Roberts Blossom
Encyclopedia
Roberts Scott Blossom was an American
theater, film and television actor and poet. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged
. He is also remembered for his supporting roles in films such as Christine and Escape from Alcatraz
.
to John Blossom, an athletic director at Yale University
. He was raised in Cleveland but later moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio
. He attended Hawken School
and graduated from Asheville School
in 1941 and attended Harvard University
for a year until he joined the Army and served in World War II
in Europe
. He trained as a therapist and later decided to be an actor, and began directing and acting in productions at Karamu House
and The Candlelight Theater in Cleveland and later moved to New York
, where he supported himself by bundling feathers for hats and he practiced a disputed therapy called Dianetics
. He also waited tables until he became a full time actor.
s for his performances in the off-Broadway plays Village Wooing (1955), which was his debut, Do Not Pass Go (1965) and The Ice Age (1976). During the 1960s, he formed Filmstage, a multimedia avant garde theatrical troupe. His Broadway credits include Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Operation Sidewinder and in 1988 he appeared in Peter Brook
's production of The Cherry Orchard
.
Blossom began appearing on screen in 1958. His first appearance in a feature film was in 1971 with The Hospital
. During the seventies he had roles in films including The Great Gatsby
, with Robert Redford
, Slaughterhouse-Five
, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
and Escape from Alcatraz, with Clint Eastwood
. Escape from Alcatraz is perhaps Blossom's best known supporting role for the scene where he chopped off his fingers with an axe. Blossom is remembered for his role as Ezra Cobb in the 1974 horror film Deranged
based on American murderer Ed Gein
. It is also similar to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
, which was also released in 1974. Blossom is also known for starring in the 1983 horror Christine, a film directed by John Carpenter
which is an adaptation of the book by Stephen King
. He is best known for his role in the 1990 film Home Alone, in which he played 'Old Man Marley' alongside Macaulay Culkin
. He appeared in his final film role in 1995 alongside Sharon Stone
and Leonardo DiCaprio
in The Quick and The Dead. Blossom's other film credits include Doc Hollywood
, Reuben, Reuben
, Resurrection
, Flashpoint
, Vision Quest
and Always.
Blossom made his first television appearance in 1958 in the television series Naked City
. From 1976 to 1978, he starred on the television soap opera Another World
, in which his role on the show won him a Soapy Award for Best Villain
. His other television credits include Moonlighting
, with Cybill Shepherd
and Bruce Willis
, Tales from the Darkside
, The Equalizer
, the revived eighties version of The Twilight Zone
and Chicago Hope
. His television films include John Brown's Raid, Family Reunion
, with Bette Davis
, the 1985 version of Noon Wine, Murder in the Heartland
and Balloon Farm, which was his final role as an actor.
In 2000, Blossom appeared in the biography documentary Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom, in which he talked about his life as an actor and poet. The documentary also featured his children Debbie and Michael, his first wife Beverly, and Edward Asner, Peter Brook and Robert Frank
.
, with whom he had two children, a daughter, Debbie, and a son, Michael. He was later married to Marylin Orshan Blossom, until her death in 1982.
After Blossom retired from acting in the late nineties, he moved to Berkeley, California
and spent his time writing poetry, he later moved to Santa Monica, California
where he died in 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
theater, film and television actor and poet. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged
Deranged
Deranged is a Canadian/American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA...
. He is also remembered for his supporting roles in films such as Christine and Escape from Alcatraz
Escape from Alcatraz (film)
Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It dramatizes possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the...
.
Early life
Roberts Scott Blossom was born in 1924 in New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
to John Blossom, an athletic director at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He was raised in Cleveland but later moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
. He attended Hawken School
Hawken School
Hawken School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Northeast Ohio.Hawken currently has two main campuses, the Lower and Middle Schools in Lyndhurst and the Upper School in Gates Mills, plus a third, an urban campus in University Circle, The Sally & Bob Gries Center...
and graduated from Asheville School
Asheville School
Asheville School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1900, the Asheville School campus sits on in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently enrolls 270 students in grades nine through twelve...
in 1941 and attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for a year until he joined the Army and served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He trained as a therapist and later decided to be an actor, and began directing and acting in productions at Karamu House
Karamu House
Karamu House in the Fairfax neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, is the oldest African-American theater in the United States. Many of Langston Hughes's plays were developed and premièred at the theater.-History:...
and The Candlelight Theater in Cleveland and later moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he supported himself by bundling feathers for hats and he practiced a disputed therapy called Dianetics
Dianetics
Dianetics is a set of ideas and practices regarding the metaphysical relationship between the mind and body that was invented by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and is practiced by followers of Scientology...
