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IMDbPro

Robert Vaughn(1932-2016)

  • Actor
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000360
"Man From U.N.C.L.E." Robert Vaughn 1965 NBC
Trailer for Gold Star
Play trailer1:07
Gold Star (2017)
52 Videos
99+ Photos
Robert Francis Vaughn was born on November 22, 1932 at Charity Hospital in New York City, the son of show business parents, Marcella Frances (Gaudel) and Gerald Walter Vaughn. His father was a radio actor and his mother starred on stage. Robert came to the public's attention first with his Oscar-nominated role, in The Young Philadelphians (1959). The next year, he was one of the seven in the western classic The Magnificent Seven (1960). Despite being in such popular films, he generally found work on television. He appeared over 200 times in guest roles in the late 1950s to early 1960s. It was in 1963 that he received his first major role in The Lieutenant (1963). Robert took the role with the intention of making the transition from being a guest-star actor to being a co-star on television. It was due to his work in this series that producer Norman Felton offered him the role of Napoleon Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964).

Four extremely successful years (1964-68) followed as the series became one of the most popular television series of the 1960s. It made Vaughn an international television star, but he wanted to embark on a career in film, and did so soon after the series ended in 1968 by co-starring in Bullitt (1968) with Steve McQueen. Now working in film full-time, he starred in The Bridge at Remagen (1969) and The Mind of Mr. Soames (1970), before making a change by going back to television, this time in England. He took a lead role in the series The Protectors (1972) and stayed in England for the first half of the 1970s. He returned to the United States in the mid-1970s and embarked on a very successful run of television miniseries roles that resulted in his receiving an Emmy Award in 1978 for Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977) and a nomination the following year for Backstairs at the White House (1979).

The 1970s proved a important time in Robert's life, as in 1974, he married actress Linda Staab, and completed his thesis on Hollywood blacklisting during the McCarthy "Red Scare" era, published in 1972 as "Only Victims: A Study of Show Business Blacklisting". During the 1980s, he mixed television with film. Roles in such films as S.O.B. (1981), Superman III (1983), The Delta Force (1986) and Black Moon Rising (1986) were highlights. In television, he appeared in many successful series, most notably in The A-Team (1983) and Emerald Point N.A.S. (1983).

He continued with a diverse range of projects, appearing on stage on numerous occasions. The 1990s saw the same variety of roles. Made-for-TV movies were a popular choice for him, as well as such series as As the World Turns (1956), The Nanny (1993) and Law & Order (1990). He had a role in the 1998 series remake of the classic film in which he appeared, The Magnificent Seven (1998). He also appeared in major features such as Joe's Apartment (1996) and BASEketball (1998), and in smaller roles in subsequent years.

Robert died of acute leukemia on November 11, 2016 in Ridgefield, Connecticut. His last acting credit, Gold Star (2017), was released the year of his death.
BornNovember 22, 1932
DiedNovember 11, 2016(83)
BornNovember 22, 1932
DiedNovember 11, 2016(83)
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,000360
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Photos245

Robert Vaughn in Doctor Franken (1980)
Robert Vaughn and David Selby in Doctor Franken (1980)
Robert Vaughn in Doctor Franken (1980)
Robert Vaughn, Robert Perault, and David Selby in Doctor Franken (1980)
Robert Vaughn and Robert Perault in Doctor Franken (1980)
Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Yul Brynner, Robert Vaughn, Horst Buchholz, and Brad Dexter in The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Robert Vaughn, Hans Christian Blech, and Joachim Hansen in The Bridge at Remagen (1969)
Robert Vaughn and Jill Ireland in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
Robert Vaughn and Jill Ireland in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
Robert Vaughn, Jill Ireland, and David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
Robert Vaughn, Jill Ireland, and David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964)
Robert Vaughn and Annie Ross in Superman III (1983)

Known for

Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, and Eli Wallach in The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The Magnificent Seven
7.7
  • Lee
  • 1960
Steve McQueen in Bullitt (1968)
Bullitt
7.4
  • Chalmers
  • 1968
Fred Astaire, William Holden, Paul Newman, Richard Chamberlain, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, O.J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Susan Blakely, and Jennifer Jones in The Towering Inferno (1974)
The Towering Inferno
7.0
  • Senator Parker
  • 1974
Richard Pryor and Christopher Reeve in Superman III (1983)
Superman III
5.0
  • Ross Webster
  • 1983

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Gold Star (2017)
    Gold Star
  • The American Side (2016)
    The American Side
  • John Wesley Shipp and Mike Roberts in Powder Burns: An Original Western Audio Drama (2015)
    Powder Burns: An Original Western Audio Drama
  • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
  • Playhouse Presents (2012)
    Playhouse Presents
    • (voice)
  • Eric Roberts, Deborah Twiss, and Sydney McCann in A Cry from Within (2014)
    A Cry from Within
  • The Magnificent Eleven (2013)
    The Magnificent Eleven
  • Wayne Knight and James McCaffrey in Excuse Me for Living (2012)
    Excuse Me for Living
  • Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)
    Coronation Street
  • Robert Vaughn, Robert Glenister, Adrian Lester, Marc Warren, and Jaime Murray in Hustle (2004)
    Hustle
  • Patrimony
  • Matt Lucas and David Walliams in Little Britain USA (2008)
    Little Britain USA
  • The Verdict
  • Hustle Season 3: It's Just Like Playing
  • Family of the Year

Director

  • Angie Dickinson in Police Woman (1974)
    Police Woman
  • Robert Vaughn, Tony Anholt, and Nyree Dawn Porter in The Protectors (1972)
    The Protectors

Videos52

Battle Beyond the Stars
Clip 1:18
Battle Beyond the Stars
Trailer
Trailer 2:06
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:30
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:04
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:05
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:05
Trailer
Blu-ray Trailer
Trailer 2:41
Blu-ray Trailer
Good Day for a Hanging
Trailer 2:01
Good Day for a Hanging
The Mind of Mr. Soames
Trailer 2:41
The Mind of Mr. Soames
Gold Star
Trailer 1:07
Gold Star
The Delta Force
Trailer 1:58
The Delta Force
Excuse Me for Living
Trailer 2:10
Excuse Me for Living

Personal details

Edit
    • Facebook
    • Official Fan Site
    • November 22, 1932
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • November 11, 2016
    • Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA(acute leukemia)
    • Linda StaabJune 29, 1974 - November 11, 2016 (his death, 2 children)
    • Sydney Sweeney(Cousin)
  • Other works
    TV commercial: Keller & Keller law firm.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 10 Interviews
    • 3 Articles
    • 2 Pictorials
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    With the death of Charles Bronson on 8/30/2003, he became the last surviving actor to have played one of the title characters in The Magnificent Seven (1960). With the death of Eli Wallach on 6/24/2014, he became the last surviving star of the film. Vaughn died on 11/11/2016 at age 83.
  • Quotes
    With a modest amount of looks and talent and more than a modicum of serendipity, I've managed to stretch my 15 minutes of fame into more than half a century of good fortune.
    • Distinctive smooth but often menacing voice.

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