Rest in Peace, Mr. Robertson

Sad news from the Los Angeles Times:

Cliff Robertson, who starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a mentally disabled bakery janitor in the movie “Charly,” died Saturday, one day after his 88th birthday.

Robertson, who also played a real-life role as the whistle-blower in the check-forging scandal of then-Columbia Pictures President David Begelman that rocked Hollywood in the late 1970s, died at Stony Brook University Medical Center on New York’s Long Island, according to Evelyn Christel, his longtime personal secretary. A family statement said he died of natural causes.

In a more than 50-year career in films, Robertson appeared in some 60 movies, including “PT 109,” “My Six Loves,” “Sunday in New York,” “The Best Man,” “The Devil’s Brigade,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Obsession” and “Star 80.”

Among his lesser roles were guest-star appearances on such TV series as The Untouchables, Riverboat, and Batman. I also remember him fondly from the 1973 TV movie The Man Without a Country and the 1977 mini-series Washington: Behind Closed Doors. Click here for a more thorough catalogue of Robertson’s work.