Bobby Diamond
Encyclopedia
Bobby Diamond, also known as Robert Leroy Diamond (born August 23, 1943, in Los Angeles
), is a California
civil
and criminal law
attorney
who was a child star
and young-adult actor
, mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best remembered after nearly a half-century for his role as the orphan
ed Joey Clark Newton in the television series Fury
, which ran on NBC
with new episodes from October 15, 1955 through March 19, 1960. He was listed as Robert Diamond in the cast credits during the first season in 1955.
.
and lived on the Broken Wheel Ranch
in California with his widowed and presumably adopted father, Jim Newton, played by the late Peter Graves
, later known for his role on Mission: Impossible
. Newton's wife and son had been killed by a drunk driver. Joey called Jim by his first name, but in time looked upon him as a father. The late character actor
William Fawcett
played the housekeeper and top ranch hand Pete Wilkey. Fawcett was the veteran of many western on TV and in motion picutures. Roger Mobley
also had a recurring role as Homer "Packy" Lambert and Jimmy Baird as PeeWee Jenks, friends of Joey's. The popular program originally ran after school hours during the week, but moved to Saturday morning
s, was subtitled: "The Story of a Horse
and the Boy Who Loves Him." Fury reruns continued on the network until September 3, 1966, and later in syndication
under the title the Black Stallion and as Brave Stallion.
In 1961, Diamond appeared as "Buddy" in NBC's situation comedy
The Nanette Fabray Show. He was thereafter cast in 1962-1963 as Dobie Gillis's cousin
, Duncan "Dunky" Gillis, for seven episodes of the final season of CBS
's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
, starring Dwayne Hickman
and Bob Denver
of Gilligan’s Island, who played Maynard G. Krebs
(the "G" stood for "Walter".) Also in 1963, Diamond appeared briefly as "Pvt. Pip" in an episode of Rod Serling
's Twilight Zone
, titled "In Praise of Pip". He was credited as "Robert Diamond". Billy Mumy and Jack Klugman
also appeared in that episode, which aired on 09/27/1963.
In 1964, Diamond graduated from Ulysses S. Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley
, then located in Van Nuys but now in Valley Glen. He has two sons, Robert A. Diamond and Jesse Diamond, from a previous marriage
to Tara Parker. His interest in the law was spurred by his efforts to procure a student draft deferment during the Vietnam War
. He obtained his bachelor of arts
degree from California State University, Northridge
, then known as San Fernando Valley State College. He received his Juris Doctor
degree from the University of West Los Angeles, then known as the San Fernando Valley College of Law in Woodland Hills. On January 5, 1972, Diamond was admitted to the California bar and soon commenced the practice of law in Los Angeles. He resides in Woodland Hills.
as Eddie Slocome a naive, young, country boy who wants to join the US Airborne Division. The film which follows the course of his training to become a paratrooper was moderately well-received by the public upon release. It was critically panned because of its highly predictable story line and is today almost unknown.
Despite a likable cast of characters played fairly well by predominantly non-professional actors and Diamond's own creditable and believable performance as Eddie, the film failed to make him a lead actor or even launch him onto a career in films. It was his only lead role in a film, his only other film appearance was in a supporting role in the Patty Duke
vehicle Billie
.
with the late David Janssen
and The Rebel
starring the late Nick Adams, both on ABC
, The Loretta Young Show and Father Knows Best
starring Robert Young
(later of Marcus Welby fame), both then on NBC. He also appeared in episodes of NBC's Wagon Train
(TV western series) starring the late Ward Bond
and CBS's The Twilight Zone
(TV Scifi series), The Andy Griffith Show
(TV comedy series), and Mr. Ed (TV comedy series with a talking horse). He starred with Robert Bray
of Stagecoach fame, who portrayed U.S. Forest Ranger Corey Stuart, in three episodes of CBS's Lassie
between 1965 and 1967. Diamond's last role was in Gary Cole
's Midnight Caller
program on NBC in 1990.
On October 21, 2000, Diamond was among the honorees at Iverson's Movie Ranch
near Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, where he left his signature, handprints, and bootprints in the courtyard. Iverson's is dedicated to preserving the history of film and television Westerns
.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
), is a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
and criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who was a child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
and young-adult actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, mostly in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best remembered after nearly a half-century for his role as the orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed Joey Clark Newton in the television series Fury
Fury (TV series)
Fury is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1955–1960, starring Peter Graves as Jim Newton , Bobby Diamond as Jim's adopted son, Joey Clark Newton, and William Fawcett as ranch hand Pete Wilkey...
, which ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
with new episodes from October 15, 1955 through March 19, 1960. He was listed as Robert Diamond in the cast credits during the first season in 1955.
Early life
Robert LeRoy Diamond was born on the 23rd of August, 1943 in Los Angeles, California and lived there in his early life. In 1955, he was spotted by a talent-scout and was subsequently cast as Joey Clark Newton on FuryFury (TV series)
Fury is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1955–1960, starring Peter Graves as Jim Newton , Bobby Diamond as Jim's adopted son, Joey Clark Newton, and William Fawcett as ranch hand Pete Wilkey...
.
Career
In Fury, Diamond's character Joey, who had run afoul of the law, befriended a handsome wild black stallionStallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
and lived on the Broken Wheel Ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in California with his widowed and presumably adopted father, Jim Newton, played by the late Peter Graves
Peter Graves (actor)
Peter Aurness , known professionally as Peter Graves, was an American film and television actor. He was best known for his starring role in the CBS television series Mission: Impossible from 1967 to 1973...
