Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in
Runnels Runnels is a surname, and may refer to:
* Cody Garrett Runnels (born 1985), American wrestler and actor known as Cody Rhodes
* Dustin Patrick Runnels (born 1969), American wrestler known as Goldust or Dustin Rhodes
*Hardin Richard Runnels (1820–1 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, and died in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
.
Biography
Robertson first worked as a lawyer in Texas, but he left his profession for a sudden interest in acting after being encouraged to do so by
Joseph Jefferson
Joseph Jefferson III, commonly known as Joe Jefferson (February 20, 1829 – April 23, 1905), was an American actor. He was the third actor of this name in a family of actors and managers, and one of the most famous 19th century American comedia ...
.
Robertson's initial venture onto the stage did not last, however. He returned to the practice of law as an attorney with the
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...
. During World War I, he was an administrator in the Chicago office of the federal railway police.
![The-Front-Page-1928-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/The-Front-Page-1928-1.jpg)
He appeared on Broadway in 16 plays between 1907 and 1930. Robertson played supporting roles in many Hollywood films from 1930 until the year he died, typically portraying men of authority such as doctors, elected officials, military officers, and lawyers. He played Jackie Cooper's stern but loving father in the oscar-winning drama ''
Skippy'' (1931) and its sequel ''
Sooky'' (1931). Robertson also portrayed a flamboyant lawyer in ''
Remember the Night
''Remember the Night'' is a 1940 American Christmas romantic comedy trial film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The film was written by Preston Sturges and was the last of his scripts shot by another d ...
'' (1940) and the straight sheriff in ''
The Ox-Bow Incident
''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a Western ...
'' (1943).
Robertson wrote the novel ''Moon Tide'' (1940) which was turned into
Archie Mayo
Archibald L. Mayo (January 29, 1891 – December 4, 1968) was a film director, screenwriter and actor.
Early years
The son of a tailor, Mayo was born in New York City. After attending the city's public schools, he studied at Columbia Unive ...
's drama thriller ''
Moontide
''Moontide'' is a 1942 American romantic drama with elements of a thriller. It was produced by Mark Hellinger and directed by Archie Mayo, who took over direction after initial director Fritz Lang left the project early in the shooting schedule. ...
'' (1942)
starring
Jean Gabin
Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), '' La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ...
and
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was an English-American actress, singer, director, writer, and producer. T ...
.
Selected filmography
*''
Daughters of the Night
A daughter is a female reproduction, offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations ...
'' (1924) as Prof. Woodbury
*''
The Last of the Duanes'' (1930) as Texas Ranger Captain
*''
Once a Sinner Once a Sinner may refer to:
* Once a Sinner (1950 film)
''Once a Sinner'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pat Kirkwood, Jack Watling and Joy Shelton.
Plot
Bank clerk John Ross (Jack Watling) falls for good ...
'' (1931) as Speaker at Party (uncredited)
*''
Fair Warning'' (1931) as Tex Calder
*''
Skippy'' (1931) as Dr. Herbert Skinner
*''
City Streets'' (1931) as Detective (uncredited)
*''
The Lawyer's Secret
''The Lawyer's Secret'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Max Marcin and written by Lloyd Corrigan, James Hilary Finn, and Max Marcin. The film stars Clive Brook, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Richard Arlen, Fay ...
'' (1931) as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)
*''
Murder by the Clock
''Murder by the Clock'' is a 1931 American pre-Code murder mystery film starring William "Stage" Boyd and Lilyan Tashman. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Rufus King and the play ''Dangerously Yours'' by Charles Beahan.
Pl ...
'' (1931) as Police Captain (uncredited)
*''
Silence
Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the c ...
'' (1931) as Phil Powers
*''
Shanghaied Love
''Shanghaied Love'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Richard Cromwell, Sally Blane and Noah Beery. It was produced and released by Columbia Pictures. The film's sets were designed by the art dire ...
'' (1931) as Newman
*''
Graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:
*Graft (politics), a form of political corruption
* Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
Science and technology
*Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure
*Grafting, the joining of plant t ...
'' (1931) as E. T. Scudder
*''
The Ruling Voice
''The Ruling Voice'' is a 1931 American pre-Code gangster drama directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Walter Huston, Loretta Young, and Doris Kenyon. It had an alternate title ''Upper Underworld'', and was produced by First National Pictures a ...