. He also waited tables until he became a full time actor.
Career
Blossom began acting on stage during the 1950s. He won three Obie AwardObie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
s for his performances in the off-Broadway plays Village Wooing (1955), which was his debut, Do Not Pass Go (1965) and The Ice Age (1976). During the 1960s, he formed Filmstage, a multimedia avant garde theatrical troupe. His Broadway credits include Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Operation Sidewinder and in 1988 he appeared in Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
's production of The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
.
Blossom began appearing on screen in 1958. His first appearance in a feature film was in 1971 with The Hospital
The Hospital
The Hospital is a 1971 black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring George C. Scott as Dr. Herbert Bock. The script was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was awarded the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.-Plot:...
. During the seventies he had roles in films including The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (1974 film)
The Great Gatsby is a 1974 romantic drama film distributed by Newdon Productions and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by David Merrick, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola based on F...
, with Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
, Slaughterhouse-Five
Slaughterhouse-Five (film)
Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1972 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The screenplay is by Stephen Geller and the film was directed by George Roy Hill. It stars Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, and Valerie Perrine, and features Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Holly Near, and Perry King. The...
, Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
and Escape from Alcatraz, with Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
. Escape from Alcatraz is perhaps Blossom's best known supporting role for the scene where he chopped off his fingers with an axe. Blossom is remembered for his role as Ezra Cobb in the 1974 horror film Deranged
Deranged
Deranged is a Canadian/American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA...
based on American murderer Ed Gein
Ed Gein
Edward Theodore "Ed" Gein - July 26, 1984) was an American murderer and body snatcher. His crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety after authorities discovered Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes...
. It is also similar to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
, which was also released in 1974. Blossom is also known for starring in the 1983 horror Christine, a film directed by John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
which is an adaptation of the book by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
. He is best known for his role in the 1990 film Home Alone, in which he played 'Old Man Marley' alongside Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
. He appeared in his final film role in 1995 alongside Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
and Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
in The Quick and The Dead. Blossom's other film credits include Doc Hollywood
Doc Hollywood
Doc Hollywood is a 1991 American romantic comedy film based on the book, What? Dead...Again?, by Neil B. Shulman, M.D. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones. The filming took place in Micanopy, Florida.-Plot:Dr....
, Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben
Reuben, Reuben is a 1983 comedy drama film. It stars Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani.The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the play Spofford by Herman Shumlin, which in turn was adapted from the novel Reuben, Reuben by Peter De Vries. It was...
, Resurrection
Resurrection (1980 film)
Resurrection is a 1980 film which tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people...
, Flashpoint
Flashpoint (film)
Flashpoint is a film starring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams. Rip Torn, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, and Tess Harper also co-star. The movie was directed by William Tannen and based on a novel by George La Fountaine...
, Vision Quest
Vision Quest
Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. In some countries, it was released as Crazy for You to market on Madonna's emerging fame and the popularity of the song...
and Always.
Blossom made his first television appearance in 1958 in the television series Naked City
Naked City (TV series)
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
. From 1976 to 1978, he starred on the television soap opera Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, in which his role on the show won him a Soapy Award for Best Villain
Soapy Awards
The Soapy Awards were an award presented by Soap Opera Digest magazine to the best work on American soap operas from 1977 until 1983. Unlike their successors, the Soap Opera Digest Awards, this accolade lacked a great deal of glamour. The statue itself was a tall geometic crystal were presented...
. His other television credits include Moonlighting
Moonlighting (TV series)
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
, with Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Shepherd
Cybill Lynne Shepherd is an American actress, singer and former model. Her best known roles include starring as Jacy in The Last Picture Show, as Betsy in Taxi Driver, as Madeleine Spencer in Psych, as Maddie Hayes on Moonlighting, as Cybill Sheridan on Cybill, and as Phyllis Kroll on The L...
and Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
, The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
, the revived eighties version of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
and Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
. His television films include John Brown's Raid, Family Reunion
Family Reunion (film)
Family Reunion is a four-hour American television movie directed by Fielder Cook. The teleplay by Allan Sloane was based on the Good Housekeeping article How America Lives by Joe Sparton...
, with Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, the 1985 version of Noon Wine, Murder in the Heartland
Murder in the Heartland
Murder in the Heartland is a television miniseries aired on ABC in 1993. It was based on the 1957 murder spree carried out by 19 year-old Charles Starkweather throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. The first half of the miniseries covers the murders. The second half covers the trials of Starkweather and...
and Balloon Farm, which was his final role as an actor.
In 2000, Blossom appeared in the biography documentary Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom, in which he talked about his life as an actor and poet. The documentary also featured his children Debbie and Michael, his first wife Beverly, and Edward Asner, Peter Brook and Robert Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
.
