Robert Sterling (born William Sterling Hart; November 13, 1917 – May 30, 2006) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actor. He was best known for starring in the television series '' Topper'' (1953–1955). In 1960, Sterling was honored with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

for his contributions to the television industry.

Early life

Sterling was born William Sterling Hart in New Castle, Pennsylvania, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. The son of

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

baseball player William S. Hart, he attended the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and worked as a clothing salesman before pursuing an acting career.

Career

Columbia Pictures

After signing with Columbia Pictures in 1939, he changed his name to Robert Sterling to avoid confusion with silent western star William S. Hart. His name was legally changed while he was a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

attending flight training in Marfa in West Texas in 1943. Sterling appeared in small parts for Columbia movies, often uncredited: '' Blondie Meets the Boss'' (1939), '' Romance of the Redwoods'' (1939), '' First Offenders'' (1939), '' Outside These Walls'' (1939), '' The Chump Takes a Bump'' (1939), '' That Girl from College'' (1939), and a serial ''

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk before he created '' The Phantom''. Ron Goulart, ''The Encyclopedia of American Comics''. New York: Facts on File, 1990. . pp. 91, 249–250. ''Mandrake'' be ...

'' (1939). He was in ''

Only Angels Have Wings ''Only Angels Have Wings'' is a 1939 American adventure drama film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur, and is based on a story written by Hawks. Its plot follows the manager of an air freight company in a remote South ...

'' (1939), '' Missing Daughters'' (1939), and a short with

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

, '' Pest from the West'' (1939). Sterling was in '' Good Girls Go to Paris'' (1939), '' The Man They Could Not Hang'' (1939), '' Golden Boy'' (1939), ''

The Gates of Alcatraz ''Those High Grey Walls'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Walter Connolly and Onslow Stevens. It is also known as ''The Gates of Alcatraz''. Plot Dr. MacAuley, a kindly beloved country doctor, is sent to Fi ...

'' (1939), '' A Woman Is the Judge'' (1939), '' The Story of Charles Goodyear'' (1939), '' Scandal Sheet'' (1939), '' Mr Smith Goes to Washington'' (1939), '' Beware Spooks!'' (1939), ''

Blondie Brings Up Baby ''Blondie Brings Up Baby'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms. It is the fourth of 28 films based on the comic strip. Plot summary Blondie is convinced by a sale ...

'' (1939), '' The Amazing Mr Williams'' (1939), '' Glove Slingers'' (1939), '' The Awful Goof'' (1939) (a short), and '' Crime's End'' (1939). He was in ''

Nothing But Pleasure ''Nothing But Pleasure'' is the third short subject American comedian Buster Keaton made for Columbia Pictures. Keaton made a total of ten films for the studio between 1939 and 1941. Plot summary Clarence Plunkett (Buster) and his wife (Dorothy ...

'' (1940) a

short, and '' The Heckler'' (1940) a short with Charley Chase,

20th Century Fox

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

he played the lead in ''

Manhattan Heartbeat ''Manhattan Heartbeat'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by David Burton and written by Clark Andrews, Harold Buchman, Jack Jungmeyer and Edith Skouras. It is based on the 1928 novel ''Bad Girl'' by Viña Delmar. The film stars Robert Ste ...

'' (1940) and ''

Yesterday's Heroes ''Yesterday's Heroes'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and written by Irving Cummings Jr. and William Conselman Jr.. The film stars Jean Rogers, Robert Sterling, Ted North, Kay Aldridge, Russell Gleason and Richard " ...

'' (1940). He was in '' The Gay Caballero'' (1940)

MGM

In November 1940, Sterling went to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. He appeared in '' The Penalty'' (1941) and had the lead in '' I'll Wait for You'' (1941), '' The Getaway'' (1941), and '' Ringside Maisie'' (1941) with Ann Sothern, whom he would later marry. He had a good support role in ''

Two-Faced Woman ''Two-Faced Woman'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo in her final film role, Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, and Roland Young. The movie was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Garbo ...

'' (1941) with

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

and '' Johnny Eager'' (1941) with Robert Taylor. Sterling could also be see in '' Dr. Kildare's Victory'' (1942) and '' This Time for Keeps'' (1942). He was billed third in '' Somewhere I'll Find You'' (1942), after

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

and Lana Turner - one of MGM's biggest films of the year. But just as it seemed Sterling was about to break through as a star he joined the service.

Post war

Sterling served in World War II as a

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

flight instructor. He got out of the army in October 1945 and MGM announced him for '' The Last Time I Saw Paris'' but the film would not be made for several years, and not with Sterling. He appeared in '' The Secret Heart'' (1946) at MGM. At RKO he had the lead in '' Roughshod'' (1949). He made an independent Western, '' The Sundowners'' (1950) with Robert Preston and John Drew Barrymore, and did '' Bunco Squad'' (1951) at RKO. He was appearing on Broadway in '' The Grammercy Ghost'' when he formed a relationship with actress/singer Anne Jeffreys. On television, Sterling starred in "The Man Who Had Influence", the May 29, 1950, episode of '' Studio One''. He also appeared on such shows as '' The Ford Theatre Hour'', '' Showtime, U.S.A.'', '' The Clock'', ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through we ...

'' (starring in the episode "Homecoming"), ''

Faith Baldwin Romance Theatre ''Faith Baldwin Romance Theatre'' (also known as ''Faith Baldwin's Theatre of Romance'') is a 1951 half-hour dramatic American television anthology series hosted by writer Faith Baldwin. Initially, the show was on weekly but starting with episode 1 ...

'', '' Celanese Theatre'', '' Lights Out'' (one episode with

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

), '' Betty Crocker Star Matinee'' (an episode with

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...

), ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being Decision-making, undecided, or being Doubt, doubtful. In a Drama, dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the wikt:outcome, outcome of a plot (narrative), plot or of the solution t ...

'', ''

The Gulf Playhouse ''Gulf Playhouse'', also known as ''Gulf Playhouse: 1st Person'' and ''First Person Playhouse'', is an American anthology series that aired on Friday nights from 1952 to 1953 on NBC. Originally a standard live dramatic anthology series, it was la ...

'', '' Robert Montgomery Presents'', '' Studio One in Hollywood'' (an adaptation of '' The Ambassadors''), and '' Climax!''. Sterling had an excellent part as Steve Baker, opposite Ava Gardner as Julie, in the hit MGM 1951 film version of '' Show Boat''. He supported Audie Murphy in ''

Column South ''Column South'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Frederick de Cordova and starring Audie Murphy and Joan Evans.''C ...

'' (1953). He and his second wife, actress Anne Jeffreys, also developed a night club act.

''Topper''

Sterling is perhaps most well known for starring with Jeffreys as the spirited George Kerby, to Jeffreys' Marion Kerby in the television program '' Topper'', based on the 1937 original film '' Topper''; Sterling played

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

's role in the TV series, which aired on the CBS network from 1953 to 1955. Leo G. Carroll starred in the title role. Wife Marion Kerby was referred to as "the ghostess with the mostest", while Sterling's character was known as "that most sporty spirit". In 1955 he and Jeffreys appeared in a TV production of ''

Dearest Enemy ''Dearest Enemy'' is a musical with a book by Herbert Fields, lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and music by Richard Rodgers. This was the first of eight book musicals written by the songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart and writer Herbert Fields, and the ...

'', adapted by Neil Simon. He continued to guest star on shows like '' The Loretta Young Show'', ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vid ...

'', '' Star Stage'', '' The 20th Century-Fox Hour'', '' The Ford Television Theatre'', '' Cavalcade of America'', and '' Telephone Time''. On December 18, 1957, Sterling and Jeffreys played a couple with an unusual courtship arrangement in "The Julie Gage Story" on the first season of NBC's ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

''.

''Love That Jill''

In 1958, the couple co-starred in another comedy series, ''

Love That Jill ''Love That Jill'' is an American situation comedy that aired on ABC during the 1957–1958 television season. The series stars Anne Jeffreys and Robert Sterling as the heads of rival modeling agencies in Manhattan. Synopsis Jill Johnson and J ...

'' on ABC. Sterling and Jeffreys portrayed heads of rival modeling agencies in New York City. Sterling appeared on ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...

'', then returned to features at Fox. He had good roles in '' Return to Peyton Place'' (1961), as Mike Rossi, husband of Eleanor Parker, and '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961) for Irwin Allen.

''Ichabod and Me''

In the 1961–1962 television season, Sterling co-starred with

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

and Reta Shaw in CBS's '' Ichabod and Me'', a sitcom set in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. He portrayed 44-year-old Bob Major, a

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

reporter from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, who purchased and ran the paper in a small town called Phippsboro. In 1963, Sterling starred in ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' episode "

Printer's Devil A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type. Notable writers including Ambrose Bierce, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain served ...

" alongside Burgess Meredith. He was also in '' The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' and '' Naked City'', plus ''

A Global Affair ''A Global Affair'' is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Bob Hope, Michèle Mercier, Yvonne De Carlo, and Elga Andersen. Plot A baby is abandoned at the United Nations headquarters in New York by a mother who h ...

'' (1964) with Bob Hope.

Later career

After some additional television work in the early 1960s, Sterling made only sporadic appearances in later shows such as the hospital drama ''

The Bold Ones ''The Bold Ones'' is the umbrella title for several television series. It was produced by Universal Television and broadcast on NBC from 1969 to 1973. It was a wheel format series, an NBC programming approach also used by that network in serie ...

'', the sitcoms '' Nanny and the Professor'', ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'', '' Diana'' and '' The Brian Keith Show'', the TV movie '' Letters from Three Lovers'' (1973), and the miniseries ''

Beggarman, Thief ''Beggarman, Thief'' is a 1977 novel written by Irwin Shaw. It was a sequel to his 1970 bestseller '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' and focuses on the surviving Jordache siblings, Gretchen and Rudolph; their deceased brother Thomas' teenage son Wesley Jor ...

'' in 1979. In the 1970s Sterling was a vice president and the spokesman for a company that implemented the software for one of the first supermarket barcoding and computer inventory systems. He later launched Sterling & Sons, a Santa Monica company that manufactured custom golf clubs. In the 1980s he guest starred on shows like ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tatto ...

'', '' Simon & Simon'', ''

Masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

''. Sterling's star on the

is located at 1709 Vine Street.

Personal life

Sterling was married twice. His first marriage, in 1943, was to noted actress-singer Ann Sothern. They had a daughter,

Patricia Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United Stat ...

, who became an actress. Sothern and Sterling divorced in 1949. Sterling met actress-singer Anne Jeffreys soon after his Broadway debut, and they wed in 1951 and remained married for 55 years until his death. They had three sons. Sterling was a Republican who campaigned for

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War I ...

in the 1952 presidential election. Sterling died Tuesday, May 30, 2006, aged 88, at his home in Brentwood,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. According to the Associated Press, his son, Jeffrey, indicated that Sterling died of natural causes and also suffered from debilitating

shingles Shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or fac ...

for the last decade of his life. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

and his ashes were returned to his family in residence.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sterling, Robert 1917 births 2006 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male comedy actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Pennsylvania Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players People from New Castle, Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh alumni Pennsylvania Republicans California Republicans