Chuck Roberson


Charles Hugh Roberson was an American actor and stuntman.

Biography

Roberson grew up on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, and left school at 13 to become a cowhand and oilfield roughneck. He married and took his wife and daughter to California, where he joined the Culver City Police Department and guarded the gate at MGM studios. Following army service in World War II, he returned to the police force. During duty at Warner Bros. studios during a labor strike, he met stuntman Guy Teague, who alerted him to a stunt job at Republic Pictures. Teague had been John Wayne's stunt double for many years and was able to show him the ropes. Chuck also resembled John Carroll, whom Roberson doubled in his first picture, Wyoming. He played small roles and performed stunts in other roles in the same film. He graduated to larger supporting roles in Westerns for Wayne and John Ford, and to a parallel career as a second-unit director.
His television appearances include The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Kit Carson, Lawman, Death Valley Days, Have Gun – Will Travel, Laramie, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, Laredo, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, and The Big Valley. Roberson also appeared in Disney's television Westerns The Swamp Fox and Texas John Slaughter. They were part of The Wonderful World of Color. Prior to that, he portrayed a Confederate prison captain in The Great Locomotive Chase.
According to commentary for the 1963 film McLintock!, film critic Leonard Maltin and actress Maureen O'Hara stated that Roberson was known as "Bad Chuck" in contrast to "Good Chuck", referencing fellow stunt performer Chuck Hayward, due to Roberson's great successes with women.
In 1980, he published an autobiography, The Fall Guy: 30 Years as the Duke's Double.
Roberson died of cancer on June 8, 1988, in Bakersfield, California, and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, California, next to his brother, actor Lou Roberson.
Bob Dylan drew him as Long Tom in his Beaten Path series, the drawing is entitled Untitled 1 and is based on a frame from the film Winchester '73.
Roberson and Wayne Burson, another stuntman, were partners in breeding and training racehorses, with Roberson furnishing the horses from his Bakersfield, California, ranch and Burson training them.

Filmography (actor)

  • Plainsman and the Lady – Deputy
  • Calendar Girl – Swedish Tug of War Man
  • Song of Scheherazade – Midshipman
  • Jesse James Rides Again – Lafe
  • The Flame – Policeman
  • Albuquerque – Man at Gambling Table
  • California Firebrand – Gunman
  • The Arizona Ranger – Henchman
  • The Gallant Legion – Ranger
  • Homicide for Three – Joe – Policeman
  • Last of the Wild Horses – Deputy Chuck
  • Wake of the Red Witch – Seaman
  • Stampede – Sandy
  • Roughshod – Deputy
  • Law of the Golden West – Wagon Driver
  • Hellfire – Groper
  • Haunted Trails – Ranch Hand Ed
  • The James Brothers of Missouri – Townsman
  • The Fighting Kentuckian – Militiaman
  • Western Renegades – Jones
  • Trail of the Rustlers – Bob, Henchman
  • The Capture – Employee
  • Outcast of Black Mesa – Kramer, Henchman
  • Cow Town – Mike Grady, Henchman
  • Winchester '73 – Long Tom
  • Hills of Oklahoma – Cowhand
  • Hi-Jacked – Police Officer
  • Atom Man vs. Superman – Policeman on Road
  • Rio Grande – Officer / Indian Who Fires Arrow into Colonel York's Chest
  • Frontier Outpost – Gopher, Henchman
  • Lightning Guns – Hank Burch, Henchman
  • The Bandit Queen – Deputy
  • Ridin' the Outlaw Trail – Henchman Reno
  • Oh! Susanna – Barfly
  • The Last Outpost – Confederate Corporal
  • Cattle Drive – Chuck Saunders
  • Fort Dodge Stampede – Henchman Ragan
  • Indian Uprising – Taggart Man
  • Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory – Trooper
  • Cattle Town – Rider
  • The Lusty Men – Cowboy
  • Way of a Gaucho – Gaucho
  • Blackbeard the Pirate – Mounted Soldier
  • Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd – Pirate
  • The Blazing Forest – Lumberjack
  • Cow Country – Stubby
  • Raiders of the Seven Seas – Spanish Officer
  • Hannah Lee: An American Primitive – Cowboy
  • Gun Belt – Oliver
  • Calamity Jane – Barfly
  • Hondo – Kloori / Cavalry Sergeant killed in Indian Attack
  • Jubilee Trail – Man at Bar
  • The Lone Gun – Luke
  • The Far Country – Latigo
  • Sign of the Pagan – Mirrai
  • Ten Wanted Men – Campbell's Rider / Henchman
  • Timberjack – Lumberjack
  • The Prodigal – Chieftain
  • The Tall Men – Alva Jenkin, Jayhawker Leader
  • The Second Greatest Sex – Brawler
  • The Great Locomotive Chase – Confederate Prison Captain
  • Red Sundown – Henshaw's Man
  • The Searchers – Ranger at Wedding
  • The Rawhide Years – Johnny
  • Seven Men from Now – Mason
  • The King and Four Queens – Posseman
  • The Wings of Eagles – Officer
  • Night Passage – Roan
  • Run of the Arrow – Sergeant
  • The Hired Gun – Frank Cooper, Conroy Ranch Wrangler
  • Forty Guns – Howard Swain
  • The Big Country – Terrill Cowboy
  • Man of the West – Rifleman-guard on Train
  • Rio Bravo – Gunman
  • The Wonderful Country – Barton
  • Sergeant Rutledge – Court-martial Board Member
  • Spartacus – Slave
  • The Alamo – Tennessean
  • Two Rode Together – Comanche
  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – Henchman
  • Merrill's Marauders – Officer
  • How the West Was Won – Officer
  • Donovan's Reef – Festus
  • Shock Corridor – Wilkes
  • McLintock! – Sheriff Jeff Lord
  • Mail Order Bride – Saloon Brawler
  • Advance to the Rear – Monk
  • Cheyenne Autumn – Jessie
  • The Rounders – Brawler
  • Black Spurs – Norton, Prisoner
  • Shenandoah – Rebel Commander with Mustache Who Orders to Take the Union Cow
  • The Sons of Katie Elder – Townsman
  • Cat Ballou – Armed Guard
  • Nevada Smith – Deputy
  • Blindfold – Fitzpatrick's Henchman
  • Smoky – Chuck – a Ranchhand
  • Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider – Dutch, Teamster
  • The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin – Cook
  • Welcome to Hard Times – Miner Fighting Bert
  • The War Wagon – Brown / Mustachioed Guard at blown bridge
  • El Dorado – Jason's Gunman
  • The Scalphunters – Scalphunter
  • The Green Berets – Sergeant Griffin
  • Hellfighters – Firefighter in Airplane
  • The Undefeated – Yankee Sergeant at River
  • Chisum – Trail Herder
  • Rio Lobo – Corporal in Baggage Car
  • Big Jake – Texas Ranger
  • Cahill U.S. Marshal – Leader of the Bunch
  • McQ – Bodyguard
  • 99 and 44/100% Dead – Gunman

