--- name: "Cliff Robertson" canonical: "https://film.one/person/cliff-robertson" fi1m_id: "cliff-robertson" imdb_id: "nm0731772" tmdb_id: 19153 wikidata_id: "Q181899" roles: ["Actor"] born: "9 September 1923" died: "10 September 2011" reviewed_on_fi1m: 6 average_fi1m_score: 70 average_as: "actor" average_over: 6 updated: "2026-10-07T04:37:59.461220+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Cliff Robertson ## Identity Cliff Robertson - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/cliff-robertson - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** cliff-robertson - **IMDb ID:** nm0731772 - **TMDB ID:** 19153 - **Wikidata ID:** Q181899 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Robertson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181899, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731772/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19153 Actor. Born 9 September 1923 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Died 10 September 2011. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 9 September 1923, Los Angeles, California, USA - **Died:** 10 September 2011 - **Active:** 1955–2007 - **Also known as:** Clifford Parker "Cliff" Robertson, III, Clifford Parker Robertson III, Clifford Robertson - **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won) - **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 6 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 63 (1), 1970s 80 (1), 1990s 60 (1), 2000s 73 (3) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 74 to 67 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 4 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Action 4, Science Fiction 3, Adventure 2, Drama 2, Mystery 1, Romance 1 - **Screen time:** 12 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $2,562m across 6 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Robertson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181899, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731772/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19153 ## Streaming the US now - **Pluto TV:** [*Three Days of the Condor*](https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor.md) (80) - **Disney+:** [*Spider-Man*](https://film.one/film/spider-man.md) (78) - **The Roku Channel:** [*Wind*](https://film.one/film/wind.md) (60) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Cliff Robertson > Cliff Robertson is persuasive as the man who seems to know what he is doing. We value his supporting work most, from the calculating official in *Three Days of the Condor* to Ben Parker’s reassuring presence in *Spider-Man*. Cliff Robertson looks credible as the man with the answers, even when we have good reason to distrust them. As J. Higgins, the calculating CIA official in Sydney Pollack’s *Three Days of the Condor* (1975), that quality makes him useful to a thriller built around Robert Redford’s watchfulness. Robertson does not need to make authority conspicuously sinister for it to worry us. We rate him most highly in parts like this, where being plausible matters more than being conspicuous. That was not the whole of his work. The leading parts included John F. Kennedy in *PT 109* (1963) and Charly Gordon in *Charly* (1968), before *JW Coop* (1971) gave him a rodeo rider to play. On the latter, he was also writer, producer and director, which should discourage any impression that he was only ever a dependable supporting player. Supporting roles became more prominent afterwards, and eventually Ben Parker brought him to a new generation of viewers. Sam Raimi puts that presence to gentler use in *Spider-Man* (2002), casting him as Ben Parker. We were glad of Robertson here: his steadiness suits a film whose great pleasure is Tobey Maguire’s uncertainty. He helps the warmth feel unforced, without requiring the adventure to stop and admire its older actor. There is a clear connection between this performance and Higgins, despite their different purposes: Robertson makes it easy to believe that other people would take these men seriously. Dependability has its limits, and Robertson’s many routine films make a poor case for watching everything he did. Even the two films we recommend here have distractions: the romance is hard to believe in *Three Days of the Condor*, while the digital action in *Spider-Man* makes danger feel remote. Neither problem is his doing, though neither performance can repair it. Start with Pollack’s thriller for the calculating authority; choose Raimi’s adventure for the reassurance. ## Biography Cliff Robertson was an American actor whose career in film, television and theatre spanned more than five decades. Born Clifford Parker Robertson III on 9 September 1923 in La Jolla, California, he studied at the Actors Studio in New York after wartime service in the merchant marine. His film debut came in Picnic (1955), following early work in television