Bob May (actor)
Encyclopedia
Bob May was an American
actor best remembered for playing The Robot on the television series Lost in Space
, which debuted in 1965 and ran until 1968. May appeared in all 83 episodes inside a prop costume built by Bob Stewart; the robot's voice was dubbed by Dick Tufeld
, who was also the narrator of the series.
comedian Chic Johnson
, half of the Olsen and Johnson
comedy team famed for their for their blackout gag
s and orchestrated mayhem. May's first experience in show business came when he was two-years old, when his grandfather had him appear in the Hellzapoppin comedy review, together with his partner Ole Olsen
.
May became an actor, stage performer, stuntman
, director and public speaker, appearing in several films together with Jerry Lewis
, including The Nutty Professor
. He also performed in several television series, including The Time Tunnel
(where he played the role of Adolf Hitler
in the 1967 episode titled "The Kidnappers"), McHale's Navy
and The Red Skelton Show
. May also worked as a stuntman, performing in television programs and movies of the 1950s and 1960s, among them Cheyenne, Hawaiian Eye
, Palm Springs Weekend
, Stagecoach
, Surfside 6
, The Roaring Twenties
and 77 Sunset Strip
.
, who played Maureen Robinson in the series, said that May had insisted he got the job because he fit in the robot suit. Irwin Allen
, the creator of the Lost in Space
television series, selected May to fill the role of the robot, the sidekick of the Robinson family, after May was sent to see him about the part; Allen promised May, "If you can fit in the suit, you've got the job".
The voice of the robot was performed by the show's announcer Dick Tufeld, including the show's catch phrase, "Danger, Will Robinson". May enjoyed playing the part inside the robot, describing the suit as his "home away from home". It was so difficult to get inside the suit, that he would stay inside even during breaks in filming. Because he couldn't respond to external cues, he would learn the lines of all of the actors in each show so that he would know when it was his line. During breaks, he would puff on a cigarette inside the suit, with the smoke coming out of the suit amusing other members of the cast.
The robot costume had been created by art director and production designer
Robert Kinoshita
, who had been the designer of Robby the Robot
from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet
. Though the regularly used robot required someone to be inside, there were some shots filmed during the third season of the series that used an unoccupied "stunt robot" in certain long shot
s.
For years, May was a regular at autograph conventions in the Los Angeles area and around the country, sought after by fans of the show. One L.A. based convention, Gallifrey One
, has named its annual charity auction in May's memory.
Though the robot character appeared in the 1998 Lost in Space film
, with Dick Tufeld reprising his role as the robot's voice, May did not fill the role of fitting inside the robot in the movie remake.
in the San Fernando Valley
was destroyed in the November 2008 California wildfires
that hit the Los Angeles area, though he and his wife were able to escape without injury.
May died at age 69 on January 18, 2009 at a hospital in Lancaster, California
of congestive heart failure
. He was survived by his wife, Judith, son, Martin, daughter, Deborah and four grandchildren.
He is interred in San Fernando Mission Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor best remembered for playing The Robot on the television series Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
, which debuted in 1965 and ran until 1968. May appeared in all 83 episodes inside a prop costume built by Bob Stewart; the robot's voice was dubbed by Dick Tufeld
Dick Tufeld
Dick Tufeld is an American actor, announcer, narrator, and voice actor from the 1950s onward.He is perhaps best known as the voice of the Robot in the TV series Lost in Space, a role he reprised for the 1998 feature film...
, who was also the narrator of the series.
Acting and stunt career
Born in New York City, May was the grandson of vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
comedian Chic Johnson
Chic Johnson
Chic Johnson was the barrel-chested half of the Swedish-American comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, known for his strangely infectious, high-pitched laugh.-Background:...
, half of the Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
comedy team famed for their for their blackout gag
Blackout gag
A blackout gag is a term mainly used in broad, rapid-fire, slapstick comedy to describe a manner in which a gag or joke is executed. The term is derived from burlesque and vaudeville, when the lights were quickly turned off after the punchline of a joke to accentuate it and/or allow for audience...
s and orchestrated mayhem. May's first experience in show business came when he was two-years old, when his grandfather had him appear in the Hellzapoppin comedy review, together with his partner Ole Olsen
Ole Olsen (comedian)
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen was an American vaudevillian and comedian.Born in Peru, Indiana, he graduated from Northwestern University in 1912 with a degree in music and hit the Vaudeville circuit...
.
May became an actor, stage performer, stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
, director and public speaker, appearing in several films together with Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, including The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...
