Robert Easton (actor)
Encyclopedia
Robert Easton is an American actor whose career in film and television spans more than 60 years. His mastery of English dialect
has earned him the epithet
"The Man of a Thousand Voices", For decades he has been a leading Hollywood dialogue
or accent
coach.
Easton was born Robert Easton Burke in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, the son of Mary Easton (née
Kloes) and John Edward Burke.
. He portrayed Magnus Proudfoot on radio's Gunsmoke
and also appeared in other radio programs, including Fibber McGee and Molly
, The Fred Allen Show
, The Halls of Ivy, Our Miss Brooks
, Suspense
, William Shakespeare--A Portrait in Sound and The Zero Hour
.
. He appeared in the feature film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
as Sparks (a variation on Stingray' s "Phones").
One of his more unusual voices was that of a Klingon
judge for the movie, Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country. He appeared in Gods and Generals
(2003) as John Janney, and he recently starred in Spiritual Warriors (2007). He appeared in the 1987 baseball film Long Gone
as Cletis Ramey.
's Stingray
.
During the late 1940s through the 1960s, he was mostly known for his portrayal of a slow-talking, blankfaced hicks (as in The Munsters
episode, "All-Star Munster" as Moose Mallory).
In the Get Smart
episode "The Little Black Book", he displayed a crisp German accent as the Maestro. In "Runaway Robot," a 1953 episode of "The Adventures of Superman," Easton played Marvin.
On "The Beverly Hillbillies" he played one of the hill people in the episode titled "Luke's Boy."
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
has earned him the epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
"The Man of a Thousand Voices", For decades he has been a leading Hollywood dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
or accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
coach.
Easton was born Robert Easton Burke in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, the son of Mary Easton (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Kloes) and John Edward Burke.
Radio
Beginning in 1945, he was heard on radio's Quiz KidsQuiz Kids
Quiz Kids, a popular radio-TV series of the 1940s and 1950s, was created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan . Originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chicago, June 28, 1940, airing as a summer replacement show for Alec Templeton...
. He portrayed Magnus Proudfoot on radio's Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
and also appeared in other radio programs, including Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
, The Fred Allen Show
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
, The Halls of Ivy, Our Miss Brooks
Our Miss Brooks
Our Miss Brooks is an American situation comedy starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television , it became one of the medium's earliest hits...
, Suspense
Suspense (radio program)
-Production background:One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era...
, William Shakespeare--A Portrait in Sound and The Zero Hour
The Zero Hour (Rod Serling series)
The Zero Hour was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling. With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons...
.
Films
On film, one of his earliest appearances was in The Red Badge of CourageThe Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane . Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Overcome with shame, he longs for a wound—a "red badge of courage"—to...
. He appeared in the feature film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
as Sparks (a variation on Stingray
One of his more unusual voices was that of a Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
judge for the movie, Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country. He appeared in Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals (film)
Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
(2003) as John Janney, and he recently starred in Spiritual Warriors (2007). He appeared in the 1987 baseball film Long Gone
Long Gone (film)
Long Gone is a 1987 baseball film by HBO based on Paul Hemphill's 1979 book of the same name. The made-for-television film was directed by Martin Davidson and starred William Petersen, Virginia Madsen and Dermot Mulroney. Outside North America, the movie was known as and titled, Stogies.-Plot:The...
as Cletis Ramey.
Television
On television, he made many guest appearances and also provided the voices of "Phones" and "X-2-0" in Gerry AndersonGerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's Stingray
Stingray (TV series)
Stingray is a children's marionette television show, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment from 1964–65. Its 39 half-hour episodes were originally screened on ITV in the UK and in syndication in the USA. The scriptwriters included Gerry and...
.
During the late 1940s through the 1960s, he was mostly known for his portrayal of a slow-talking, blankfaced hicks (as in The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
episode, "All-Star Munster" as Moose Mallory).
In the Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
episode "The Little Black Book", he displayed a crisp German accent as the Maestro. In "Runaway Robot," a 1953 episode of "The Adventures of Superman," Easton played Marvin.
On "The Beverly Hillbillies" he played one of the hill people in the episode titled "Luke's Boy."
Sources
- http://www.emulsioncompulsion.com/2008/01/13/reviews/dvd-reviews/the-adventures-of-superman-flight-to-the-north-george-blair-1955/
- http://www.tv.com/adventures-of-superman/show/6110/episode_guide.html?season=3&tag=season_dropdown;dropdown;2
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0506634/
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0247691/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Adventures_of_Superman_episodes
- http://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=episode-guides/t-aos
- http://www.tv.com/chuck-connors/person/8318/summary.html
- http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/Adventures-of-Superman-Seasons-3-4/George-Reeves/e/12569763159