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Robert H. Harris

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Robert H. Harris
As Jake Goldberg, 1954.
Born
Robert H. Hurwitz

(1911-07-15)July 15, 1911
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 1981(1981-11-30) (aged 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other nameRobert Harris
Years active1950–1977
Spouse(s)Louise Lewis
Viola Harris (?–1981)
Children1

Robert H. Harris (born Robert H. Hurwitz; July 15, 1911 – November 30, 1981) was an American character actor.

Early years

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Harris was born in New York City in 1911, the son of "a well-known rabbi, scholar and author" father.[1] He attended DeWitt Clinton High School. With his father's encouragement, he pursued a career in entertainment.[1]

Stage

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Harris completed an operetta when he was 18. A producer rejected it but cast him as a 60-year-old man in a production. That development turned Harris's focus from writing to performing.

A veteran of the Yiddish Art Theater from his teens,[2] Harris made his first Broadway appearance in 1937 in Schoolhouse on the Lot. His other Broadway credits include Xmas in Las Vegas (1965), Minor Miracle (1965), Foxy (1963), Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'! (1947) and Brooklyn, U.S.A. (1941).[3]

Harris spent 1949 and 1950 with the Deertrees Theatre in Harrison, Maine, primarily directing but also acting in some productions.[4]

In 1952, Harris was the managing director of the Woodstock Playhouse in Woodstock, New York. Prior to that, he had directed repertory theater in Boston and Hollywood.[5]

Harris created and acted in Raisins and Almonds, which was presented in March 1967 in the Actors Theater in Beverly Hills, California.[6]

Television

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From 1950 on, he appeared extensively on television series, specializing in playing shady, if not outright evil characters, roles for which he excelled. From 1953–1956 he played Jake Goldberg in The Goldbergs, one of his few sympathetic roles. (His obituary distributed via United Press International says that he played the role of Jake Goldberg in 1953-1954.)[2] In 1957, Harris played the lead role in The Court of Last Resort.

He also made many guest appearances in many other TV series. These include eight appearances in Alfred Hitchcock Presents between 1956 and 1961 and seven appearances in Perry Mason between 1958 and 1965 including in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Dodging Domino". Among his seven appearances, he played the murderer three times, the murder victim once, and the defendant once. He also appeared in other television series such as Peter Gunn, 77 Sunset Strip, Gunsmoke, Ben Casey, The Asphalt Jungle, Land of the Giants, and Rawhide. He played the scheming John Sukey in "Have Gun Will Travel" S1 E26 "Birds of a Feather" (1958). Robert H. Harris also appeared in the first season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled, "Twenty Million Alibis"(May 6, 1973).

Film

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He starred in the 1958 B-movie horror film How to Make a Monster and had notable appearances as a rich cuckold in Elia Kazan's 1963 film America America, and as the obsessive-compulsive consulting psychiatrist in Edward Dmytryk's 1965 film Mirage. His other film credits included roles in Bundle of Joy (1956), The Invisible Boy (1957), Peyton Place (1957), The George Raft Story (1961), Apache Uprising (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), How Awful About Allan (1970), The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972) and The Man in the Glass Booth (1975).

Personal life and death

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Harris and his wife, actress Viola Harris, had a son, Steven Lee,[5] and a daughter, Sunny Dee.[4] Harris died November 30, 1981.[2]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1948The Naked CityDruggistUncredited
1956Alfred Hitchcock PresentsClarence FoxSeason 1 Episode 18 ("Shopping For Death")
1956Alfred Hitchcock PresentsLaurence AppelbySeason 1 Episode 29 ("The Orderly World of Mr. Appelby")
1956Alfred Hitchcock PresentsJohn HurleySeason 1 Episode 34 ("The Hidden Thing")
1956Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlbert BirchSeason 2 Episode 6 ("Toby")
1956GunsmokeBen PitcherSeason 2 Episode 1 ("Cow Doctor")
1956Bundle of JoyMr. Hargraves
1957Alfred Hitchcock PresentsBellefontaineSeason 2 Episode 39 ("The Dangerous People")
1957The Big CaperZimmer
1957The Invisible BoyProfessor Frank Allerton
1957The Fuzzy Pink NightgownBarney Baylies
1957No Down PaymentMarkham
1957Peyton PlaceSeth Bushwell
1958Alfred Hitchcock PresentsGeorge C. PiperSeason 3 Episode 36 ("The Safe Place")
1958How to Make a MonsterPete Dumond
1959Alfred Hitchcock PresentsBen ProwdySeason 5 Episode 14 ("Graduating Class")
1961Alfred Hitchcock PresentsMorty LentonSeason 6 Episode 18 ("The Greatest Monster of Them All")
1961Operation EichmannMinor RoleUncredited
1961Twenty Plus TwoStanleyUncredited
1961The George Raft StoryHarvey
1961The LawbreakersJoe Selkin
1962Convicts 4Commissioner
1963America AmericaAratoon Kebabian
1964The Alfred Hitchcock HourDr. Robert J. PerriganSeason 3 Episode 11 ("Consider Her Ways")
1964Nightmare in ChicagoOfficer Newman
1965MirageDr. Augustus J. Broden
1965Apache UprisingHoyt Taylor
1967Valley of the DollsHenry Bellamy
1968The Virginian (TV series)the DoctorSeason 6 Episode 23 ("Stacy")
1970How Awful About AllanDr. EllinsTV movie
1972The Great Northfield Minnesota RaidWilcox
1975The Man in the Glass BoothDr. Weisburger

