NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Robert Stack

Robert Langford Modini Stack (January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American stage and movie actor. He was perhaps best known for his film acting as well as his role in the television series The Untouchables and as host of Unsolved Mysteries. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_California. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_California. ... Beverly Hills redirects here. ... Rosemarie Bowe (born September 17, 1932) is an American film and television actress from Butte, Montana, USA. Her father was a building contractor and her mother was a dress designer. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... This article is about motion pictures. ... The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. ... This article contains a trivia section. ...

Biography

Early life

Stack was born in Los Angeles, California but spent his early childhood growing up in Europe. He became fluent in French and Italian at an early age, but he did not learn English until returning to Los Angeles. Raised by his mother, Mary Elizabeth Wood, Stack's parents divorced when Stack was one and his father, James Langford Stack, a wealthy advertising agency owner, died when Stack was nine. Stack always spoke of his mother with the greatest respect and love. When he wrote his autobiography Straight Shooting, he included a picture of him and his mother. He captioned it "Me and my best girl." Stack's grandfather was an opera singer from Illinois named Charles Wood, who went by the name Modini. Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

By the time he reached 20 Stack achieved minor fame as a sportsman. Robert Stack was an avid polo player. He and his brother won the International Outboard Motor Championships in Venice, and at the age of 16 he became a member of the All American Skeet Rifle Team. He set two world records in skeet shooting and became National Champion. In 1971 he was inducted into the National Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame. Venice (Venetian: Venezsia, Italian: Venezia, Latin: Venetia) is the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Skeet shooting is one of the two major types of competitive shotgun shooting at clay targets (the other is Trap shooting). ...

Career

Stack took drama courses at the University of Southern California. His deep voice and good looks attracted producers in Hollywood. When Stack visited the set of Universal Studios at age 20, producer Joe Pasternak offered him an opportunity to enter the business. Recalled Stack, "He said 'How'd you like to be in pictures? We'll make a test with Helen Parrish, a little love scene.' Helen Parrish was a beautiful girl. 'Gee, that sounds keen,' I told him. I got the part." Stack's first film, which teamed him with Deanna Durbin was First Love in 1939. He was the first actor to give Durbin an on screen kiss. As hard to believe today, this film was considered controversial at the time. Stack won acclaim for his next role, the 1940 film The Mortal Storm. He played a young man who joins the Nazi party. This film was one of the first to speak out against Hitler. As a youth, Stack admitted that he had a crush on Carole Lombard and in 1942 he appeared with her in To Be or Not To Be. He admitted he was terrified going into this role. He credits Lombard with giving him many tips on acting and with being his mentor. Lombard was killed in a plane crash shortly before the film was released. The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan located in the center of University of Southern California campus. ... ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... Joseph Pasternak (September 19, 1901 â€“ September 13, 1991) was a Hungarian-born American film director in Hollywood. ... Helen Parrish (March 23, 1924 in Columbus, Georgia â€“ Hollywood, California) was a movie actress. ... Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin on December 4, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to English immigrant parents) was a popular young singer and actress in Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s. ... The Mortal Storm was a 1940 film that was one of the most direct anti-Nazi Hollywood films released before the American entry into the Second World War. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 â€“ January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. ...

During World War II, Stack served as gunnery instructor in the United States Navy. He continued his movie career and appeared in such films as Fighter Squadron (1948), A Date with Judy (1948) and Bwana Devil (1952). In 1954, Stack was given his most important movie role. He appeared opposite John Wayne in The High and the Mighty. Stack played the pilot of an airliner who comes apart under stress after the airliner encounters engine trouble. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... USN redirects here. ... Fighter Squadron is a 1948 film, directed by Raoul Walsh. ... A Date with Judy was a American radio program during the 1940s. ... Bwana Devil is a 1952 drama written, directed, and produced by Arch Oboler. ... The High and the Mighty is a 1954 disaster film released through Warner Brothers. ...

In 1957, Stack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Written on the Wind. He starred in more than 40 films. Known for his steadfast, humorless demeanor, he made fun of his own persona in comedies such as 1941 (1979), Airplane! (1980), Caddyshack II (1988), and BASEketball (1998). He also provided the voice for the character Ultra Magnus in Transformers: The Movie (1986). Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Written on the Wind is a 1956 film with Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed. ... Airplane! is an American comedy film, first released on 27 June 1980, produced, directed, and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... BASEketball is a 1998 David Zucker comedy feature film starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy. ... Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters characters from the various Transformers universes. ... Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 feature film version of the popular television series Transformers based on the line of toys by Hasbro. ...

