie or spending the prize money of $2,000 at a children's arcade.
Robertson also starred in ''
Going Si-Ral
Silas Merritt Robertson (born April 27, 1948), known as Si Robertson and often referred to as "Uncle Si", is an American television personality, veteran, and a retired reed maker for duck calls at Duck Commander. He is best known for his role on ...
'', a spinoff which ran from November 16, 2016, to January 18, 2017, on A&E. He and "Si-kick" Willie study the Internet, especially
viral videos.
Discography
Works
* ''
Si-cology 1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle''. (2013)
Simon & Schuster.
References
External links
Go Behind the Scenes of 'Duck Dynasty' With Uncle Si
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Si
1948 births
American autobiographers
American members of the Churches of Christ
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Living people
Louisiana Independents
Louisiana Tech University alumni
North Caddo High School alumni
Participants in American reality television series
People from Caddo Parish, Louisiana
People from West Monroe, Louisiana
Robertson family
United States Army soldiers
Christians from Louisiana
Critics of atheism