Chuck Roberson

Chuck Roberson
File:Chuck Roberson Mclintock 01.jpg
Born	Charles Hugh Roberson (1919-05-10)May 10, 1919 near Shannon, Texas, U.S.
Died	Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Other names	Bad Chuck
Occupation	Actor, Stuntman, Cowboy
Years active	1946–88
Spouse(s)	Dolly Roberson (?-1988)
Children	Charlene, Patricia, & Corliss

Charles Hugh "Chuck" Roberson (May 10, 1919 – June 8, 1988) was an American cowboy, actor, and stuntman. He was nicknamed "Bad Chuck" by director John Ford, for whom he worked many times, to distinguish him from "Good Chuck," stuntman Chuck Hayward. Roberson was reportedly the rowdier of the two, thus the nicknames.

Biography

Roberson was born near Shannon, Texas, the son of farmer Ollie W. Roberson and Jannie Hamm Roberson. Raised on cattle ranches in Shannon, Texas, and Roswell, New Mexico, he 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 Fred Kennedy, who alerted him to a stunt job at Republic Pictures. Roberson got the job, due both to his expert horsemanship and his resemblance to John Carroll, whom Roberson doubled in his first picture, Wyoming (1947). His close physical resemblance to John Wayne led to nearly 30 years as Wayne's stunt double. He often played small roles and stunted in other roles in the same film, which frequently resulted in his "shooting" himself once the picture was cut together. 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.

In 1979 he published an autobiography entitled “The Fall Guy: 30 Years as the Duke's Double” (ISBN 088839036X). Roberson died of cancer in Bakersfield, California and is buried next to his brother, actor Lou Roberson in Los Angeles.

Filmography (Actor)

• Wake of the Red Witch - Seaman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1948)
• The Fighting Kentuckian - Militiaman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1949)
• Rio Grande - Officer/Indian Who Fires Arrow at Colonel York's Chest (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1950)
• The Bandit Queen - Deputy (1950)
• Winchester '73 - Long Tom (uncredited) (1950)
• Oh! Susanna - Barfly (1951)
• Blackbeard the Pirate - Mounted Soldier (uncredited) (1952)
• Hondo - Kloori/Cavalry Sgt. killed in Indian Attack (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1953)
• The Far Country - Latigo (uncredited) (1954)
• The Searchers - Ranger at Wedding (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1956)
• The Wings of Eagles - Officer (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1957)
• The Big Country - Terrill Cowboy (1958)
• Rio Bravo - Gunman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1959)
• The Alamo - Tennesseean (with John Wayne) (1960)
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence - Henchman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1962)
• Merrill's Marauders (1962) as Battalion Commander
• Donovan's Reef - Festus (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1963)
• McLintock! - Sheriff Jeff Lord (with John Wayne) (1963)
• Cheyenne Autumn - Jessie (uncredited) (1964)
• The Sons of Katie Elder - Townsman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1965)
• Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider - Dutch, Teamster (1966)
• El Dorado - Jason's Gunman (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1966)
• The War Wagon - Brown/Mustachioed Guard at blown bridge (with John Wayne) (1967)
• The Green Berets - Sgt. Griffin (with John Wayne) (1968)
• Hellfighters - Firefighter in Air Plane (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1968)
• The Undefeated - Yankee Sgt. at River (uncredited) (with John Wayne)(1969)
• Chisum - Trail Herder (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1970)
• Rio Lobo - Corporal in Baggage Car (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1970)
• Big Jake - Texas Ranger (with John Wayne) (1971)
• Cahill U.S. Marshal - Leader of the Bunch (with John Wayne) (1973)
• McQ - Bodyguard (uncredited) (with John Wayne) (1974)

