From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Robert Middleton born Samuel G Messer May 13 1911 June 14 1977 was an American film and television actor known for his large size and beetlelike brow With a deep booming voice Middleton trained for a musical career at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania He worked steadily as a radio announcer and actor One of his early works was as the narrator of the educational film Duck and Cover After appearing on the Broadway stage and live television Middleton began appearing in films in 1954 Hes also remembered on television as the boss Mr Marshall on The Jackie Gleason Show and in film opposite Humphrey Bogart in The Desperate Hours 1955 Gary Cooper in Friendly Persuasion 1956 Richard Egan and Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender 1956 Dorothy Malone and Robert Stack in The Tarnished Angels 1958 and Dean Martin in Career 1959 A native of Cincinnati Ohio Middleton appeared in many television programs in the 1950s and 1960s including the CBS anthology series Appointment with Adventure He was cast as The Tichborne Claimant in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show He appeared in ten episodes of ABCs family Western The Monroes with costars Michael Anderson Jr and Barbara Hershey Among his several appearances in the longrunning Alfred Hitchcock Presents he portrayed a gangster in high places Mr Koster in the 1956 episode The Better Bargain In 1958 he played the villain in the first episode of Bat Masterson In 1961 he appeared in the episode Accidental Tourist on the James Whitmore ABC legal drama The Law and Mr Jones That same year he portrayed the highly sympathetic but fiercely dedicated state executioner in an episode of Thriller US TV series entitled Guillotine He also appeared in at least one episode of Bonanza 1964 In the early 1950s Middleton appeared on Broadway in Ondine Other significant film roles include The Court Jester 1956 as a grim and determined knight who jousts with Danny Kaye in the famous pellet with the poison sequence and as a sinister politician in The Lincoln Conspiracy 1977 Betwixt and between were an array of brutish mountain daddies corrupt cigarchomping town bosses and lynch mob leaders Occasionally he showed a bit of levity as in his recurring role as Jackie Gleasons boss on The Honeymooners 1955 sketches Middleton died of congestive heart failure in Hollywood at the age of sixtysix Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Middleton licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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