'' (1931) as Ed Bailey
*''
The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in '' Everybody's Magaz ...
'' (1931) as Enos Hankins
*''
Sooky'' (1931) as Mr. Skinner
*''
The Gay Caballero'' (1932) as Major Lawrence Blount
*''
Behind the Mask'' (1932) as Capt. E.J. Hawkes
*''
Steady Company'' (1932) as Pop Henley
*''
The Broken Wing'' (1932) as Sylvester Cross
*''
The Rider of Death Valley
''The Rider of Death Valley'' is a 1932 American Western film directed by Albert S. Rogell and written by Jack Cunningham. The film stars Tom Mix, Lois Wilson, Fred Kohler, Forrest Stanley, Edith Fellows and Willard Robertson. The film was re ...
'' (1932) as Bill Joyce
*''
So Big'' (1932) as The Doctor (scenes deleted)
*''
The Famous Ferguson Case
''The Famous Ferguson Case'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Joan Blondell, Grant Mitchell and Vivienne Osborne.Louis Pizzitola. ''Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies' ...
'' (1932) as Sheriff
*''
The Texas Bad Man
''The Texas Bad Man'' is a 1932 American Western film directed by Edward Laemmle, written by Jack Cunningham and Richard Schayer, and starring Tom Mix, Lucille Powers, Willard Robertson, Fred Kohler, Joseph W. Girard and Tetsu Komai. It was ...
'' (1932) as Milton Keefe
*''
'' (1932) as Capt. White
*''
Doctor X'' (1932) as Detective O'Halloran
*''
Guilty as Hell
''Guilty as Hell'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Erle C. Kenton and written by Arthur Kober and Frank Partos. The film stars Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, Richard Arlen, Adrienne Ames, Henry Stephenson, Ralph Ince and N ...
'' (1932) as Police Sgt. Alcock
*''
Okay, America!
''Okay, America!'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code film, about a gossip columnist's rise to fame, based closely on the real life of Walter Winchell.
Cast
* Lew Ayres as Larry Wayne
* Maureen O'Sullivan as Sheila Barton
* Louis Calhern as Mileawa ...
'' (1932) as Bit Role
*''
Wild Girl'' (1932) as Red Pete
*''
Virtue
Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...
'' (1932) as MacKenzie
*''
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime-drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a wrongfully convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The f ...
'' (1932) as Prison Board Chairman
*''
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
''The Strange Love of Molly Louvain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ann Dvorak and Lee Tracy. The script was based on the play ''Tinsel Girl'' by Maurine Dallas Watkins.
Plot
Molly Louva ...
'' (1932)
*''
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
'' (1932)
*''
If I Had a Million
''If I Had a Million'' is a 1932 American pre-Code Paramount Studios anthology film starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, Charles Laughton, W.C. Fields, Jack Oakie, Frances Dee and Charlie Ruggles, among others. There were seven directors: Ern ...
'' (1932) as Fred - Glidden Associate (uncredited)
*''
Call Her Savage'' (1932) as Pete Springer
*''
Silver Dollar'' (1932) as Al - Yates' Office Manager (uncredited)
*''
Frisco Jenny
''Frisco Jenny'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film starring Ruth Chatterton and Louis Calhern, and directed by William A. Wellman. Its storyline bears a resemblance to Chatterton's previous hit film, ''Madame X''.
Plot
In 1906 San Fran ...
'' (1932) as Capt. of Police
*''Born to Fight'' (1932) as Dad Kinney
*''
Destination Unknown'' (1933) as Joe Shano
*''
Central Airport'' (1933) as Havana Airport Manager
*''
Trick for Trick'' (1933) as Dr. Frank Fitzgerald
*''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'' (1933) as Prison Warden
*''
Heroes for Sale'' (1933) as The Sheriff (scenes deleted)
*''
Another Language'' (1933) as Harry Hallam
*''
Tugboat Annie
''Tugboat Annie'' is a 1933 American pre-Code film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, written by Norman Reilly Raine and Zelda Sears, and starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery as a comically quarrelsome middle-aged couple who operate a tugboat. Dr ...
