CINEFILER

Robert Stack

Born
January 13, 1919
Died
May 14, 2003
Robert Langford Modini Stack was a multilingual American actor and television host. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he also appeared on the television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries. Born in Los Angeles, California, Stack spent his early childhood growing up in Europe.  Becoming fluent in French and Italian at an early age, and he did not learn English until returning to Los Angeles.  Stack achieved minor fame in sporting, winning multiple championships including setting two world records and winning multiple honors in skeet shooting Stack studied drama at Bridgewater State College, earning his first hollywood role at the age of 20 and continuing to star in numerous roles throughout the early 1940s. After serving in the military, Stack returned to Hollywood to star in numerous films including stand out roles in The High and the Mighty (opposite John Wayne) and Written on the Wind (1957), for which he was awarded an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Stack later moved on to televised dramatic series, depicting the crime-fighting Eliot Ness in The Untouchables (1959–1963), which earned him a best actor Emmy Award in 1960. Stack also starred in multiple drama series, before returning to film, this time in comedies to satirize his famed stoic and humorless demeanor. He began hosting Unsolved Mysteries in 1987, and served as the show's host throughout it's entire original run from 1987 to 2002.
Known For
Airplane!
(1980)
Captain Rex Kramer
The Transformers: The Movie
(1986)
Ultra Magnus (voice)
Recess: School's Out
(2001)
Superintendent (voice)
Joe Versus the Volcano
(1990)
Dr. Ellison
Is Paris Burning?
(1966)
General Sibert
BASEketball
(1998)
Robert Stack
To Be or Not to Be
(1942)
Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
(1996)
Agent Flemming (voice)
1941
(1979)
Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell
Uncommon Valor
(1983)
MacGregor
Caddyshack II
(1988)
Chandler Young
Written on the Wind
(1956)
Kyle Hadley
Hercules: Zero to Hero
(1999)
Narrator (voice) (archive sound)
The High and the Mighty
(1954)
John Sullivan
Plain Clothes
(1988)
Mr. Gardner
The Tarnished Angels
(1957)
Roger Shumann
Full Filmography
Acting
First Love
(1939)
Ted Drake
The Mortal Storm
(1940)
Otto Von Rohn
A Little Bit of Heaven
(1940)
Bob Terry
Nice Girl?
(1941)
Don Webb
Badlands Of Dakota
(1941)
Jim Holliday
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
(1941)
Self
To Be or Not to Be
(1942)
Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Men of Texas
(1942)
Barry Conovan
Eagle Squadron
(1942)
Chuck S. Brewer
Keeping Fit
(1942)
Bob - Factory worker
Screen Snapshots (Series 23, No. 1): Hollywood in Uniform
(1943)
Himself
A Date with Judy
(1948)
Stephen Andrews
Fighter Squadron
(1948)
Capt. Stuart L. Hamilton
Miss Tatlock's Millions
(1948)
Nickey Van Alen
Mr. Music
(1950)
Jeff Blake
My Outlaw Brother
(1951)
Patrick O´Moore
Bullfighter and the Lady
(1951)
John Regan
Bwana Devil
(1952)
Bob Hayward
Sabre Jet
(1953)
Col. Gil Manton
War Paint
(1953)
Lt. Billings
Conquest of Cochise
(1953)
Maj. Tom Burke
The High and the Mighty
(1954)
John Sullivan
The Iron Glove
(1954)
Captain Charles Wogan
Good Morning, Miss Dove
(1955)
Dr. Tommy Baker
House of Bamboo
(1955)
Eddie Kenner
Laura
(1955)
Mark Macpherson
Written on the Wind
(1956)
Kyle Hadley
Great Day in the Morning
(1956)
Owen Pentecost
The Tarnished Angels
(1957)
Roger Shumann
The Gift of Love
(1958)
William 'Bill' Beck
John Paul Jones
(1959)
John Paul Jones
The Scarface Mob
(1959)
Eliot Ness
The Last Voyage
(1960)
Cliff Henderson
The Caretakers
(1963)
Dr. Donovan MacLeod
Asylum for a Spy
(1965)
James Andrew Congers
Is Paris Burning?
(1966)
General Sibert
Action Man
(1967)
Jim Beckley
The Corrupt Ones
(1967)
Cliff Wilder
Laura
(1968)
Mark McPherson
Story of a Woman
(1970)
David Frasier
The Selling of the Pentagon
(1971)
Self (archive footage)
The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World
(1971)
Self
The Strange and Deadly Occurrence
(1974)
Michael Rhodes
Adventures of the Queen
(1975)
Capt. James Morgan
Murder on Flight 502
(1975)
Captain Larkin
Un Second Souffle
(1978)
François Davis
1941
(1979)
Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell
The Muppets Go Hollywood
(1979)
Self
Undercover with the KKK
(1979)
Host - Narrator
Airplane!
(1980)
Captain Rex Kramer
Douglas Sirk: Über Stars
(1980)
Self
Barry Norman in Celebrity City
(1982)
Self
Uncommon Valor
(1983)
MacGregor
Midas Valley
(1985)
Drew Hammond
Big Trouble
(1986)
Winslow
The Transformers: The Movie
(1986)
Ultra Magnus (voice)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit
(1987)
Jordan White
Caddyshack II
(1988)
Chandler Young
Dangerous Curves
(1988)
Louis Faciano
Plain Clothes
(1988)
Mr. Gardner
Joe Versus the Volcano
(1990)
Dr. Ellison
The Return of Eliot Ness
(1991)
Eliot Ness
Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
(1996)
Agent Flemming (voice)
The Making of '1941'
(1996)
(archive)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
(1997)
Self
BASEketball
(1998)
Robert Stack
Mumford
(1999)
Himself
Sealed with a Kiss
(1999)
Sumner Ethridge
The Y2K Crisis
(1999)
Host
Hercules: Zero to Hero
(1999)
Narrator (voice) (archive sound)
Killer Bud
(2001)
The Gooch
Recess: School's Out
(2001)
Superintendent (voice)
Lana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir
(2001)
Self
Unsolved Mysteries Volume 1: UFOs
(2004)
Host
Acting for Douglas Sirk
(2008)
Self (archive footage)
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
(2019)
(archive footage)
Data provided by TMDB