biography

Robert Fuller Born Buddy Lee (later changed to Robert Simpson, Jr.) on July 29, 1933 in Troy, New York, actor Robert Fuller's father was a Naval officer and dance instructor. Soon, the family relocated to Key West, Florida, where his mother ran a dance school, and the youngster learned to dance. Moving to California in the early 1950s, Fuller started his Hollywood career as an extra, where his skills as a dancer came in handy. If you look quick, he can be spotted in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell). Between 1952 and 1956, Fuller appeared in about a dozen films in uncredited roles, and he also served as a stuntman on occasion. His career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army in 1953 and sent to Korea. After his hitch was up, Fuller returned to Hollywood and enrolled in an acting school run by actor Richard Boone and later studied in New York.

Robert Fuller and Patricia FullerConnie Stevens and Robert FullerRobert Fuller

LEFT: Robert Fuller with his first wife, Patricia. The couple married in 1962 and had two sons and a daughter before their 1984 divorce. CENTER: With actress Connie Stevens in an early 1960s photo. RIGHT: NBC photo from the mid 1970s

After several years of bit parts, Fuller finally found a starring role in the low-budget drama Teenage Thunder (1957; with Chuck Courtney), and he followed up with a supporting role in the science fiction flick The Brain from Planet Arous (1957; with John Agar). After securing guest-star roles on such TV series as Cimarron City, Highway Patrol, and Mike Hammer, Fuller signed a contract with Universal and was cast in his own series, the hour-long western Laramie (1959-1963). When Laramie was canceled in 1963, Universal then moved him to another series, Wagon Train (1957-1965) for its last two seasons. His contract ended after the production of the western film Incident at Phantom Hill (1966; with Dan Duryea and Jocelyn Lane). Fuller's career softened considerably. With no films on the horizon, he went to Germany and acted in a couple of films, including the spy film Death in the Red Jaguar (1968; with George Nader). After his return to Hollywood, roles in What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969; with Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon) and The Hard Ride (1971; with Sherry Bain) got him noticed, and his fortunes improved when he accepted the role of Dr. Kelly Brackett in the NBC series Emergency!

the films of robert fuller

Teenage Thunder (1957)

Robert Fuller, Gregory Marshall, and Melinda ByronChuck Courtney and Robert Fuller

Robert Fuller's first starring role came in the juvenile delinquent drama Teenage Thunder. LEFT: With Gregory Marshall and Melinda Byron. RIGHT: With Chuck Courtney

The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)

Robert Fuller and John Agar

With John Agar in the effective science fiction flick The Brain from Planet Arous

Laramie (1959-1963 NBC TV Series)

John Smith and Robert FullerJohn Smith, Robert Fuller, Hoagy Carmichael, and Robert Crawford Jr.

LEFT: With series co-star John Smith in the NBC western Laramie. RIGHT: With John Smith, Hoagy Carmichael, and Robert Crawford Jr.

Wagon Train (1957-1965 NBC TV Series)

Rhonda Fleming and Robert FullerSusan Seaforth and Robert Fuller

LEFT: With Rhonda Fleming in a December 1963 episode of Wagon Train titled The Sandra Cummings Story. Fuller joined the regular cast of Wagon Train in the fall of 1963. RIGHT: With Susan Seaforth Hayes in a January 1965 episode titled The Echo Pass Story

Incident at Phantom Hill (1966)

Robert Fuller

Fuller stars as Captain Matt Martin in the Universal western Captain Matt Martin

Return of the Seven (1966)

Robert Fuller and Elisa Montés

With Elisa Montés in the United Artists western Return of the Seven

What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969)

Rosemary Forsyth and Robert FullerRuth Gordon and Robert Fuller

LEFT: With Rosemary Forsyth in the thriller What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? RIGHT: With Ruth Gordon as the title character

The Hard Ride (1971)

Robert FullerRobert Fuller

Fuller stars as a Vietnam vet in the American International biker flick The Hard Ride

Emergency! (1972-1979 NBC TV Series)