'' (1933) as Red Severn
*''
Wild Boys of the Road
''Wild Boys of the Road'' is a 1933 pre-Code Depression-era American drama film directed by William Wellman and starring Frankie Darro, Rochelle Hudson, and Grant Mitchell. It tells the story of several teens forced into becoming hobos. The s ...
'' (1933) as Captain of Detectives
*''
The Mad Game
''The Mad Game'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code crime drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Claire Trevor.
Plot
The film concerns an imprisoned bootlegger (Spencer Tracy) recruited from incarceration to help capture his own gang after they kidnap ...
'' (1933) as Warden
*''
Ever in My Heart
''Ever in My Heart'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Otto Kruger, and Ralph Bellamy. It portrays the tragic consequences of the virulent propaganda that spread false stories of atroci ...
'' (1933) as Kennel Caretaker
*''
Female
Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gamet ...
'' (1933) as Department Head (uncredited)
*''
The World Changes
''The World Changes'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as an ambitious farm boy who becomes rich, but does not handle success well. Aline MacMahon and Mary Astor play his mother and wife r ...
'' (1933) as Mr. Peterson
*''
Roman Scandals
''Roman Scandals'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle. The film features a number of intricate production ...
'' (1933) as Warren Finley Cooper
* ''
East of Fifth Avenue
''East of Fifth Avenue'' is a 1933 American drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Wallace Ford, Mary Carlisle and Dorothy Tree.Dick p.237 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The plot revolves around the inhabitant ...
'' (1933) as Dr. Morgan
*''
Lady Killer'' (1933) as Detective Conroy
*''
Two Alone
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
'' (1934) as George Marshall
*''
Dark Hazard
''Dark Hazard'' is 1934 pre-Code film American drama film starring Edward G. Robinson and directed by Alfred E. Green. It is based on novelby W. R. Burnett. It was produced by First National Pictures and released through Warner Bros.
Robinson ...
'' (1934) as Bill 'Billy' Fallen
*''
Heat Lightning
Heat lightning, also known as silent lightning, summer lightning, or dry lightning (not to be confused with dry thunderstorms, which are also often called dry lightning), is a misnomer used for the faint flashes of lightning on the horizon or o ...
'' (1934) as Everett Marshall
*''
Gambling Lady'' (1934) as District Attorney
*''
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...
'' (1934) as Judge Jim Morrison
*''
Upper World'' (1934) as Police Capt. Reynolds
*''
I'll Tell the World'' (1934) as Hardwick
* ''
One Is Guilty'' (1934) as Wells Deveroux
*''
He Was Her Man
''He Was Her Man'' is a 1934 American pre-Code mob film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, and Victor Jory. The film was directed by Lloyd Bacon.
Plot
Flicker Hayes (Cagney) informs the police after he sets up two men to be caught in a pho ...
'' (1934) as Police Captain (uncredited)
*''
Let's Talk It Over
''Let's Talk It Over'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Chester Morris, Mae Clarke and Frank Craven.Dick p.81
Plot summary
A sailor rescues a young heiress who is apparently drowning. Little ...
'' (1934) as Dr. Preston
*''
Wild Gold
Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to:
Common meanings
* Wild animal
* Wilderness, a wild natural environment
* Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed
Art, media and entertainment Film and television
* ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 Am ...
'' (1934) as Dam Boss (uncredited)
*''
Operator 13
''Operator 13'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romance film directed by Richard Boleslawski and starring Marion Davies, Gary Cooper, and Jean Parker.
Based on stories written by Robert W. Chambers, the film is about a Union spy who impersonates a ...
'' (1934) as Capt. Channing
*''
Murder in the Private Car
''Murder in the Private Car'' is a 1934 American pre-Code mystery romance film starring Mary Carlisle, Charles Ruggles and Una Merkel. Directed by Harry Beaumont, the production is based on the play ''The Rear Car'' by Edward E. Rose. David ...
'' (1934) as Elwood Carson aka Hanks
*''
Here Comes the Navy
''Here Comes the Navy'' (also known as ''Hey, Sailor'') is a 1934 American romantic comedy film written by Earl Baldwin and Ben Markson and directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film stars James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Gloria Stuart and Frank McHugh. Stuar ...
'' (1934) as Executive Officer
*''
Housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying an ...