. He also performed in several television series, including The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
(where he played the role of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in the 1967 episode titled "The Kidnappers"), McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
and The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show
The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as...
. May also worked as a stuntman, performing in television programs and movies of the 1950s and 1960s, among them Cheyenne, Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
, Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend
Palm Springs Weekend is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre and has been called “a sort of Westernized version of Where the Boys Are" by Billboard Magazine...
, Stagecoach
Stagecoach (1966 film)
Stagecoach is a 1966 American film, a remake of the 1939 John Ford western Stagecoach. Slim Pickens replaced Andy Devine as the driver, Alex Cord played the Ringo Kid , Ann-Margret succeeded Claire Trevor as the prostitute Dallas, and Bing Crosby played Thomas Mitchell's Oscar-winning part as the...
, Surfside 6
Surfside 6
Surfside 6 was an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered around a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield, II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison ; and Lee Patterson as Dave Thorne...
, The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties (TV series)
The Roaring 20s is an American drama series that aired on the ABC network beginning on October 15, 1960, and ending on September 21, 1962.-Synopsis:...
and 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
.
Lost in Space
June LockhartJune Lockhart
June Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
, who played Maureen Robinson in the series, said that May had insisted he got the job because he fit in the robot suit. Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...
, the creator of the Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
television series, selected May to fill the role of the robot, the sidekick of the Robinson family, after May was sent to see him about the part; Allen promised May, "If you can fit in the suit, you've got the job".
The voice of the robot was performed by the show's announcer Dick Tufeld, including the show's catch phrase, "Danger, Will Robinson". May enjoyed playing the part inside the robot, describing the suit as his "home away from home". It was so difficult to get inside the suit, that he would stay inside even during breaks in filming. Because he couldn't respond to external cues, he would learn the lines of all of the actors in each show so that he would know when it was his line. During breaks, he would puff on a cigarette inside the suit, with the smoke coming out of the suit amusing other members of the cast.
The robot costume had been created by art director and production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
Robert Kinoshita
Robert Kinoshita
Robert Kinoshita is an artist, art director, and set and production designer who worked in the American film and television industries from the 1950s through the early 1980s.-Biography:...
, who had been the designer of Robby the Robot
Robby the Robot
Robby the Robot is a fictional character who has made a number of appearances in science fiction movies and television programs after his first appearance in the 1956 MGM science fiction film Forbidden Planet.-Overview:...
from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet
Forbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film directed by Fred M. Wilcox, with a screenplay by Cyril Hume. It stars Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis. The characters and its setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and its plot contains certain...
. Though the regularly used robot required someone to be inside, there were some shots filmed during the third season of the series that used an unoccupied "stunt robot" in certain long shot
Long shot
In photography, filmmaking and video production, a long shot typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings...
s.
For years, May was a regular at autograph conventions in the Los Angeles area and around the country, sought after by fans of the show. One L.A. based convention, Gallifrey One
Gallifrey One
Gallifrey One is an annual North American science fiction convention focusing primarily on the British television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs, Torchwood, K-9 and The Sarah Jane Adventures, with an additional emphasis on British and American science fiction television media, held each...
, has named its annual charity auction in May's memory.
Though the robot character appeared in the 1998 Lost in Space film
Lost in Space (film)
Lost in Space is a 1998 American science fiction film starring Gary Oldman and William Hurt. The film was shot in London and Shepperton, and produced by New Line Cinema. The plot is adapted from the 1965–1968 CBS television series Lost In Space...
, with Dick Tufeld reprising his role as the robot's voice, May did not fill the role of fitting inside the robot in the movie remake.
Personal
May's home in an upscale mobile home parkTrailer park
A trailer park is a semi-permanent or permanent area for mobile homes or travel trailers. The main reasons for living in such trailer parks are the often lower cost compared to other housing, and the ability to move to a new area more quickly and easily, for example when changing jobs to another...
in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
was destroyed in the November 2008 California wildfires
November 2008 California wildfires
The November 2008 California wildfires are a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on November 13. At least 400 houses and 500 mobile homes were destroyed...
that hit the Los Angeles area, though he and his wife were able to escape without injury.
May died at age 69 on January 18, 2009 at a hospital in Lancaster, California
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
. He was survived by his wife, Judith, son, Martin, daughter, Deborah and four grandchildren.
He is interred in San Fernando Mission Cemetery
San Fernando Mission Cemetery
The San Fernando Mission Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery located at 11160 Stranwood Avenue in the Mission Hills community of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, near the San Fernando Mission....
.