    Television

  • The Lone Ranger
  • * – Henchman at Cave
  • * – Henchman Joe
  • * – Tod Gunder
  • Cowboy G-Men – Lefty
  • The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin – Manley Stevens
  • Panic! – Sam Glenn
  • Death Valley Days
  • * – Red Haskell
  • * – Oscar
  • * – Sergeant Jim Laughlin
  • Wide Wide World – Himself
  • Cimarron City
  • * – Cowhand
  • * – Foreman
  • Wagon Train
  • * – Captain Thorpe
  • * – Junior
  • Walt Disney Presents
  • * – Texas Ranger
  • * – Ranger Sam
  • * – Ranger Sam
  • * – Jenkins / Stunt Man
  • * – Jenkins
  • * – Milo
  • Yancy Derringer – Henchman
  • Gunsmoke
  • * – Sergeant Keller
  • * – Driver
  • * – Joe
  • * – Stage Driver
  • * – Husband
  • Bat Masterson – Henchman about to be Sawn in Half
  • Have Gun - Will Travel
  • * – Rancher
  • * – Pike
  • * – Man Guarding River Crossing
  • * – Carly
  • Laramie
  • * – Burke
  • * – Chet, Gang Member
  • * – Marker
  • * – Croft
  • The Detectives – episode – Secret Assignment – Enforcer
  • Stagecoach West – episode – A Place of Still Waters – Matt
  • Tales of Wells Fargo – The Traveler – Lee
  • Daniel Boone
  • * – Dark Panther
  • * – Ruffian
  • * – Dutch
  • * – Dutch
  • * – Shawnee Leader
  • * – Lige Henry
  • The Virginian – Wagon Driver
  • Bonanza – Larcher
  • Laredo – Rafer
  • Lost in Space – Alien Giant
  • Mister Terrific – Dawson
  • The Big Valley – Stagecoach Driver
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Lancer – Paul O'Brien
  • Mod Squad – Caine

    Filmography (stuntman, all uncredited)

  • Jesse James Rides Again
  • Angel and the Badman
  • The Three Musketeers
  • Wake of the Red Witch
  • The Fighting Kentuckian
  • Rio Grande
  • The Last Outpost
  • Blackbeard the Pirate
  • Hondo
  • Calamity Jane
  • The Far Country
  • The Man from Laramie
  • The Conqueror
  • Red Sundown
  • The Great Locomotive Chase
  • The Searchers
  • The Wings of Eagles – Stunt Double: John Wayne
  • Forty Guns
  • The Barbarian and the Geisha
  • Rio Bravo
  • Laramie – TV series
  • The Alamo
  • Sergeant Rutledge
  • The Comancheros
  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
  • Hatari!
  • How the West Was Won – Stunt Double: John Wayne
  • Gunsmoke – Stunt Double: Chill Wills
  • Donovan's Reef
  • Cheyenne Autumn – Jessie
  • The Sons of Katie Elder
  • The Rounders
  • The War Lord
  • Nevada Smith
  • El Dorado
  • The War Wagon
  • The Green Berets
  • Hellfighters
  • The Undefeated
  • Chisum
  • Rio Lobo
  • A Man Called Horse
  • Big Jake – Stunt Double: John Wayne
  • Shoot Out
  • The Cowboys – Stunt Double: John Wayne
  • The Train Robbers
  • Cahill U.S. Marshal
  • McQ
  • Rooster Cogburn – Stunt Double: John Wayne
  • The Shootist
  • ''Blue Thunder''