'' (1934) as Judge
*''
Have a Heart'' (1934) as Mr. Schauber
*''
Death on the Diamond
''Death on the Diamond'' is a 1934 comedy-mystery film starring Robert Young. It was based on the novel ''Death on the Diamond: A Baseball Mystery Story'' by Cortland Fitzsimmons, directed by Edward Sedgwick and produced and released by Metro-G ...
'' (1934) as Cato
*''
Elinor Norton'' (1934) as Ranch Foreman (uncredited)
*''Mills of the Gods'' (1934) as Thomas
*''
The Secret Bride
''The Secret Bride'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Warren William. Based on the play ''Concealment'' by Leonard Ide, the film is about governor's daughter and a state attorney genera ...
'' (1934) as Representative Grosvenor
* ''
Million Dollar Baby'' (1934) as Doctor
*''
Biography of a Bachelor Girl
''Biography of a Bachelor Girl'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Edward H. Griffith and written by Horace Jackson and Anita Loos. It is based upon the play, "Biography," by S. N. Behrman. The film stars Ann Harding, Robert Montgomery ...
'' (1935) as Grigsby, the Process Server
*''
Transient Lady
''Transient Lady'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Edward Buzzell, written by Edward Buzzell, Arthur Caesar and Harvey F. Thew, and starring Gene Raymond, Henry Hull, Frances Drake, June Clayworth, Clark Williams and Edward Ellis. I ...
'' (1935) as Ed Goring
*''
Laddie'' (1935) as Mr. John Stanton
*''
Straight from the Heart'' (1935) as District Attorney
*''
Black Fury'' (1935) as Mr. J.J. Welsh
*''
Oil for the Lamps of China'' (1935) as Speaker
*''
Dante's Inferno
''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by ''Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, gui ...
'' (1935) as Inspector Harris
*''
The Virginia Judge'' (1935) as Plato Jones
*''
O'Shaughnessy's Boy
''O'Shaughnessy's Boy'' is a 1935 film starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper and directed by Richard Boleslawski. The picture was partly set in a circus. The cinematographer was James Wong Howe.
Plot summary
The plot involves a one-armed l ...
'' (1935) as Dan Hastings
*''
His Night Out'' (1935) as J.J. Trent
*''
The Old Homestead'' (1935) as Uncle Jed
*''
Forced Landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on ' ...
'' (1935) as Martin Byrd
*''
Dangerous Waters Dangerous Waters may refer to:
* Dangerous Waters (video game)
* Dangerous Waters (1936 film), American film
* Dangerous Waters (1995 film)
''Dangerous Waters'' ( no, Farlig farvann) is a 1995 Norwegian action film directed by Lars Berg.
Refe ...
'' (1936) as Bill MacKeechie
*''
Three Godfathers'' (1936) as Rev. McLane
*''
The First Baby
''The First Baby'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Lamar Trotti. The film stars Johnny Downs, Shirley Deane, Jane Darwell, Dixie Dunbar, Marjorie Gateson and Gene Lockhart. The film was released on April 2, ...
'' (1936) as Dr. Clarke
*''
I Married a Doctor
''I Married a Doctor'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Archie Mayo and written by Casey Robinson. It is an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s novel Main Street. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Josephine Hutchinson, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibb ...
'' (1936) as Guy Pollock
*''
The Last of the Mohicans
''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826.
It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder ...
'' (1936) as Captain Winthrop
*''
The Gorgeous Hussy
''The Gorgeous Hussy'' is a 1936 American period film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Joan Crawford and Robert Taylor. The screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery and Ainsworth Morgan, which was based on a 1934 novel by Samuel ...
'' (1936) as Secretary Ingham
*''
The Man Who Lived Twice
''The Man Who Lived Twice'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Ralph Bellamy, Marian Marsh and Thurston Hall
Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and tel ...
'' (1936) as Police Insp. Logan
*''
Wanted! Jane Turner
''Wanted! Jane Turner'' is a 1936 American crime drama film directed by Edward Killy from a screenplay by Edmund L. Hartmann and John Twist, based on Twist's story. Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, it was premiered in New York City on November 2 ...
'' (1936) as Walter Davies
*''
Winterset'' (1936) as Policeman in the Square
*''
That Girl from Paris
''That Girl from Paris'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Lily Pons, Jack Oakie, and Gene Raymond. The film made a profit of $101,000. John O. Aalberg was nominated for an Academy Award in the category ...