Robert Fuller and Julie LondonVirginia Gregg and Robert Fuller

Fuller starred alongside Julie London in the NBC drama Emergency!, produced by Jack Webb's Mark VII Ltd. RIGHT: With guest star Virginia Gregg in an unknown episode

The Gatling Gun (1973)

Robert Fuller

As Private Sneed in the low-budget western The Gatling Gun

Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988)

Robert Fuller

As Charlie Poke in the made-for-TV film Bonanza: The Next Generation

robert fuller today

Fuller left Emergency! after six seasons in 1978, and he continued working throughout the 1980s in films such as Separate Ways (1981; with Karen Black and Tony Lo Bianco), Megaforce (1982; with Barry Bostwick), and Repossessed (1990; with Linda Blair). He ended his career with guest-star roles in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger and Jag. Fuller married actress Jennifer Savidge in 2001 and, following his marriage, he retired from acting and relocated to Texas. Today, he is a sometime presenter at Festival of the West.

filmography

FILM
Maverick (1994) with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, William Smith, and Doug McClure
Repossessed (1990) with Linda Blair, Ned Beatty, and Leslie Nielsen
Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988) with John Ireland, Peter Mark Richman, John Amos, and Barbara Anderson
Megaforce (1982) with Barry Bostwick, Michael Beck, Persis Khambatta, Edward Mulhare, and Henry Silva
Separate Ways (1981) with Karen Black and Tony Lo Bianco
Disaster on the Coastliner (1979) with Lloyd Bridges, Raymond Burr, Pat Hingle, E.G. Marshall, Yvette Mimieux, and William Shatner
Donner Pass: The Road to Survival (1978) with Andrew Prine, Michael Callan, Diane McBain, John Anderson, Royal Dano, Gregory Walcott, and Whit Bissell
Mustang Country (1976) with Joel McCrea and Patrick Wayne
The Gatling Gun (1973) with Guy Stockwell, Barbara Luna, Woody Strode, Patrick Wayne, Pat Buttram, John Carradine, and Phil Harris
The Hard Ride (1971) with Sherry Bain, Tony Russel, William Bonner, and Biff Elliot
The Trouble with Women (1970) with Burt Reynolds, Laurence Luckinbill, and Quinn O'Hara
What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969) with Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, Rosemary Forsyth, Mildred Dunnock, and Peter Bonerz
Death in the Red Jaguar (1968) with George Nader
Sinai Commando (1968) with John Hudson
Mittsommernacht (1967) with Ruth-Maria Kubitschek
Return of the Seven (1966) with Yul Brynner, Warren Oates, Claude Akins, and Fernando Rey
Incident at Phantom Hill (1966) with Jocelyn Lane, Dan Duryea, Linden Chiles, Claude Akins, Noah Beery Jr., Paul Fix, and Denver Pyle
The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) with John Agar and Joyce Meadows
Teenage Thunder (1957) with Chuck Courtney and Melinda Byron

TELEVISION SERIES
Emergency!, 1972–1979 NBC television series. Fuller portrayed Dr. Kelly Brackett
Wagon Train, 1957–1965 NBC/ABC television series. Fuller portrayed Cooper Smith from 1963 to 1965
Laramie, 1959–1963 NBC television series. Fuller portrayed Jess Harper

