Robert Strauss(1913-1975)

A seemingly ubiquitous presence in films of the 1950s, this beefy character actor drifted from one menial job to another before turning to dramatics. He worked on the stage for several years before breaking into movies in 1952. Typically played gruff characters -- sometimes comic, sometimes menacing -- and essayed quite a few gangster roles as well. He won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Animal in Stalag 17 (1953), a role he had originated on Broadway. He also appeared in Seemann, paß auf! (1952), Schrecken der Division (1952), Die Brücken von Toko-Ri (1954), Das verflixte 7. Jahr (1955), Der Mann mit dem goldenen Arm (1955), Ardennen 1944 (1956), Li'l Abner (1959) (as Romeo Scragg), Der tanzende Gangster (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Was diese Frau so alles treibt (1963), Das Familienjuwel (1965), Harlow (1965), Frankie und Johnny (1966), and Die gesetzlosen Drei (1967), to name a few, in addition to many TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. He was incapacitated during the final years of his life, from a paralytic stroke.