Cliff Robertson

Born in La Jolla, Calif., Sept. 9, 1925, Cliff Robertson found success on television in the 1950s in "Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers" before transitioning to film with a supporting part in Picnic (1955) and a leading role in Autumn Leaves (1956).

Better scripts came Robertson's way in the mid-1960s, and for his outstanding portrayal of the mentally impaired title character in Charly (1968), the actor took home an Academy Award. He went on to star in a string of war movies and political thrillers, including Three Days of the Condor (1975, opposite Robert Redford) and Midway (1976). But Robertson's career suffered a setback in 1977 when he made public allegations of film industry corruption in a scandal that came to be known as "Hollywoodgate."

To contemporary audiences, Robertson is best known as the uncle of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) in the popular Spider-Man franchise. Robertson died Sept. 10, 2011.

Filmography