Oscar Winner Cliff Robertson Dies at 88 on Long Island
Oscar winner Cliff Robertson passed away on Saturday, a day after his 88th birthday in Stony Brook, New York of natural causes. Robertson first appeared in a TV version of Charly, The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon. Which were based on Flowers for Algernon, a short story author Daniel Keyes later revised into a novel.
Robertson was diligent not to lose the role in the film version to another performer and industriously purchased the movie rights. "I bought the movie rights to the show, and I tried for eight years to persuade a studio to make it," he announced in 1968. "Finally I found a new company, ABC Films. I owned 50 percent of the gross, but I gave half of it to Ralph Nelson to direct."
Robertson took home the highly coveted Academy award for his brilliant performance in Charly. Although, Robertson was not on hand when his Oscar was announced due to filming overseas and not getting time off to return stateside.
Robertson did not fall into Hollywood’s leading man category, but remained a beloved entertainer churning out impressive performances on Broadway and the small screen. In 1963, Robertson took on the role of John F. Kennedy in PT-109 the first film to portray a sitting president.
In 1977, Robertson made headlines by blowing the whistle on a Hollywood financial scandal. He had disclosed that the president of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, had forged his signature on a $10,000 salary check, and he notified the FBI and the Beverly Hills and Burbank police departments. Hollywood insiders were not pleased with the wretched publicity.
Born Sept. 9, 1923, in La Jolla, Calif., Robertson was barely 2 when he was adopted by affluent parents who named him Clifford Parker Robertson III. After his parents divorced and his mother died, he was reared by his maternal grandmother, whom he cherished.
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