'' (1936) as Immigration Officer (uncredited)
*''
Larceny on the Air'' (1937) as Inspector 'Mac' McDonald
*''
John Meade's Woman
''John Meade's Woman'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Richard Wallace and written by John Bright, Vincent Lawrence, Herman J. Mankiewicz and Robert Tasker. The film stars Edward Arnold, Francine Larrimore, Gail Patrick, George Banc ...
'' (1937) as The Governor
*''
Park Avenue Logger'' (1937) as Ben Morton
*''
The Go Getter'' (1937) as Matt Peasely
*''
This Is My Affair
''This Is My Affair'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Victor McLaglen and Brian Donlevy. It was released by 20th Century Fox.
Plot
In 1901, US President William McKinl ...
'' (1937) as George Andrews
*''
Roaring Timber'' (1937) as Harrigan
*''
Exclusive'' (1937) as Mr. Franklin
*''
Hot Water
Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated t ...
'' (1937) as Dr. Enfield
*''
The Last Gangster
''The Last Gangster'' (also called ''Another Public Enemy'') is a 1937 American crime drama film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Edward G. Robinson and James Stewart. The supporting cast features Rose Stradner, Lionel Stander and John C ...
'' (1937) as Mr. Broderick (uncredited)
*''
Island in the Sky'' (1938) as Walter Rhodes
*''
Gangs of New York
''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...
'' (1938) as Inspector Sullivan
*''
You and Me'' (1938) as Dayton
*''
Men with Wings'' (1938) as Col. Hadley
*''
Torchy Gets Her Man'' (1938) as Charles Gilbert
*''
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
'' (1938) as Bob Slocum
*''
Jesse James'' (1939) as Clarke
*''
My Son Is a Criminal
''My Son Is a Criminal'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Charles C. Coleman (as C.C. Coleman Jr.) and starring Alan Baxter, Julie Bishop, Gordon Oliver and Willard Robertson.
Plot
Former police chief Tim Halloran Sr. (Willard Roberts ...
'' (1939) as Tom Halloran Sr.
*''
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
'' (1939) as Oakes Ames
*''
Heritage of the Desert'' (1939) as 'Nebraska'
*''
Each Dawn I Die'' (1939) as Lang
*''
Range War
A range war or range conflict is a type of usually violent conflict, most commonly in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the American West. The subject of these conflicts was control of "open range", or range land freely used for cattle grazing, ...
'' (1939) as Buck Collins
*''
Two Bright Boys
''Two Bright Boys'' is a 1939 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Joseph Santley, written by Val Burton and Edmund Hartmann, and starring Jackie Cooper, Freddie Bartholomew, Alan Dinehart, Melville Cooper, Dorothy Peterson ...
'' (1939) as Clayton
*''
Main Street Lawyer
''Main Street Lawyer'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Dudley Murphy and written by Joseph Krumgold and Devery Freeman. The film stars Edward Ellis (actor), Edward Ellis, Anita Louise, Robert Baldwin, Harold Huber, Clem Bevans and Marga ...
'' (1939) as John Ralston
*''
The Cat and the Canary'' (1939)
*''
Remember the Night
''Remember the Night'' is a 1940 American Christmas romantic comedy trial film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and directed by Mitchell Leisen. The film was written by Preston Sturges and was the last of his scripts shot by another d ...
'' (1940) as Francis X. O'Leary
*''
My Little Chickadee
''My Little Chickadee'' is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, featuring Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, William B. Davidson, and Addison Ri ...
'' (1940) as Uncle John
*''
Castle on the Hudson
''Castle on the Hudson'' (UK title: ''Years Without Days'') is a 1940 American film noir drama directed by Anatole Litvak and starring John Garfield, Ann Sheridan, and Pat O'Brien. A thief is sent to Sing Sing Prison, where he is befriended by t ...
'' (1940) as Ragan
*''
Lucky Cisco Kid
''Lucky Cisco Kid'' is a 1940 Western film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and starring Cesar Romero, Mary Beth Hughes, and Dana Andrews, the latter in his film debut.
Plot summary
A gang of outlaws, led by Judge McQuade ( William Robertson ...
'' (1940) as Judge McQuade
*''
Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...
'' (1940) as Heber Kimball
*''
Northwest Mounted Police
The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...
