Robert Stack

Person Score

 
9.2 Superb
18 votes

Your Score

Biography

Recent Role:
Stoat Muldoon on Butt Ugly Martians
Gender:
Male
Born:
1-13-1919
Died:
5-14-2003 (Heart Failure)
Birthplace:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name:
Robert Langford Modini Stack
On January 13, 1919, Robert Stack was born in Los Angeles, California. However, he spent his early childhood growing up in Europe. Stack took drama courses at the University of Southern California. He entered Hollywood at the age of 20. During World War II, Stack served as gunnery instructor in the United States Navy. In 1957, Stack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Written on the Wind. Stack played Eliot Ness in the television drama The Untouchables from 1959 to 1963. His role on the show brought Stack a best actor Emmy Award in 1960. HeMore began hosting Unsolved Mysteries in 1988. Stack had undergone radiation therapy for prostate cancer in October 2002. However, he died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles On May 14, 2003. He was 84. He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California.

From the Forums

More Topics
More Topics
  •  
    10 Perfect
    Scary as hell, but cool anyways! hide show

    I don't know much about Robert Stack unlike the other guy, but i can describe him some. I never watched Unsolved Mysteries when it was on the air, but now whenever I'm home from school, I'll tune in to watch it. Robert Stack is one of the scariest guys I've ever seen, plain and simple. He NEVER makes a full smile, and when he does smile, it's like a half-contorted/upper lip smile that also freaks me out. Even on something happy, like a lost relative finding their family or a lost child being found, he still rarely smiles! Even though this guy scares te holy hell out of me, I still think he is one of the best TV host of all time.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
  •  
    10 Perfect
    Mr. Untouchable hide show

    Robert Stack had a career in Hollywood that spanned over 60 years. He appeared in movies with everyone from Carole Lombard to Chevy Chase but it was television where Stack left his greatest mark. After appearing in classic films such as Written on the Wind and High and the Mighty, Stack saw his career experience a slump in the late 1950's. That's why he decided to accept a role in a two-part episode of Desilu Playhouse entitled The Untouchables. Stack was a last minute replacement for Van Johnson who had accepted and then turned down the role of Eliot Ness, the leader of a small band of incorruptible Federal agents who helped bring down the criminal empire of Al Capone.

    It was the role of Eliot Ness that defined and cemented Stack's career. The Untouchables was a sensation and Stack became a bigger star on television than he had ever been in the movies. For four years Ness and his Untouchables did battle with the likes of Frank Nitti, Al Capone, Dutch Schultz, Wally Legenza, and others. The villains quite often dominated the episodes but Stack was the glue which held The Untouchables together.

    Growing tired of the grind of a weekly series, Stack bowed out of the show after four seasons. Unfortunately, he was unable for the most part to resume his movie career. The Untouchables had type cast him as the hard-nosed, incorruptible, and heroic crimefighter. Most of his subsequent roles were some variation or another of his Eliot Ness personna but he kept working almost up until the day he died. Stack's later years were spent as the host/narrator of Unsolved Mysteries and doing voiceover work in the likes of Beavis and Butthead. At the time of his death in May of 2003, Stack was one of the most respected and beloved stars in all of Hollywood. We shall not see his like again for a long time.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
 

Top Contributors

What is a TV.com Contributor?