R.G. Armstrong(1917-2012)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
A golden career was reflected in his name. Robert Golden Armstrong
("Bob" to his friends) was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 7,
1917. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While there, he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina
Playmakers. After graduating, R.G. headed to New York, where his acting
career really took off. In 1953, along with many of his Actors Studio
buddies, he was part of the cast of "End As a Man" -- this became the
first play to go from off-Broadway to Broadway. The following year,
R.G. got his first taste of movies, appearing in
Garden of Eden (1954). However, he
returned to New York and the live stage. He received great reviews for
his portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway production of "Cat On a Hot
Tin Roof" in 1955.
In 1958, R.G. took the plunge to Hollywood -- he appeared in two
movies, a television series, and did numerous guest appearances on
television series that year, usually in Westerns such as
The Rifleman (1958),
Have Gun - Will Travel (1957)
and
Zane Grey Theatre (1956),
among others. He would go on to appear in 80 movies and three
television series in his career, and guest-starred in 90 television
series, many of them Westerns, often as a tough sheriff or a rugged
land baron. R.G. was a regular cast member in the television series
T.H.E. Cat (1966), playing tough,
one-handed Captain MacAllister. During the filming of
Steel (1979) in Kentucky, watching the
mammoth Kincaid Tower being built, he made some good friends in the
cast: "You become a family on the set," he said in an interview at the
time.
Even though he had a long, versatile career, the younger generation
knows him as the demonic Lewis Vandredi (pronounced VON-drah-dee), who
just would not let the main characters have a good night's sleep on the
television series
Friday the 13th: The Series (1987).
Finally retiring after six successful decades in show business -- his
last film appearance was
Purgatory (1999) -- R.G. and
his lovely wife Mary Craven were mostly just enjoying life in
California, and still traveled and vacationed in Europe occasionally.
His upbeat, fun-loving personality made him a delight for all who came
in contact with him. R.G. Armstrong died at age 95 of natural causes in
Studio City, California on July 27, 2012.
("Bob" to his friends) was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 7,
1917. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While there, he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina
Playmakers. After graduating, R.G. headed to New York, where his acting
career really took off. In 1953, along with many of his Actors Studio
buddies, he was part of the cast of "End As a Man" -- this became the
first play to go from off-Broadway to Broadway. The following year,
R.G. got his first taste of movies, appearing in
Garden of Eden (1954). However, he
returned to New York and the live stage. He received great reviews for
his portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway production of "Cat On a Hot
Tin Roof" in 1955.
In 1958, R.G. took the plunge to Hollywood -- he appeared in two
movies, a television series, and did numerous guest appearances on
television series that year, usually in Westerns such as
The Rifleman (1958),
Have Gun - Will Travel (1957)
and
Zane Grey Theatre (1956),
among others. He would go on to appear in 80 movies and three
television series in his career, and guest-starred in 90 television
series, many of them Westerns, often as a tough sheriff or a rugged
land baron. R.G. was a regular cast member in the television series
T.H.E. Cat (1966), playing tough,
one-handed Captain MacAllister. During the filming of
Steel (1979) in Kentucky, watching the
mammoth Kincaid Tower being built, he made some good friends in the
cast: "You become a family on the set," he said in an interview at the
time.
Even though he had a long, versatile career, the younger generation
knows him as the demonic Lewis Vandredi (pronounced VON-drah-dee), who
just would not let the main characters have a good night's sleep on the
television series
Friday the 13th: The Series (1987).
Finally retiring after six successful decades in show business -- his
last film appearance was
Purgatory (1999) -- R.G. and
his lovely wife Mary Craven were mostly just enjoying life in
California, and still traveled and vacationed in Europe occasionally.
His upbeat, fun-loving personality made him a delight for all who came
in contact with him. R.G. Armstrong died at age 95 of natural causes in
Studio City, California on July 27, 2012.