Stack depicted the crimefighting Eliot Ness in the television drama The Untouchables from 1959 to 1963. The show portrayed the ongoing battle between gangsters and federal agents in a Prohibition-era Chicago. His role on the show brought Stack a best actor Emmy Award in 1960. The Untouchables was a "realistic" cop show, in the tradition of Dragnet. Stack also starred in three other series, rotating the lead with Tony Franciosa and Gene Barry in the lavish The Name of the Game (1968-1971), Most Wanted, (1976) and Strike Force (1981). Interstingly, in The Name of the Game, he played a former federal agent turned true-crime journalist, evoking memories of his role as Ness. In both Most Wanted and Strike Force he played a tough, incorruptible police captain commanding an elite squad of special investigators, also evoking the Ness role. Eventually, he would reprise the role in a 1992 TV movie, The Return of Eliot Ness. Publicity Photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Publicity Photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Eliot Ness Eliot P. Ness (April 19, 1903 â€“ May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois as the leader of a legendary team nicknamed The Untouchables. ... The Untouchables is the name of a television series that ran from 1959 to 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Prohibition, also known as A Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area - City 234. ... An Emmy Award. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dragnet was a long-running radio and television police procedural drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. ... Anthony Papaleo (born October 25, 1928), better known as Anthony Franciosa, is an American actor. ... Gene Barry (born June 14, 1919) is an American actor. ... The Name of the Game was a television series that ran for seventy-six episodes of 90 minutes each on NBC, filmed from 1968 to 1971. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ...

He began hosting Unsolved Mysteries in 1988, where his serious, ominous voice and stoic facial expressions lent an authentic gravitas to the program's dark subject matter. Reportedly, he had an enormous interest in the unexplained—psychic phenomena, ghosts and the like—because he himself had had an unusual experience of this nature. However, he also said that he valued the storytellers above the stories themselves and did not necessarily believe every case of this nature that he presented. He thought very highly of the interactive nature of the show, saying that it created a "symbiotic" between viewer and program, and that the hotline was a great crime-solving tool. Image File history File links Robert_Stack-UM.jpg Summary Robert Stack Host of Unsolved Mysteries, photo Licensing This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work or product in the media, such as advertising material or a promotional photo in a... Image File history File links Robert_Stack-UM.jpg Summary Robert Stack Host of Unsolved Mysteries, photo Licensing This is a copyrighted image that has been released by a company or organization to promote their work or product in the media, such as advertising material or a promotional photo in a... This article contains a trivia section. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Psychic (sÄ«kÄk); from the Greek psychikos - of the soul, mental - and referring in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. ... This article is about the paranormal. ...

Personal life

Stack had undergone radiation therapy for prostate cancer in October 2002. He died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles On May 14, 2003. He was 84. Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Stack was the great-uncle of actor Taran Killam. He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California. Taran Killam (born April 1, 1982) is an American comic actor. ... Cemetery view looking South-East. ... High-rise buildings line Wilshire Boulevard through the Westwood area Another view of the Westwood skyline Westwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, not to be confused with Westwood, California. ...

Filmography

Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Mortal Storm was a 1940 film that was one of the most direct anti-Nazi Hollywood films released before the American entry into the Second World War. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... To Be or Not to Be is a 1942 comedy film about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Date with Judy was a American radio program during the 1940s. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fighter Squadron is a 1948 film, directed by Raoul Walsh. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bullfighter and the Lady is a 1951 drama film directed and written by Budd Boetticher. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bwana Devil is a 1952 drama written, directed, and produced by Arch Oboler. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The High and the Mighty is a 1954 disaster film released through Warner Brothers. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... House of Bamboo is a 1955 color film noir shot in CinemaScope. ... Good Morning Miss Dove is a 1955 film which tells the sentimental story of a beloved schoolteacher who reflects back on her life and former students when she is hospitalized. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Written on the Wind is a 1956 film with Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone. ... Original film poster The Tarnished Angels is a 1958 American drama film. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Original film poster John Paul Jones is a 1959 biographical epic film about the revolutionary hero. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Last Voyage (1960) tells the story of an aged ocean liner, SS Claridon that meets destruction in the Pacific Ocean. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Caretakers is a 1963 United Artists drama motion picture starring Robert Stack and Polly Bergen. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Is Paris Burning? (French: Paris brÃ»le-t-il ?) is a 1966 French-American film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by Allied forces. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 ([[Rf 1970 == January 1 - The Unix epoch begins at 00:00:00 UTC January 2 - The last studio performance of The Beatles oman numerals|MCMLXX]]) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Airplane! is an American comedy film, first released on 27 June 1980, produced, directed, and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Uncommon Valor (1983) is a war film written by Joe Gayton and directed by Ted Kotcheff. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Ultra Magnus is the name of several fictional characters characters from the various Transformers universes. ... Dangerous Curves is a 1988 comedy film starring Tate Donovan and Grant Heslov. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Joe Versus the Volcano is a 1990 comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and was the first film directed by screenwriter John Patrick Shanley. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... BASEketball is a 1998 David Zucker comedy feature film starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Mumford is a 1999 comedic movie set in a small town, where a new psychologist (Loren Dean) gives offbeat advice to the neurotic residents. ... This article is about the year. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Book

External links

Categories: 1919 births | 2003 deaths | American film actors | American military personnel of World War II | American television actors | American television personalities | American voice actors | Cancer deaths | Deaths by myocardial infarction | People from Los Angeles | United States Navy sailors The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... NNDB, ostensibly standing for Notable Names Database, produced by Soylent Communications, is an online database of biographical details of notable people. ...

Contents

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