Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne was an American actor whose career lasted for over 60 years. He was best known for portraying Inspector Bill Henderson in the American television series ''Adventures of Superman.''
Early years
Shayne was born in Yonkers, New York. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Grosvenor Dawe, and he had a brother, Allen Shaen Dawe. His father was one of the founders of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Shayne left Boston University in his senior year so that his brother could go to college. For a time, he lived in Birmingham, Alabama, writing advertising copy for a women's clothing store by day and acting in a stock theater company at night. When the store went out of business, he began acting full-time.
Career
Shayne became an actor after having worked as a reporter at the Illustrated Daily Tab in Miami, Florida. His initial acting experience came with repertory companies in Alabama, including the Birmingham Players.
Stage
Shayne's first Broadway appearance came by 1931 in The Rap. His other Broadway shows include Yellow Jack, The Cat and the Canary, Whiteoaks, with Ethel Barrymore, and Without Love, with Katharine Hepburn.
Film
Shayne began his film career in 1934, appearing in two features. In 1942, he became a contract actor with Warner Bros. He played many character roles in movies and television, including a film series of Warner Bros. featurettes called the "Santa Fe Trail" series such as Wagon Wheels West, and as a mad scientist in the 1953 horror film The Neanderthal Man.
He appears briefly in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, seated at a booth in a hotel bar, where his character meets Cary Grant's character, just as the latter is about to be kidnapped. He also had a small but pivotal role in the 1953 sci-fi classic Invaders From Mars as a scientist. Shayne enjoyed a brief rebirth in his career when he was cast as the blind newspaper vendor in The Flash television show.
Television
Shayne portrayed Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the 1950s TV series Adventures of Superman. He appeared sporadically in the early episodes of the series, in part because he was accused by his second wife Mary Sheffield, and came under HUAC scrutiny and was briefly blacklisted on unproven and unspecific charges of association with Communism. As the program evolved, especially in the color episodes, he was brought into more and more of them, to the point where he was a regular on the series.
Personal life
Shayne married Mary Crouch in 1925. They had one daughter, but divorced in 1933.
In 1933, he married Mary Sheffield. They also had one daughter, and divorced in 1943.
In 1943, he married Elizabeth McDonald, with whom he had 2 more children. They remained married until his death in 1992.
Death
Shayne died in 1992 of lung cancer at the Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was 92 years old. Shayne was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California.
Selected filmography
Keep 'Em Rolling - Major James ParkerWednesday's Child - Howard BensonThe People's Enemy - First Department of Justice Representative Mission to Moscow - Engineer Shine On Harvest Moon - Dan CostelloMr. Skeffington - MacMahonI Won't Play - Chaplain aka 'Padre'Make Your Own Bed - Lester KnightRoaring Guns - Jared WhitneyHollywood Canteen - Busboy Escape in the Desert - Radio Newscaster Rhapsody in Blue - Christine's Escort Christmas in Connecticut - Dudley BeechamSan Antonio - Captain MorganThe Face of Marble - Dr. David CochranThree Strangers - Bertram FallonI Ring Doorbells - Dick MeadowsBehind the Mask - Brad ThomasNobody Lives Forever - Chet KingWife Wanted - Bill TylerI Cover Big Town - Chief Tom BlakeSmash-Up: The Story of a Woman - Mr. GordonBacklash - James O'NeilWelcome Stranger - Roy ChesleyThe Spirit of West Point - Col. Earl 'Red' BlaikThe Swordsman - Ronald MacArdenThe Inside Story - T.W. 'Tom' O'ConnorBest Man Wins - Judge Leonidas K. CarterShaggy - Bob CalvinThe Strange Mrs. Crane - Floyd DurantLet's Live a Little - Dr. Richard FieldLoaded Pistols - Don MasonLaw of the Barbary Coast - Michael LodgeForgotten Women - Richard MarshallThe Threat - Police Insp. MurphyDynamite Pass - Jay WingateCustoms Agent - West Coast Chief Agent J.G. GoffRider from Tucson - John AveryState Penitentiary - Stanley BrownFederal Man - Chief Agent Charles StuartWhen You're Smiling - Jack LaceyBig Timber - DixonExperiment Alcatraz - Barry MorganMissing Women - CincottaThe Dakota Kid - Ace CrandallCriminal Lawyer - Clark P. SommersIndian Uprising - Maj. Nathan StarkWithout Warning! - Dr. Werner, Police PsychiatristAnd Now Tomorrow The Ring - Jimmy - Aragon's ManagerMr. Walkie Talkie - Capt. BurkeMarshal of Cedar Rock - Paul Jackson / Fake John HarperLone Ranger - S3/E31 "Black Gold" - SpinnerPrince of Pirates - Prime Minister TreegThe Blue Gardenia - Doctor The Lady Wants Mink - CecilInvaders from Mars - Dr. Bill Wilson The Neanderthal Man - Prof. Clifford GrovesSea of Lost Ships - Executive Officer Flight Nurse - Surgeon Trader Tom of the China Seas - Maj. ConroyThe Desperado - Prosecutor Tobor the Great - General #1 Murder Is My Beat - Police Captain Bert RawleyThe Eternal Sea - Cmdr. Dean Double Jeopardy - Mr. Ross King of the Carnival - Jess CarterIndestructible Man - Prof. BradshawRumble on the Docks - Judge Accused of Murder - Doctor Dance with Me, Henry - ProctorHot Shots - Pierre M. MorleyKronos -Air Force GeneralFootsteps in the Night - Fred HornerThe Giant Claw - Gen. Van BuskirkSpook Chasers - Police Lt. HarrisDeath in Small Doses - FDA Chief Insp. Frank Ainsley Adventures of Superman - Inspector Launay / Police Inspector Bill HendersonWar of the Satellites - Cole HotchkissTeenage Cave Man - The Fire MakerHow to Make a Monster - Gary DrozThe Lost Missile - Air Force General Revolt in the Big House - Mickey I Mobster - SenatorThe Rebel Set - Lt. CassidyNorth by Northwest - Larry Wade Battle Flame - Lt. NorrisToby Tyler - Husband in Audience Valley of the Redwoods - Capt. Sid WalkerWhy Must I Die? - Charlie MunroCage of Evil - Victor DelmarFrom the Terrace - Partner 20,000 Eyes - Police LieutenantSon of Flubber - Defense Secretary's Assistant A Tiger Walks - Governor's Adviser Runaway Girl - Walter QuillenWinning - Well-Wisher at Indy Victory The Arrangement - Board Member Tora! Tora! Tora! - Cmdr. William H. Buracker - Halsey's Operations Officer The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go - U.S. Senator The Barefoot Executive - SponsorThe Million Dollar Duck - Refinery Executive Cool Breeze - Dr. Fields, Gynocologist The Specialist - Chairman HopkinsThe Four Deuces - Vince