, later known for his role on Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
. Newton's wife and son had been killed by a drunk driver. Joey called Jim by his first name, but in time looked upon him as a father. The late character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
William Fawcett
William Fawcett (actor)
William "Bill" Fawcett was a character actor in Hollywood B-films and in television. His career extended from 1946 until the early 1970s. He is probably best remembered for his role as the cantankerous, rusty-voiced Pete Wilkey of the Broken Wheel Ranch on the NBC series Fury, co-starring Peter...
played the housekeeper and top ranch hand Pete Wilkey. Fawcett was the veteran of many western on TV and in motion picutures. Roger Mobley
Roger Mobley
Roger L. Mobley in Evansville, Indiana, is a former child actor in film and television, working primarily for Walt Disney Productions during the late 1950s and early 1960s...
also had a recurring role as Homer "Packy" Lambert and Jimmy Baird as PeeWee Jenks, friends of Joey's. The popular program originally ran after school hours during the week, but moved to Saturday morning
Morning
The word morning originally referred to the sunrise. Morning precedes midday, afternoon, and night in the sequence of a day.Morning is the part of the day usually reckoned from dawn to noon...
s, was subtitled: "The Story of a Horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and the Boy Who Loves Him." Fury reruns continued on the network until September 3, 1966, and later in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
under the title the Black Stallion and as Brave Stallion.
In 1961, Diamond appeared as "Buddy" in NBC's situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Nanette Fabray Show. He was thereafter cast in 1962-1963 as Dobie Gillis's cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, Duncan "Dunky" Gillis, for seven episodes of the final season of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
, starring Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Bernard Hickman is a former American actor and television executive at CBS.He is known primarily for his "teenage" actor roles on television sitcoms. The naturally brown-headed Hickman is best known for playing Chuck MacDonald, Bob Collins's crazy teenaged nephew, on the popular 1950s...
and Bob Denver
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
of Gilligan’s Island, who played Maynard G. Krebs
Maynard G. Krebs
Maynard G. Krebs was the "beatnik" sidekick of the title character in the U.S. television sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis....
(the "G" stood for "Walter".) Also in 1963, Diamond appeared briefly as "Pvt. Pip" in an episode of Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
's Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
, titled "In Praise of Pip". He was credited as "Robert Diamond". Billy Mumy and Jack Klugman
Jack Klugman
Jacob Joachim "Jack" Klugman is an American stage, film and television actor known for his roles in sitcoms, movies, and television and on Broadway...
also appeared in that episode, which aired on 09/27/1963.
In 1964, Diamond graduated from Ulysses S. Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, then located in Van Nuys but now in Valley Glen. He has two sons, Robert A. Diamond and Jesse Diamond, from a previous marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
to Tara Parker. His interest in the law was spurred by his efforts to procure a student draft deferment during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He obtained his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
, then known as San Fernando Valley State College. He received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the University of West Los Angeles, then known as the San Fernando Valley College of Law in Woodland Hills. On January 5, 1972, Diamond was admitted to the California bar and soon commenced the practice of law in Los Angeles. He resides in Woodland Hills.
Attempted entry into Films
In an attempt to graduate to more mature and serious roles, as well as break onto the silver screen, Diamond starred in the film AirborneAirborne (1962 film)
Airborne is a 1962 American film directed by James Landis and starring Bobby Diamond. As of 2009 it is in the Public Domain and can be streamed on Youtube or downloaded via the Internet Archive. The film tells the story of a young man and his journey to become a US paratrooper...
as Eddie Slocome a naive, young, country boy who wants to join the US Airborne Division. The film which follows the course of his training to become a paratrooper was moderately well-received by the public upon release. It was critically panned because of its highly predictable story line and is today almost unknown.
Despite a likable cast of characters played fairly well by predominantly non-professional actors and Diamond's own creditable and believable performance as Eddie, the film failed to make him a lead actor or even launch him onto a career in films. It was his only lead role in a film, his only other film appearance was in a supporting role in the Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
vehicle Billie
Billie (film)
Billie is a 1965 musical film directed by Don Weis. Based on the 1952 play Time Out For Ginger by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Patty Duke in the title role.-Plot:...
.
Later Television Career
Over the years, Diamond appeared in dozens of television series, including The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
with the late David Janssen
David Janssen
David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive , the starring role in the 1950s hit detective series Richard Diamond, Private Detective , and as Harry Orwell on Harry O.In 1996 TV Guide...
and The Rebel
The Rebel (TV series)
The Rebel is an American Western television series that ran originally on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The program was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions, marking one of their few non-game show ventures...
starring the late Nick Adams, both on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, The Loretta Young Show and Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
starring Robert Young
Robert Young (actor)
Robert George Young was an American television, film, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father of Father Knows Best and as physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. .-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father...
(later of Marcus Welby fame), both then on NBC. He also appeared in episodes of NBC's Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
(TV western series) starring the late Ward Bond
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
and CBS's The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
(TV Scifi series), The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
(TV comedy series), and Mr. Ed (TV comedy series with a talking horse). He starred with Robert Bray
Robert Bray
Robert E. Bray was an American film and television actor probably best remembered for his role as the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the long-running CBS series Lassie.-Life and career:...
of Stagecoach fame, who portrayed U.S. Forest Ranger Corey Stuart, in three episodes of CBS's Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
between 1965 and 1967. Diamond's last role was in Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
's Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller is a dramatic NBC television series created by Richard DiLello, which ran from 1988 to 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio...
program on NBC in 1990.
On October 21, 2000, Diamond was among the honorees at Iverson's Movie Ranch
Movie ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the creation and production of motion pictures, and television productions...
near Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, where he left his signature, handprints, and bootprints in the courtyard. Iverson's is dedicated to preserving the history of film and television Westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
.