Television

• The Lone Ranger - episode - Return of the Convict - Tod Gunder (uncredited) (1949)
• The Lone Ranger - episode - Six Guns Legacy - Henchman Joe (Credit only) (1949)
• The Lone Ranger - episode - The Renegades - Henchman at Cave (uncredited) (1949)
• Cowboy G-Men - episode - Koniackers - Lefty (1952)
• The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin - episode - The Lonesome Road - Manley Stevens (1955)
• Panic! - episode - The Vigilantes - Sam Glenn (1957)
• Death Valley Days - episode - The Trial of Red Haskell (1957)
• Wide Wide World - episode - The Western - Himself (1958)
• Wagon Train - episode - The Bije Wilcox Story - Captain Thorpe (1958)
• Cimarron City - episode - A Respectable Girl (1958)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - episodes - Texas John Slaughter, Texas John Slaughter: Ambush in Laredo, and Texas John Slaughter: Showdown at Sandoval - Ranger Sam (1958-1959)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - episode - The Swamp Fox: The Birth of the Swamp Fox - Jenkins, and Stunt Man (1959)
• Cimarron City - episode - Blind is the Killer - Foreman (1959)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - episode - The Swamp Fox: Brother Against Brother - Jenkins (1959)
• Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color - episode - The Swamp Fox: A Woman's Courage - Milo (uncredited) (1959)
• Gunsmoke - episode - Cheyennes - Sgt. Keller (1959)
• Yancy Derringer - episode - Two Tickets to Promontory - Henchman (uncredited) (1959)
• Bat Masterson - episode - The Disappearance of Bat Masterson - Henchman about to be Sawn in Half (1960)
• Death Valley Days - episode - Splinter Station - Sgt. Jim Laughlin (1960)
• Gunsmoke - episode - Speak me Fair - Driver (1960)
• Gunsmoke - episode - Abe Blocker - Joe (1962)
• Have Gun - Will Travel - The Campaign of Billy Banjo - Rancher (1960)
• Have Gun - Will Travel - The Legacy - Pike (1960)
• Laramie - episode - Midnight Rebellion - Burke (uncredited) (1960)
• Laramie - episode - Riders of the Night - Chet - Gang Member (1961)
• Laramie - episode - The Killer Legend - Marker (1961)
• Have Gun - Will Travel - Soledad Crossing - Man Guarding River Crossing (1961)
• Have Gun - Will Travel - Ben Jalisco - Carly (1961)
• Wagon Train - episode - The Colter Craven Story - Junior (uncredited) (1960)
• The Detectives - episode - Secret Assignment - Enforcer (1961)
• Stagecoach West - episode - A Place of Still Waters - Matt (1961)
• Tales of Wells Fargo - The Traveler - Lee (1962)
• Laramie - episode - Among the Missing - Croft (1962)
• Gunsmoke - episode - The Glory and the Mud - Stage Driver (uncredited) (1964)
• Daniel Boone - episode - Ken-Tuck-E - Dark Panther (1964)
• The Virginian - episode - Six Graves at Cripple Creek - Wagon Driver (1965)
• Daniel Boone - episode - Fifty Rifles - Ruffian (1966)
• Daniel Boone - episodes - The High Cumberland Parts 1 and 2 - Dutch (1966)
• Daniel Boone - episode - The Matchmaker - Shawnee Leader (1966)
• Bonanza - episode - Horse of a Different Hue - Larcher (1966)
• Laredo - episode - The Legend of Midas Mantee - Rafer (1966)
• Mister Terrific - episode - Stanley the Jailbreaker - Dawson (1967)
• Daniel Boone - episode - The Young Ones - Lige Henry(1967)
• The Big Valley - episodes - Night in a Small Town, Ladykiller, and the Disappearance - Stagecoach Driver (1967)
• Lancer - episode - The high Riders (1968)
• Mod Squad - episode - A Run for the Money - Caine (1969)

Filmography (Stunt Man) (All uncredited)

• Jesse James Rides Again (1947)
• Angel and the Badman (with John Wayne) (1947)
• The Three Musketeers (1948)
• Wake of the Red Witch (with John Wayne) (1948)
• The Fighting Kentuckian (with John Wayne) (1949)
• Rio Grande (with John Wayne) (1950)
• The Last Outpost (1951)
• Blackbeard the Pirate (1952)
• Hondo (with John Wayne) (1953)
• Calamity Jane (1953)
• The Far Country (1954)
• The Man from Laramie (1955)
• The Conqueror (with John Wayne) (1956)
• Red Sundown (1956)
• The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
• The Searchers (with John Wayne) (1956)
• The Wings of Eagles - Stunt Double: John Wayne (with John Wayne) (1957)
• Forty Guns (1957)
• The Barbarian and the Geisha (with John Wayne) (1958)
• Rio Bravo (with John Wayne) (1959)
• Laramie - TV series (1959)
• The Alamo (with John Wayne) (1960)
• Sergeant Rutledge (1960)
• The Comancheros (with John Wayne) (1961)
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (with John Wayne) (1962)
• Hatari! (with John Wayne) (1962)
• How the West Was Won - Stunt Double: John Wayne (with John Wayne) (1962)
• Gunsmoke - TV series - episode - Abe Blocker - Stunt Double: Chill Wills (1962)
• Donovan's Reef (with John Wayne) (1963)
• Cheyenne Autumn - Jessie (uncredited) (1964)
• The Sons of Katie Elder (with John Wayne) (1965)
• The Rounders (1965)
• The War Lord (1965)
• Nevada Smith (1966)
• El Dorado (with John Wayne) (1966)
• The War Wagon (with John Wayne) (1967)
• The Green Berets (with John Wayne) (1968)
• Hellfighters (with John Wayne) (1968)
• The Undefeated (with John Wayne) (1969)
• Chisum (with John Wayne) (1970)
• Rio Lobo (with John Wayne) (1970)
• A Man Called Horse (1970)
• Big Jake - Stunt Double: John Wayne (with John Wayne) (1971)
• Shoot Out (1971)
• The Cowboys - Stunt Double: John Wayne (with John Wayne) (1972)
• The Train Robbers (with John Wayne) (1973)
• Cahill U.S. Marshal (with John Wayne) (1973)
• McQ (with John Wayne) (1974)
• Rooster Cogburn - Stunt Double: John Wayne (with John Wayne) (1975)
• The Shootist(with John Wayne) (1976)
• Blue Thunder (1983)

External links

• Chuck Roberson at the Internet Movie Database
• Chuck Roberson at Find a Grave