Personal life
Blossom retired from acting in the late 1990s to pursue writing poetry. He was formerly married to Beverly Schmidt BlossomBeverly Schmidt Blossom
Beverly Schmidt Blossom is an American modern dancer, choreographer and teacher. She was an original member and soloist with the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theatre, a modern dance choreographer for Illinois Dance Theatre, Blossom & Co...
, with whom he had two children, a daughter, Debbie, and a son, Michael. He was later married to Marylin Orshan Blossom, until her death in 1982.
After Blossom retired from acting in the late nineties, he moved to Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and spent his time writing poetry, he later moved to Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
where he died in 2011.
Death
Blossom died on July 8, 2011 at the age of 87 of natural causes. He resided in a nursing home in Santa Monica, California at the time of his death.Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | The Hospital The Hospital The Hospital is a 1971 black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring George C. Scott as Dr. Herbert Bock. The script was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was awarded the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.-Plot:... |
Guernsey | |
| 1972 | Slaughterhouse-five Slaughterhouse-Five (film) Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1972 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The screenplay is by Stephen Geller and the film was directed by George Roy Hill. It stars Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, and Valerie Perrine, and features Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Holly Near, and Perry King. The... |
Wild Bob Cody | |
| Please Stand by | Judge Nott | ||
| 1974 | Deranged Deranged Deranged is a Canadian/American horror film made in 1974 and directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen. It is also known by the title Deranged: The Confessions of a Necrophile in the USA... |
Ezra Cobb | |
| The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby (1974 film) The Great Gatsby is a 1974 romantic drama film distributed by Newdon Productions and Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by David Merrick, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola based on F... |
Mr. Gatz | ||
| 1977 | Handle with Care | Papa Thermodyne | |
| Close Encounters of the Third Kind Close Encounters of the Third Kind Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey... |
Farmer | ||
| 1979 | Escape from Alcatraz Escape from Alcatraz (film) Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. It dramatizes possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the... |
Doc | |
| 1980 | Resurrection Resurrection (1980 film) Resurrection is a 1980 film which tells the story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people... |
John Harper | |
| 1983 | Christine | George LeBay | |
| Reuben, Reuben Reuben, Reuben Reuben, Reuben is a 1983 comedy drama film. It stars Tom Conti, Kelly McGillis, Roberts Blossom, Cynthia Harris, and Joel Fabiani.The film was adapted by Julius J. Epstein from the play Spofford by Herman Shumlin, which in turn was adapted from the novel Reuben, Reuben by Peter De Vries. It was... |
Frank Spofford | ||
| 1984 | Flashpoint Flashpoint (film) Flashpoint is a film starring Kris Kristofferson and Treat Williams. Rip Torn, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, and Tess Harper also co-star. The movie was directed by William Tannen and based on a novel by George La Fountaine... |
Amarillo | |
| 1985 | Vision Quest Vision Quest Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. In some countries, it was released as Crazy for You to market on Madonna's emerging fame and the popularity of the song... |
Grandpa | |
| 1988 | Candy Mountain Candy Mountain -Plot:Julius is a struggling musician who sets off to find Elmore Silk in order to strike a deal with him and become famous. Along his search, he meets various people who have encountered Elmore, and can give him valuable insight into what kind of man Elmore is... |
Archie | |
| The Last Temptation of Christ The Last Temptation of Christ (film) The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the controversial 1953 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as... |
Aged Master | ||
| 1989 | Always | Dave | |
| 1990 | Home Alone | Old Man Marley | |
| 1991 | Death Falls | Hals Johnson | |
| Doc Hollywood Doc Hollywood Doc Hollywood is a 1991 American romantic comedy film based on the book, What? Dead...Again?, by Neil B. Shulman, M.D. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones. The filming took place in Micanopy, Florida.-Plot:Dr.... |
Judge Evans | ||
| 1995 | The Quick and the Dead | Doc Wallace | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | Naked City Naked City (TV series) Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format.... |
Quint Butcher | Episode: "And a Merry Christmas to the Force on Patrol" |
| 1959 | The Art Carney Show | Simon Stimson | |
| Camera Three Camera Three Camera Three was a Sunday morning program devoted to the arts. It ran on CBS from 22 January 1956 to 21 January 1979, and moved to PBS in its final year to make way for the then-new CBS News Sunday Morning... |
Himself | Episode: "The Eagle, the Tiger and the Fly" | |
