Biography
Robert J. Wilke was an American actor, also credited as Bob Wilke, Robert Wilke and Robert Joseph Wilke. He appeared in numerous films and television series, primarily in villainous roles in Westerns.
Wilke began his career as a stuntman in the 1930s, with his first screen appearance in San Francisco (1936). He gained wider recognition for his role as one of the gunmen in High Noon (1952). Among his best-known film roles are Wallace in The Magnificent Seven (1960), the guard captain in Spartacus (1960) and the farm foreman in Days of Heaven (1978). He also appeared in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Stripes (1981), and worked extensively in television Westerns including Bonanza and Gunsmoke.
An expert golfer, Wilke won the World Entertainment Championship golf title in 1960, 1963 and 1964. He died in Los Angeles in 1989.