and a Broadway appearance in Late Love (1953). Robertson played Lieutenant John F. Kennedy in PT 109 (1963) and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Charly (1968). He appeared in Three Days of the Condor (1975), Escape from L.A. (1996) and other films, and portrayed Ben Parker, Peter Parker’s uncle, in Spider-Man (2002) and its two sequels. He died on 10 September 2011 in Stony Brook, New York. *Sources: britannica.com, nytimes.com, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (6) - *Spider-Man 3* (2007), Fi1m 55, as Ben Parker — [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-3.md) - *Spider-Man 2* (2004), Fi1m 85, as Ben Parker — [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-2.md) - *Spider-Man* (2002), Fi1m 78, as Ben Parker — [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man.md) - *Wind* (1992), Fi1m 60, as Morgan Weld — [page](https://film.one/film/wind.md) - *Three Days of the Condor* (1975), Fi1m 80, as J. Higgins — [page](https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor.md) - *Picnic* (1955), Fi1m 63, as Alan Benson — [page](https://film.one/film/picnic.md) ## Complete filmography (94) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse* (2023), as Uncle Ben (archive footage) (uncredited) — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse.md) - *Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story* (2010), Actor - *Spider-Man 3* (2007), as Ben Parker — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-3.md) - *Riding the Bullet* (2004), as Farmer - *Spider-Man 2* (2004), as Ben Parker — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-2.md) - *13th Child* (2002), as Mr. Shroud · Writer - *Spider-Man* (2002), as Ben Parker — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/spider-man.md) - *Falcon Down* (2001), as Buzz Thomas - *Mach 2* (2001), as Vice President Pike - *Family Tree* (1999), as Larry - *Assignment Berlin* (1998), as Colonel Cliff Garret - *Race* (1998), as Jack Durmann - *Lusitania* (1998), as Narrator - *Escape from L.A.* (1996), as President - *Dazzle* (1995), as Mike Kilkullen - *Dazzle* (1995), series, as Mike Kilkullen - *Sonja Henie: Queen of the Ice* (1995), as Narrator - *The Sunset Boys* (1995), as Ted Roth - *The Outer Limits* (1995), series, as Theodore Harris - *The American Revolution* (1994), series, as George Washington - *Renaissance Man* (1994), as Colonel James - *Lincoln* (1992), as Noah Brooks (voice) - *Wind* (1992), as Morgan Weld — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/wind.md) - *Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken* (1991), as Dr. W.F. Carver - *Dead Reckoning* (1990), as Daniel Barnard - *Ford: The Man and the Machine* (1987), as Henry Ford - *Malone* (1987), as Charles Delaney - *Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story* (1986), as Mel Fisher - *Galapagos: My Fragile World* (1986), as Narrator - *Shaker Run* (1985), as Judd Pierson - *The Key to Rebecca* (1985), as Maj. William Vandam - *Star 80* (1983), as Hugh Hefner - *Brainstorm* (1983), as Alex Terson - *Class* (1983), as Mr. Burroughs - *Spaces: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph* (1983), as Narrator - *Two of a Kind* (1982), as Frank Minor - *Falcon Crest* (1981), series, as Michael Ranson - *The Pilot* (1980), as Mike Hagan · Director - *Dominique* (1980), as David Ballard - *The Little Prince* (1979), as Narrator / Pilot - *Overboard* (1978), as Mitch Garrison - *Washington: Behind Closed Doors* (1977), series, as William Martin - *Fraternity Row* (1977), as Narrator (voice) - *Obsession* (1976), as Michael Courtland - *Midway* (1976), as Cmdr. Jessop - *Shoot* (1976), as Rex - *Return to Earth* (1976), as Col. Edwin A. 'Buzz' Aldrin Jr. - *Three Days of the Condor* (1975), as J. Higgins — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor.md) - *My Father's House* (1975), as Tom Lindholm Jr. - *Out of Season* (1975), as Joe Tanner - *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* (1974), as Johnny Nolan - *Man on a Swing* (1974), as Lee Tucker - *Lincoln: Trial by Fire* (1974), as Narrator(voice) - *The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli* (1973), as Narrator (voice) - *The Man Without a Country* (1973), as Philip Nolan - *Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies* (1973), as Ace Eli Walford - *The Men Who Made the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock* (1973), as Narrator - *The Men Who Made the Movies: Raoul Walsh* (1973), as Narrator - *The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid* (1972), as Cole Younger - *J.W. Coop* (1972), as J.W. Coop · Director, Producer, Writer - *Too Late the Hero* (1970), as Lt. Sam Lawson - *The Sunshine Patriot* (1968), as Christopher Ross / Arthur Selby - *Charly* (1968), as Charlie Gordon - *The Devil's Brigade* (1968), as Major Alan Crown - *The Honey Pot* (1967), as William McFly - *Batman* (1966), series, as Shame - *Up from the Beach* (1965), as Sgt. Edward Baxter - *Masquerade* (1965), as David Frazer - *Love Has Many Faces* (1965), as Pete Jordon - *633 Squadron* (1964), as Wing Commander Roy Grant - *The Best Man* (1964), as Joe Cantwell - *Sunday in New York* (1963), as Adam Tyler - *The Outer Limits* (1963), series, as Alan Maxwell - *PT 109* (1963), as Lt. John F, Kennedy - *My Six Loves* (1963), as Jim Larkin - *The Interns* (1962), as Dr. John Paul Otis - *The Big Show* (1961), as Josef Everard - *All in a Night's Work* (1961), as Warren Kingsley Jr. - *Underworld U.S.A.