LAT article: Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson dies at 88
Farewell to a fellow La Jollan and star of one of my favorite movies growing up, PT 109.
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that the Military Channel’s played PT109 several times today. (I think it’s playing right now (10:30 CDT)
Just last night I was reading how Edd “Kookie” Byrnes was turned down for the lead in “PT-109” because JFK didn’t want to be played by someone named “Kookie.”
Cliff left his P-38 in a hanger across the street from work for a few years. I got to see it once.
ETA: Heard he had a Spit there for a while, but I never saw it.
For me, it’s The Devil’s Brigade, A Hundred Years Over The Rim, and Charlie.
RIP, Cliff.
For me, that would be “The Best Man” .
For me it was his guts to stand up against the studio bigshots. He paid for that.
He was 88! I had no idea he was that old. I thought he was about 10 years younger.
David Begelman kited a $10k check in Robertson’s name, a check the IRS said Robertson owed back taxes on. The resulting scandal may have hurt Robertson’s career, but the two-year period in which he claims he was blacklisted mirrors the two-year period without work after his Oscar win (1969-1970), so I’m not too sure that the evidence proves Robertson’s claims of blacklisting.
RIP Cliff.
For me, his iconic role was Charly in the film of the same name. Flowers For Algernon was one of my favorite books when I was a teenager, and I remember sobbing like a dork when the film was shown in one of my lit classes in HS.
UT
I saw promo spots for it a couple of weeks back, so at least a couple of showings were already scheduled. They may have added additional repeats due to the news, though.
he even had a villain role in Batman. RIP.
I read once (but never got around to confirming it) that he bought one of the three airworthy Mossies that were used when filming 633 Squadron*. I’m not too prone to jealousy, and couldn’t possibly have used one anyway, but I must admit that a part of me considered him a lucky [expletive deleted].
But I will always remember him most vividly as “Charly” Gordon. I was a little disappointed in the movie overall, but his performance was superb.
You had a good run, Cliff. Clear skies to you.
*A rather dismal movie, actually. Something about casting George Chakiris as a member of the Norwegian underground says, “this will not end well.”
He didn’t get a Mossie.
He did, however, get one of the Belgian Spitfires. I think Robertson’s Spitfire is currently at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. IIRC, it needs to be re-skinned in order to be airworthy. Speaking of flying…
Robertson had the Spitfire for a couple of decades. 
Cliff Robertson’s character in that film was based on a distant relative who was an officer in the real Devil’s Brigade. Family lore says that Robertson captured the person perfectly.
Rest easy, Cliff. You were a great actor–and you did my relative proud.