--- name: "Robert Middleton" canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-middleton" roles: ["Actor"] born: "13 May 1911" died: "14 June 1977" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 79 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-20T03:04:24.463140+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." --- # Robert Middleton Actor. Born 13 May 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Died 14 June 1977. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 13 May 1911, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - **Died:** 14 June 1977 - **Active:** 1956–1971 - **Also known as:** Samuel Abraham Messer - **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as actor, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1950s 72 (1), 1970s 86 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Middleton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q181407, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0585557/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/29363 ## Biography Robert Middleton (born Samuel Abraham Messer; 13 May 1911 – 14 June 1977) was an American film and television actor. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Institute of Technology before working as a radio announcer. He made his film debut in 1954 and appeared in *The Desperate Hours* (1955), *The Court Jester* (1955), *Friendly Persuasion* (1956) as Sam Jordan, *Love Me Tender* (1956) and *The Tarnished Angels* (1958). On television he had recurring roles in series including *The Jackie Gleason Show* and guest appearances in *Alfred Hitchcock Presents*, *Bonanza*, *Get Smart*, *Mission: Impossible* and *Columbo*. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Columbo* (1971), Fi1m 86, as Victor Norris — [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md) - *Friendly Persuasion* (1956), Fi1m 72, as Sam Jordan — [page](https://film.one/film/friendly-persuasion.md) ## Complete filmography (90) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Lincoln Conspiracy* (1977), as Edwin M. Stanton - *Hunter* (1977), series, Actor - *The Mark of Zorro* (1974), as Don Luis Quintero - *Remember When* (1974), as Kraus, the butcher - *The Harrad Experiment* (1973), as Sidney Bower - *Even Angels Eat Beans* (1973), as Angelo - *Kung Fu* (1972), series, as Marshal Ford - *Fair Play* (1972), as Jova Purvis - *Columbo* (1971), series, as Victor Norris — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md) - *Alias Smith and Jones* (1971), series, Actor - *Which Way to the Front?* (1970), as Colonico - *Company of Killers* (1970), as Owen Brady - *The Cheyenne Social Club* (1970), as Barkeeper - Great Plains Saloon - *McCloud* (1970), series, as Elliott Jason - *Mannix* (1967), series, as Jake Coryell - *Mission: Impossible* (1966), series, as Clavering — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/mission-impossible-1966.md) - *The Monroes* (1966), series, Actor - *A Big Hand for the Little Lady* (1966), as Dennis Wilcox - *Get Smart* (1965), series, as The Whip - *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, as Emir El Emid - *The Big Valley* (1965), series, as Judge Tyrone, Sidney Glover - *The Adventures of Gallegher* (1965), series, as Dutch Mac - *Daniel Boone* (1964), series, as Simon Brasher - *For Those Who Think Young* (1964), as Burford Sanford Cronin - *Burke's Law* (1963), series, as Ezekiel Kindworth aka 'Rocky Mountain', Ragnar Windsor, Jed Hawkes - *Vacation Playhouse* (1963), series, as Homer Ferguson - *Cattle King* (1963), as Clay Mathews - *The Investigators* (1961), series, as John DeLuca - *The New Breed* (1961), series, as Stanley Mannis - *Target: The Corruptors!* (1961), series, Actor - *Gold of the Seven Saints* (1961), as Amos Gondora - *The Americans* (1961), series, Actor - *Witchcraft: The Doll in Brambles* (1961), as Martin Plomb - *The Great Impostor* (1960), as R.C. Brown - *Thriller* (1960), series, as Ohrback, Monsieur de Paris - *The Tall Man* (1960), series, as Paul Mason - *The Gun of Zangara* (1960), as Mayor Anton J. Cermak - *Hell Bent for Leather* (1960), as Ambrose - *The Detectives* (1959), series, as 'Big Jim' - *The Untouchables* (1959), series, as Barney Loomis, Mayer Wartel, Mayor Anton J. Cermak - *Career* (1959), as Robert Kensington - *Adventures in Paradise* (1959), series, as Howard Bailey - *The Rebel* (1959), series, as Arthur Sutro - *Wichita Town* (1959), series, Actor - *Bonanza* (1959), series, as C.J. Shasta, Sam Bryant, Grizzly Martingale - *Don't Give Up the Ship* (1959), as Vice Adm. Philo Tecumseh Bludde - *Rawhide* (1959), series, as Josh Green, Matt Harger, Judge John Jefferson Hogan, Duke Aberdeen - *Bat Masterson* (1958), series, as Big Keel Roberts - *No Place to Land* (1958), as Buck LaVonne - *Bitter Heritage* (1958), as Luke Crocker - *The Law and Jake Wade* (1958), as Ortero - *Nightmare at Ground Zero* (1958), as Narrator - *Day of the Badman* (1958), as Charlie Hayes - *The Tarnished Angels* (1957), as Matt Ord - *The Walter Winchell File* (1957), series, as Aaron Benjamin - *So Lovely, So Deadly* (1957), as Eddie Rocco - *Suspicion* (1957), series, as Banton - *Perry Mason* (1957), series, as Judge Daniel Redmond - *Wagon Train* (1957), series, as Nate Burkett - *The Death of Manolete* (1957), as Perea - *The Lonely Man* (1957), as Ben Ryerson - *Love Me Tender* (1956), as Mr. Siringo - *Friendly Persuasion* (1956), as Sam Jordan — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/friendly-persuasion.md) - *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Whit Gaynor - *The Proud Ones* (1956), as Honest John Barrett - *Telephone Time* (1956), series, as Heinrich Schliemann - *Red Sundown* (1956), as Rufus Henshaw - *The Court Jester* (1955), as Sir Griswold - *Matinee Theater* (1955), series, Actor - *Trial* (1955), as A.A. "Fats" Sanders - *The Desperate Hours* (1955), as Sam Kobish - *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), series, as Sam Klinker, Louis Koster, Cato Stone - *MGM Parade* (1955), series, Actor - *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Jake Worth, Dutch George, Dorf - *The Big Combo* (1955), as Police Capt. Peterson - *The Silver Chalice* (1954), as Idbash - *The Wonderful World of Disney* (1954), series, as Frank Davis, Dutch Mac - *Climax!* (1954), series, as Sheriff - *Studio 57* (1954), series, as Maggio - *Confessions of a Nervous Man* (1953), as The Manager - *Letter to Loretta* (1953), series, as Henry Tremaine - *Something For An Empty Briefcase* (1953), as Sloane - *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, as Lt. Toler, Innkeeper - *Cavalcade of America* (1952), series, as William Harper - *Duck and Cover* (1952), as Narrator - *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, as Sheriff Ed Mullen - *Tales of Tomorrow* (1951), series, as Dr. John Borrow - *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Titus Semple - *Man Against Crime* (1949), series, as Joseph Merko - *Suspense* (1949), series, as Bill West ## Gallery - ![Publicity photo of Robert Middleton (1955)](https://film.one/media/person/467637/gallery-33fa5fd5b06e.jpg) Publicity photo of Robert Middleton (1955) — MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Robert_Middleton_1955.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Robert Middleton](https://film.one/media/person/467637/gallery-ae7199552767.jpg) Robert Middleton — Joseph H. Lewis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/RobertMiddleton_BigCombo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Robert Middleton](https://film.one/media/person/467637/gallery-6b2325a36db3.jpg) Robert Middleton — Image via TMDB --- © 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/robert-middleton