Robert Sterling, born
William Sterling Hart (November 13, 1917 – May 30, 2006), was an American film and television actor.
The son of baseball player and umpire Bill Hart, he was born in
New Castle, PennsylvaniaNew Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just 18 miles east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309...
, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
. He attended the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and worked as a clothing salesman before pursuing an acting career.
After signing with Columbia Pictures in 1939, he changed his name to Robert Sterling to avoid confusion with silent western star
William S. HartWilliam Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer.-Biography:...
.
In 1941, Sterling went to MGM.
Robert Sterling, born
William Sterling Hart (November 13, 1917 – May 30, 2006), was an American film and television actor.
Early life
The son of baseball player and umpire Bill Hart, he was born in
New Castle, PennsylvaniaNew Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just 18 miles east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309...
, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
. He attended the
University of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and worked as a clothing salesman before pursuing an acting career.
Film
After signing with Columbia Pictures in 1939, he changed his name to Robert Sterling to avoid confusion with silent western star
William S. HartWilliam Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer.-Biography:...
.
In 1941, Sterling went to MGM. He worked steadily as a supporting player for several years. After serving in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as an Army Air Force flight instructor, he returned to Hollywood, but by the end of the decade, his film career had faltered. He did, however, play the non-singing role of Steve Baker, opposite
Ava GardnerAva Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in supporting roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, admired for her beauty, and highly regarded for her...
as Julie, in the hit MGM 1951 film version of
Show BoatShow Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. One notable exception is the song Bill, which was originally written by Kern and author-lyricist P. G. Wodehouse in 1917 but reworked by Hammerstein for Show Boat...
.
Television
Sterling reinvigorated his career, first with a club act with wife
Anne JeffreysAnne Jeffreys is an American actress and singer.- Career :Jeffreys entered the entertainment field at a young age; her initial training was in voice , but she decided as a teenager to sign with the John Robert Powers agency as a junior model.Her plans for an operatic career...
, and then becoming a fixture on television. He was cast in numerous dramatic roles on early television, when networks often televised live dramatic performances.
Sterling is perhaps most well known, however, for starring with Jeffreys, as the spirited George Kerby (to Jefferys' Marion Kerby) in the television program
TopperTopper is an American fantasy sitcom based on the 1937 film of the same name. The series was broadcast on CBS from October 9, 1953 to July 15, 1955, and stars Leo G. Carroll in the title role.-Synopsis:...
, which appeared from 1953 to 1955. Veteran
Leo G. CarrollLeo Gratten Carroll was an English actor, best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..-Life and career:...
appeared in the title role. Wife Marion Kerby was referred to as "the ghostess with the mostest", while Sterling's character was known as "that most sporty spirit".
In the 1961-1962 television season, Sterling co-starred with
George ChandlerGeorge Chandler was an American actor best known for playing the character of "Uncle Petrie" on the television series Lassie...
and
Reta ShawReta Shaw was a familiar American character actress best remembered as the housekeeper in the The Ghost & Mrs...
in CBS's
Ichabod and MeIchabod and Me is a 36-episode situation comedy set in a small New England town and starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler. It aired on CBS from September 26, 1961, to June 5, 1962, and was produced by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, in association with Jack Benny's "JaMco Productions".The...
a sitcom set in
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
. He portrayed 44-year-old Bob Major, a
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
reporter from
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, who purchased and the paper in a small town called Phippsboro. Chandler played the former editor and municipal traffic commissioner. Shaw appeared as Sterling's aunt and
housekeeperA housekeeper is a person responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of premises.*Housekeeper –responsible for the cleaning of institutional premises...
.
After some additional television and film work in the early 1960s, including
Return to Peyton PlaceReturn to Peyton Place is a 1961 drama film produced by Jerry Wald and directed by José Ferrer. The screenplay by Ronald Alexander is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious...
and
Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a science fiction film produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released in 1961 by 20th Century Fox. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane. The original...
in 1961 and
A Global Affair in 1964, Sterling essentially retired, making only sporadic appearances with Jeffreys in later shows such as CBS's
Murder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote was an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for twelve seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series, The Law & Harry McGraw...
and
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
's
HotelHotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
. He also guest starred in 1974 in the NBC sitcom
The Brian Keith ShowThe Brian Keith Show, originally entitled The Little People, is an NBC television series starring Brian Keith and Shelley Fabares as Sean and Anne Jamison, father-and-daughter pediatricians living in Hawaii who operate a health clinic and also engage in private practice. The sitcom aired from...
.
Personal life
Sterling was married twice. His first marriage, in 1943, was to noted actress
Ann SothernAnn Sothern was an American film and television actress with a career spanning six decades.-Early life and career:...
. They had a daughter, Patricia (
Tisha SterlingTisha Sterling is an American television and film actress. She is the daughter of actor Robert Sterling and actress/singer Ann Sothern.-Life and career:...
), who became an actress. Sothern and Sterling divorced in 1949.
Sterling met Jeffreys soon after in his
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
debut, and they were married in 1951. They had three sons: Jeffrey, Dana, and Tyler.
Death
Sterling died Tuesday, May 30 2006, aged 88, at his home in
Brentwood, CaliforniaBrentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, its population is about 50,000 as of 2009....
. According to the Associated Press, his son, Jeffrey, indicated that Sterling died of natural causes, but had suffered from debilitating shingles for the last decade of his life (
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06152/694733-122.stm).
External links