Oscar Winner Cliff Robertson Dead at 88

R.I.P. to a solid, professional actor. He was hand-picked by JFK to portray him in PT-109 (1963)and also chosen by Hugh Hefner to play him in STAR 80 (1983). He was the first star to appear on an episode of Outer Limits and was Uncle Ben in Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN films. He won the Oscar for Best Actor for CHARLY in 1968 and, in a career that spanned seven decades, played bad guys (3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR – 1975), romantic leads (DePalma’s OBSESSION – 1976), historical figures (Cole Younger in THE GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID -1972), presidents (ESCAPE FROM L.A. -1996), and even a guest villain on three episodes of the ‘60’s Batman series (an evil cowboy called Shame). He apparently died earlier today though the cause of death is sketchy. Cliff Robertson was 88.

From The L.A. Times:

Cliff Robertson, who starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a mentally disabled bakery janitor in the movie “Charly,” died Saturday, one day after his 88th birthday.

Robertson, who also played a real-life role as the whistle-blower in the check-forging scandal of then-Columbia Pictures President David Begelman that rocked Hollywood in the late 1970s, died at Stony Brook University Medical Center on Long Island, according to Evelyn Christel, his longtime personal secretary. His family said he died of natural causes.

Cliff Robertson, who starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a mentally disabled bakery janitor in the movie “Charly” died Saturday, one day after his 88th birthday.

In a more than 50-year career in films, Robertson appeared in some 60 movies, including “PT 109,” “My Six Loves,” “Sunday in New York,” “The Best Man,” “The Devil’s Brigade,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Obsession” and “Star 80.”

More recently, he played Uncle Ben Parker in the “Spider-Man” films.

Throughout his career, Robertson worked regularly in television, including delivering an Emmy Award-winning performance in “The Game,” a 1965 drama on “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre.”