'' (1940) as Supt. Harrington
*''
The Monster and the Girl
''The Monster and the Girl'' is a 1941 American black-and-white horror film directed by Stuart Heisler and released by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
The film revolves around a small-town church organist named Scot Webster ( Philip Terry) attempti ...
'' (1941) as Lieutenant Strickland
*''
I Wanted Wings
''I Wanted Wings'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a book by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr. The film stars Ray Milland and William Holden. The supporting cast includes Wayne Morris, Brian Donlevy, Constance Mo ...
'' (1941) as Judge Advocate
*''
Men of the Timberland
''Men of the Timberland'' is a 1941 American film starring Richard Arlen and Andy Devine. It was part of their Aces of Action series at Universal.
Paul Jarrico worked on the script. He later said the film "dealt with the fight Richard Arlen, And ...
'' (1941) as Tim MacGregor
*''
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
'' (1941) as Rancher Wilson
*''
The Night of January 16th
''Night of January 16th'' (sometimes advertised as ''The Night of January 16th'') is a theatrical play by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, inspired by the death of the "Match King", Ivar Kreuger. Set in a courtroom during a murder trial, an ...
'' (1941) as Inspector Donegan
*''
Sullivan's Travels
''Sullivan's Travels'' is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. A satire on the film industry, it follows a famous Hollywood comedy director (Joel McCrea) who, longing to make a socially relevant drama, sets out to ...
'' (1941) as Judge (uncredited)
*''
Juke Girl
''Juke Girl'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt, written by A. I. Bezzerides, and starring Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Richard Whorf, George Tobias, Gene Lockhart, Alan Hale Sr., Howard ...
'' (1942) as Mister Just
*''
Wake Island
Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...
'' (1942) as Col. Cameron (uncredited)
*''
No Time for Love'' (1943) as Construction Company President (uncredited)
*''
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
'' (1943) as Colonel at Hickam Field
*''
The Ox-Bow Incident
''The Ox-Bow Incident'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by William A. Wellman, starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews and Mary Beth Hughes, with Anthony Quinn, William Eythe, Harry Morgan and Jane Darwell. Two cowboys arrive in a Western ...
'' (1943) as Sheriff Risley
*''
Background to Danger
''Background to Danger'' is a 1943 World War II spy film starring George Raft and featuring Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre.
Based on the 1937 novel '' Uncommon Danger'' by Eric Ambler and set in politically neutral Turke ...
'' (1943) as 'Mac' McNamara
*''
Nine Girls
''Nine Girls'' is a 1944 American mystery film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Ann Harding, Evelyn Keyes and Jinx Falkenburg.Blottner p.167 Karen DeWolf, Connie Lee, and Al Martin wrote the script, which was based on a play by Wilfred H. Peti ...
'' (1944) as Capt. Brooks
*''
Along Came Jones'' (1945) as Luke Packard
*''
To Each His Own'' (1946) as Dr. Hunt
*''
Perilous Holiday
''Perilous Holiday'' is a 1946 American film noir crime film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Pat O'Brien and Ruth Warrick.Stephens p.276 The screenplay concerns a woman newspaper reporter who is on the trail of a smuggling ring ope ...
'' (1946) as Graeme
*''
The Virginian'' (1946) as Judge Henry (uncredited)
*''
Renegades'' (1946) as Nathan Brockway
*''
Gallant Journey
''Gallant Journey'' (aka ''The Great Highway'') is a 1946 American historical film written, produced and directed by William A. Wellman and starring Glenn Ford and Janet Blair. The film is a biopic of the early U.S. aviation pioneer John Joseph M ...
'' (1946) as Zachary Montgomery
*''
My Favorite Brunette
''My Favorite Brunette'' is a 1947 American romantic comedy film and film noir parody, directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose, the film is about a baby photographer on death r ...
'' (1947) as Prison Warden
*''
Deep Valley'' (1947) as Sheriff Akers
*''
Sitting Pretty'' (1948) as Mr. Ashcroft
*''
Fury at Furnace Creek'' (1948) as Gen. Leads
References
External links
*
*
Willard Robertsonat
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Willard
1886 births
1948 deaths
American male film actors
Male actors from Texas
20th-century American male actors
People from Runnels County, Texas
Male Western (genre) film actors