| 1960 | John Brown's Raid | Stevens | Television film |
| 1959–1961 | The DuPont Show of the Month | Gustav | Episodes: "Billy Budd", "The Prisoner of Zenda" |
| 1964 | Brenner | Reader | Episode: "Charlie Paradise: The Tragic Flute" |
| The Defenders | Thomas Riggs | Episode: "Go Between" | |
| 1972 | Great Performances Great Performances Great Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972... |
Judge/Preacher | Episode: "The Rimers of Eldritch" |
| 1975 | Beacon Hill | D.W. Griffith | Episode: "The Test" |
| 1976–1978 | Another World Another World (TV series) Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J... |
Bert Ordway/Sven Petersen | — Soapy Award for Best Villain (1978) |
| 1978 | Mourning Becomes Electra | Seth | Mini-series |
| 1980 | ABC Weekend Specials ABC Weekend Special The ABC Weekend Special is a weekly 30-minute anthology TV series for children that aired Saturday mornings on ABC from 1977 to 1997. It featured a wide variety of stories that were both live-action and animated.... |
Mr. LeGrand | Episodes: "The Gold Bug: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1981 | Family Reunion Family Reunion (film) Family Reunion is a four-hour American television movie directed by Fielder Cook. The teleplay by Allan Sloane was based on the Good Housekeeping article How America Lives by Joe Sparton... |
Phil King | Television film |
| 1982 | The Wall | Kuchaski | Television film |
| Johnny Belinda | John McAdam | Television film | |
| 1985 | Noon Wine | Mr. McClellan | Television film |
| Amazing Stories Amazing Stories (TV series) Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes... |
Opa Globe | Episode: "Ghost Train" | |
| 1986 | Moonlighting Moonlighting (TV series) Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes... |
Lawrence Everette | Episode: "Witness for the Execution" |
| Tales from the Darkside Tales from the Darkside Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot... |
Inquisitor | Episode: "Heretic" | |
| The Equalizer The Equalizer The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past... |
Oscar Peabody | Episode: "Tip on a Sure Thing" | |
| 1987 | At Mother's Request | Doug Steele | Television film |
| Stingray Stingray (NBC TV series) Stingray is an NBC television series produced by Stephen J. Cannell that ran from 1985 to 1987. It stars Nick Mancuso, who plays the mysterious character known only as Ray, whose trademark is a black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray.-Plot:... |
Uncle Pat 'The Cat' Morel | Episode: "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me" | |
| 1985–1987 | The Twilight Zone | The Man/Mordecai Hawkline | Episodes: "The Burning Man The Burning Man (The Twilight Zone) "The Burning Man" is the second segment of the eighth episode from the first season of the television series The New Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:... " (#1.8), "Song of the Younger World Song of the Younger World (The Twilight Zone) Song of the Younger World is the first segment of the thirty-fifth episode Song of the Younger World is the first segment of the thirty-fifth episode Song of the Younger World is the first segment of the thirty-fifth episode (the twentieth episode of the second season (1986–1987) of the television... " (#2.35) |
| 1989 | In the Heat of the Night In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995... |
Dr. Harris Pendleton | Episode: "Tear Down the Walls" |
| 1992 | Northern Exposure Northern Exposure Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes.-Overview:The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a... |
Ned | Episode: "Cicely" |
| The Habitation of Dragons | Mr. Charlie | Television film | |
| Crossroads | Oscar Poland | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1993 | Murder in the Heartland Murder in the Heartland Murder in the Heartland is a television miniseries aired on ABC in 1993. It was based on the 1957 murder spree carried out by 19 year-old Charles Starkweather throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. The first half of the miniseries covers the murders. The second half covers the trials of Starkweather and... |
Gus Meyer | Mini-series |
| The American Clock | Old Wayne Taylor | Television film | |
| 1997 | Chicago Hope Chicago Hope Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr... |
William Kronk | Episode: "Hope Against Hope" |
| 1999 | Balloon Farm | Weasel Mayfield | Television film |
| Short Films | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1961 | The Sins of Jesus | ||
| 1972 | The Witches of Salem: The Horror and the Hope | Gov. Phips | |
| Documentary | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom | Himself | |
Theater credits
- 1955: Village Wooing
- 1958: The Infernal MachineThe Infernal MachineThe Infernal Machine is a play by the French dramatist Jean Cocteau, based on the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus. It received its première in 1934 under the direction of Louis Jouvet.-Sources:...
(Anubis) - 1961: A Cook for Mr. General (Kroy)
- 1963: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (Merlie Ryan)
- 1964: The Physicists
- 1965: Do Not Pass Go
- 1970: Operation Sidewinder
- 1973: Statis Quo Vadis (Mr.Elgin)
- 1988: The Cherry OrchardThe Cherry OrchardThe Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
External links
- Roberts Blossom at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...