Series in detail

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Appearances in Alfred Hitchcock Presents
  • "Mr. Fox" in episode: Shopping for Death, first broadcast on January 29, 1956 (episode # 1.18).
  • "Laurence Appleby" in episode: The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby, first broadcast on April 15, 1956 (episode # 1.29).
  • "John Hurley" in episode: The Hidden Thing, first broadcast on May 20, 1956 (episode # 1.34).
  • "Albert Birch" in episode: Toby, first broadcast on November 4, 1956 (episode # 2.6).
  • "LaFontaine" in episode: The Dangerous People, first broadcast on June 23, 1957 (episode # 2.39).
  • "George Piper" in episode: The Safe Place, first broadcast on June 8, 1958 (episode # 3.36).
  • "Ben Prowdy" in episode: Graduating Class, first broadcast on December 27, 1959 (episode # 5.14).
  • "Morty Lenton" in episode: The Greatest Monster of Them All, first broadcast on February 14, 1961 (episode # 6.18).
Appearances in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
  • "Dr. Perrigan" in episode: Consider Her Ways, first broadcast on December 28, 1964 (episode # 3.11).
Appearances in The Virginian
  • "The doctor" in episode: "Stacey", first broadcast on February 2, 1968 (episode # 6.23).
Appearance in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
  • "Dr. Eric Carlton" in episode "The Sky Is Falling (1966)"
Appearances in Perry Mason
Appearances in Gunsmoke
  • "Ben Pitcher" in episode: Cow Doctor, first broadcast on September 8, 1956 (episode # 2.1).
  • "Fred Myers" in episode: Kick Me, first broadcast on January 26, 1957 (episode # 2.18).
Appearances in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  • "Dr. Janos Hrandy" in episode: The Love Affair, first broadcast on March 29, 1965 (episode # 1.26).
  • "Mark Ole" in episode: The Pop Art Affair, first broadcast on October 7, 1966 (episode # 3.6).
Appearances in The Untouchables
  • "Phil Corbin" in episode: Kiss of Death Girl, first broadcast on December 8, 1960 (episode # 3.6).
Appearances in Suspense
  • episode: Escape This Night, first broadcast on February 7, 1950 (episode # 2.23).
  • episode: Dark Shadows, first broadcast on September 19, 1950 (episode # 3.4).
  • episode: The Juiceman (episode # 3.34).
  • episode: Night Drive, first broadcast on February 26, 1952 (episode # 4.24).
Appearances in Climax!
  • episode: Flight 951, first broadcast on April 21, 1955 (episode # 1.22).
  • appearing as Robert Harris playing "Porfear" in episode: No Right to Kill, first broadcast on August 9, 1956 (episode # 2.42).
  • episode: The Secret of the Red Room first broadcast on September 12, 1957 (episode # 3.44).
Appearances in Bonanza
  • Jacob J. Dormann in episode: "The Legacy", first broadcast on December 15, 1963 (episode # 5.11).

References

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  1. 1 2 "Bob Harris Plays Any Sort of Part". The Atlanta Journal. May 15, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved September 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Actor Robert Harris dead at 70". The Galveston Daily News. Texas, Galveston. United Press International. December 4, 1981. p. 14. Retrieved November 8, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ↑ "("Robert H. Harris" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 Cail, Harold l. (February 27, 1961). "Former Deertrees, Harrison, Director Now Film Baddie". Portland Evening Express. p. 15. Retrieved September 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "TV Actor Is New Playhouse Head". The Kingston Daily Freeman. New York, Kingston. April 28, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved November 9, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  6. ↑ Harford, Margaret (March 10, 1967). "'Raisins, Almonds' at Actors Theater". Los Angeles Times. p. Part V, p. 18. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
4. Demetria Fulton previewed Robert H. Harris' appearance in the first season of Barnaby Jones; episode titled, "Twenty Million Alibis"(May 6, 1973).
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