Cliff Robertson, glider pilot

Cliff Robertson, friend and promoter of soaring.

Sep 10, 2011

Cliff Robertson, the handsome movie actor who played John F. Kennedy
in "PT-109," won an Oscar for "Charly" and was famously victimized in
a 1977 Hollywood forgery scandal, died Saturday. He was 88.

His secretary of 53 years, Evelyn Christel, said he died in Stony
Brook of natural causes a day after his 88th birthday.

Robertson never elevated into the top ranks of leading men, but he
remained a popular actor from the mid-1950s into the following
century. His later roles included kindly Uncle Ben in the "Spider-Man"
movies.

He also gained attention for his second marriage to actress and
heiress Dina Merrill, daughter of financier E.F. Hutton and Marjorie
Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post cereal fortune and one of the
world's richest women.

His triumph came in 1968 with his Academy Award performance in
"Charly," as a mentally disabled man who undergoes medical treatment
that makes him a genius -- until a poignant regression to his former
state.

"My father was a loving father, devoted friend, dedicated professional
and honorable man," daughter Stephanie Saunders said in a statement.
"He stood by his family, friends, and colleagues through good times
and bad. He made a difference in all our lives and made our world a
better place. We will all miss him terribly."

Robertson had created a string of impressive performances in
television and on Broadway, but always saw his role played in films by
bigger names. His TV performances in "Days of Wine and Roses" and "The
Hustler," for example, were filmed with Jack Lemmon and Paul Newman,
respectively. Robertson's role in Tennessee Williams' play "Orpheus
Descending" was awarded to Marlon Brando in the movie.

Robertson first appeared in the "Charly" story in a TV version, "The
Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon." Both were based on "Flowers for
Algernon," a short story that author Daniel Keyes later revised into a
novel. Robertson was determined that this time the big-screen role
would not go to another actor.

"I bought the movie rights to the show, and I tried for eight years to
persuade a studio to make it," he said in 1968. "Finally I found a new
company, ABC Films. I owned 50 percent of the gross, but I gave half
of it to Ralph Nelson to direct."

Critic Roger Ebert called Robertson's portrayal "a sensitive,
believable one." The motion picture academy agreed, though Robertson
was unable to get a break from an overseas movie shoot and was not on
hand when his Oscar was announced.

Another memorable movie role, portraying future President Kennedy in
the World War II drama "PT-109," presented other challenges.

Released in 1963, it was the first movie to be made about a sitting
president, and dozens of actors were considered. Kennedy himself
favored Robertson, but he warned him he didn't want someone trying to
imitate his distinctive New England accent.

"That was fine with me," the actor commented in 1963. "I think it
would have been a mistake for me to say `Hahvahd' or try to reproduce
gestures. Then the audience would have been constantly aware that an
actor was impersonating the president."

He added that the film obviously couldn't be done with heroics, "like
Errol Flynn gunning down 30 of the enemy. This young naval officer
just does things because they have to be done."

After seeing photos of Robertson in costume, Kennedy had one critique:
His hair was parted on the wrong side.

The actor dutifully trained his hair to part on the left.

"PT-109" was plagued with problems from the start: script changes,
switch of directors, bad weather, snakes and mosquitoes in the Florida
Keys where it was filmed.

The troubles were evident on the screen, and critics roundly rapped
the film, although Robertson's work won praise.

In 1977 Robertson made the headlines again, this time by blowing the
whistle on a Hollywood financial scandal.

He had discovered that David Begelman, president of Columbia Pictures,
had forged his signature on a $10,000 salary check, and he called the
FBI and the Burbank and Beverly Hills police departments. Hollywood
insiders were not happy with the ugly publicity.

"I got phone calls from powerful people who said, `You've been very
fortunate in this business; I'm sure you wouldn't want all this to
come to an end,"' Robertson recalled in 1984.

Begelman served time for embezzlement, but he returned to the film
business. He committed suicide in 1995.

Robertson said neither the studios nor the networks would hire him for
four years.

He supported himself as a spokesman for AT&T until the drought ended
in 1981 when he was hired by MGM for "Brainstorm," Natalie Wood's
final film.

Born Sept. 9, 1925, in La Jolla, Calif., Robertson was 2 when he was
adopted by wealthy parents who named him Clifford Parker Robertson
III. After his parents divorced and his mother died, he was reared by
his maternal grandmother, whom he adored.

Robertson studied briefly at Antioch College, majoring in journalism,
then returned to California and appeared in two small roles in
Hollywood movies. Rejected by the services in World War II because of
a weak eye, he served in the Merchant Marine.

He set his sights on New York theater, and like dozens of other future
stars, profited from the advent of live television drama. His Broadway
roles also attracted notice, and after avoiding Hollywood offers for
several years, he accepted a contract at Columbia Pictures.

"I think I held the record for the number of times I was on
suspension," he remarked in 1969. "I remember once I turned down a B
picture, telling the boss, Harry Cohn, I would rather take a
suspension. He shouted at me, `Kid, ya got more guts than brains.' I
think old Harry might have been right."

Robertson's first performance for Columbia, "Picnic," was impressive,
even though his screen pal, William Holden, stole the girl, Kim Novak.
He followed with a tearjerker, "Autumn Leaves," as Joan Crawford's
young husband, then a musical, "The Girl Most Likely" with Jane
Powell. In 1959 he endeared himself to "Gidget" fans as The Big
Kahuna, the mature Malibu surf bum who takes Gidget under his wing.

He remained a busy, versatile leading man through the `60s and `70s,
but lacked the intensity of Brando, James Dean and others who brought
a new style of acting to the screen.

"I'm not one of the Golden Six," he commented in 1967, referring to
the top male stars of that day. "I take what's left over."

"They all know me as a great utility player. `Good old Cliff,' they
say. Someday I'd like to be in there as the starting pitcher."

The chance came with "Charly," but after the usual Oscar flurry, he
resumed his utility position.

Robertson had the most success in war movies. His strong presence made
him ideal for such films as "The Naked and the Dead," "Battle of Coral
Sea," "633 Squadron," "Up From the Beach," "The Devil's Brigade," "Too
Late the Hero" and "Midway."

He had a passion for flying, and he poured his movie earnings into
buying and restoring World War I and II planes. He even entered
balloon races, including one in 1964 from the mainland to Catalina
Island that ended with him being rescued from the Pacific Ocean.

In 1957, Robertson married Lemmon's ex-wife, Cynthia Stone, and they
had a daughter, Stephanie, before splitting in 1960. In 1966, he
married Merrill and they had a daughter, Heather. The couple divorced
in 1989.

Robertson's funeral is set for Friday in East Hampton.

For several years Cliff was a regular at the Air Sailing Cross Country
Camp. And he was just a regular guy there.

As an actor, he was one of my favorites

MG