* (1961), as Tolly Devlin - *The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon* (1961), as Charlie Gordon - *As the Sea Rages* (1959), as Clements - *Battle of the Coral Sea* (1959), as Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Conway - *The Twilight Zone* (1959), series, as Christian Horn, Jerry Etherson — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-twilight-zone.md) - *Gidget* (1959), as The Big Kahuna - *Days of Wine and Roses* (1958), as Joe Clay - *The Naked and the Dead* (1958), as Robert Hearn - *Natchez* (1958), as Danny Carson - *The Girl Most Likely* (1958), as Pete - *Playhouse 90* (1956), series, as Danny Carson, Lieutenant - *Autumn Leaves* (1956), as Burt Hanson - *Picnic* (1955), as Alan Benson — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/picnic.md) - *The United States Steel Hour* (1953), series, Actor - *Corvette K-225* (1943), as Lookout - *We've Never Been Licked* (1943), as Adams (uncredited) ## Gallery - ![Cliff Robertson](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-01ec05f286ab.jpg) Cliff Robertson — Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Cliffrobertson_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Belair Drive-In theater advertisement for the American comedy beach film Gidget (1959). From the 3 April 1959 San Bernardino Sun.](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-1a3c17477542.jpg) Belair Drive-In theater advertisement for the American comedy beach film Gidget (1959). From the 3 April 1959 San Bernardino Sun. — Columbia Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Belair_Drive-in_Ad_-_3_April_1959%2C_Fontana%2C_CA.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Cliff Robertson at the Filmex Tribute to Elixabeth Taylor, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, November 1981. NOTE: Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or pos (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-df00a408125a.jpg) Cliff Robertson at the Filmex Tribute to Elixabeth Taylor, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, November 1981. NOTE: Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or pos (2016) — Images Alight, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Cliff_Robertson_%282398831418%29.jpg/1280px-Cliff_Robertson_%282398831418%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Photo in the Playhouse 90 presentation of "Natchez".](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-2d34302094f9.jpg) Photo in the Playhouse 90 presentation of "Natchez". — CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Cliff_Robertson_Felicia_Farr_1958.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Cliff Robertson](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-497b404b3331.jpg) Cliff Robertson — Image via TMDB - ![Cliff Robertson](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-2d5569942553.jpg) Cliff Robertson — Image via TMDB - ![The actors Cliff Robertson and Melodie Johnson at Emmy Awards in 1966.](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-9cf97d2a7485.jpg) The actors Cliff Robertson and Melodie Johnson at Emmy Awards in 1966. — Central Press Association, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Cliff_Robertson_Melodie_Johnson_1966.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Photo of Cliff Robertson as Charlie Gordon and Mona Freeman as his teacher, Alice, from the television program "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon" (1961). This w](https://film.one/media/person/97727/gallery-72c7e70ac871.jpg) Photo of Cliff Robertson as Charlie Gordon and Mona Freeman as his teacher, Alice, from the television program "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon" (1961). This w — CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Cliff_Robertson_Mona_Freeman_Two_Worlds_of_Charlie_Gordon_1961.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 1 won - 1969: Best Actor (won), for *Charly* ### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won - 1966: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre* ### Other awards — 2 won - National Aviation Hall of Fame 2006: National Aviation Hall of Fame (won) - Theatre World Award 1957: Theatre World Award (won) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/cliff-robertson