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Walker, Texas Ranger, episode The Final Showdown, originally aired May 19, 2001
JAG, episode Retreat, Hell, originally aired February 27, 2001
Walker, Texas Ranger, episode A Matter of Principle, originally aired January 15, 2000
Diagnosis Murder, episode Frontier Dad, originally aired January 13, 2000
Viper, episode Homecoming, originally aired April 20, 1998
Walker, Texas Ranger, episode Last of a Breed: Part 2, originally aired November 8, 1997
Diagnosis Murder, episode Malibu Fire, originally aired October 2, 1997
Renegade, episode Dead Heat, originally aired October 23, 1995
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, episode Gunfighters, originally aired February 27, 1995
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., episode Brisco in Jalisco, originally aired September 17, 1993
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., episode Pilot, originally aired August 27, 1993
Guns of Paradise, episode Out of the Ashes, originally aired January 4, 1991
Guns of Paradise, episode Home Again, originally aired September 16, 1989
Murder, She Wrote, episode The Body Politic, originally aired May 8, 1988
Tour of Duty, episode Soldiers, originally aired February 18, 1988
Blacke's Magic, episode Vanishing Act, originally aired February 12, 1986
The Fall Guy, episode The Lucky Stiff, originally aired February 7, 1986
Finder of Lost Loves, episode Tricks, originally aired February 23, 1985
Matt Houston, episode New Orleans Nightmare, originally aired February 8, 1985
The Love Boat, episode Love on the Line/Don't Call Me Gopher/Her Honor, the Mayor, originally aired January 26, 1985
The Star Games, episode Emergency!/It's a Living/Roots/Paper Chase, originally aired January 1, 1985
Not Necessarily the News, episode Levity, originally aired May 10, 1984
The Fall Guy, episode Hollywood Shorties, originally aired November 30, 1983
The Love Boat, episode Doc Take the Fifth/Safety Last/A Business Affair, originally aired January 2, 1982
The Oregon Trail, episode Suffer the Children, originally aired January 1, 1977
Hec Ramsey, episode The Mystery of Chalk Hill, originally aired February 18, 1973
Adam-12, episode Lost and Found, originally aired October 4, 1972
The Virginian, episode Flight from Memory, originally aired February 17, 1971
Dan August, episode The Titan, originally aired January 7, 1971
Mission: Impossible, episode My Friend, My Enemy, originally aired October 24, 1970
The Big Valley, episode A Flock of Trouble, originally aired September 25, 1967
The Virginian, episode A Welcoming Town, originally aired March 22, 1967
The Monroes, episode Court Martial, originally aired November 16, 1966
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode Massacre at Fort Phil Kearney, originally aired October 26, 1966
Kraft Suspense Theatre, episode Jungle of Fear, originally aired April 22, 1965
Alcoa Premiere, episode The Hour of the Bath, originally aired January 16, 1962
U.S. Marshal, episode Honeymoon, originally aired December 26, 1959
World of Giants, episode The Pool, originally aired October 24, 1959
Lawman, episode The Friend, originally aired June 28, 1959
The Lawless Years, episode The Cutie Jaffe Story, originally aired May 7, 1959
Wagon Train, episode The Kate Parker Story, originally aired May 6, 1959
Lawman, episode The Souvenir, originally aired April 5, 1959
Mike Hammer, episode Park the Body, originally aired April 2, 1959
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, episode The Judas Goat, originally aired March 31, 1959
Cimarron City, episode Blind Is the Killer, originally aired February 21, 1959
Wagon Train, episode The Ella Lindstrom Story, originally aired February 4, 1959
U.S. Marshal, episode Pursuit, originally aired January 24, 1959
The Restless Gun, episode Shadow of a Gunfighter, originally aired January 12, 1959
Mike Hammer, episode I Ain't Talkin', originally aired January 1, 1959
Highway Patrol, episode Fire, originally aired January 1, 1959
The Restless Gun, episode Peligroso, originally aired December 15, 1958
Lux Playhouse, episode Coney Island Winter, originally aired November 28, 1958
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, episode The Epidemic, originally aired November 21, 1958
M Squad, episode The Trap, originally aired October 24, 1958
G.E. True Theater, episode The Castaway, originally aired October 12, 1958
Buckskin, episode The Trial of Chrissy Miller, originally aired July 31, 1958
Panic!, episode Survivors, originally aired May 18, 1958
The Californians, episode Pipeline, originally aired April 22, 1958
Official Detective, episode The Taxi Killers, originally aired March 5, 1958
The Gray Ghost, episode Point of Honor, originally aired January 1, 1957
Crossroads, episode The Comeback, originally aired October 5, 1956

robert fuller trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Robert Fuller's 1957 horror film The Brain from Planet Arous and 1966 western Return of the Seven

robert fuller film now showing

Watch Robert Fuller's 1957 sci-fi thriller The Brain from Planet Arous
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