Robert Lowery was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 motion picture, television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

, and stage 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...

 who appeared in over seventy films.

Early life

Born Robert Larkin Hanks in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

, Lowery grew up on Wayne Avenue near the long-demolished Electric Park. Lowery's father was a local attorney and oil investor who worked several years for the Pullman Corporation as a railroad agent; his mother, Leah Thompson Hanks, was a concert pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

.

He graduated from Paseo High School in Kansas City, and soon was invited to sing with the Slats Randall Orchestra in the early 1930s. Lowery played on the Kansas City Blues minor league baseball team and was overall considered a versatile athlete; his physique and strength was gained from a stint working in a paper factory as a teenager. After the death of his father in 1935, he traveled to Hollywood with his mother and their housekeeper, and enrolled in the Lila Bliss acting school before being signed by Twentieth Century Fox in 1937.

Career

During his career, Lowery was primarily known for roles in action movies such as The Mark of Zorro

The Mark of Zorro (1940 film)

The Mark of Zorro is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox. The action movie stars Tyrone Power as Don Diego Vega , Linda Darnell as his love interest, and Basil Rathbone as the villain...

(1940), The Mummy's Ghost

The Mummy's Ghost

The Mummy's Ghost is the 1944 Universal Pictures sequel to The Mummy's Tomb. Lon Chaney, Jr. again takes on the role of Kharis the mummy.-Plot:...

(1944), and Dangerous Passage

Dangerous Passage

- Cast :*Robert Lowery as Joe Beck*Phyllis Brooks as Nita Paxton*Charles Arnt as Daniel Bergstrom*Jack La Rue as Mike Zomano*John Eldredge as Vaughn*Victor Kilian as Buck Harris, 1st Mate*Alec Craig as Dawson the Steward*William Edmunds as Captain Saul...

(1944). He became the second actor to play DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

' Batman

Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

, starring in a 1949's Batman and Robin

Batman and Robin (serial)

Batman and Robin is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. Robert Lowery played Batman, while Johnny Duncan played Robin...

serial

Serial (film)

Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...

. Lowery also had roles in a number of Western

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...

 films including The Homesteaders (1953), The Parson and the Outlaw (1957), Young Guns of Texas (1962), and Johnny Reno (1966). He was also an accomplished stage actor and appeared in Born Yesterday

Born Yesterday

Born Yesterday is a play written by Garson Kanin which premiered on Broadway in 1946, starring Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn. The play was adapted intoa successful 1950 film of the same name.- Plot :...

, The Caine Mutiny

The Caine Mutiny

The Caine Mutiny is a 1952 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard a destroyer-minesweeper in the Pacific in World War II and deals with, among other things, the moral and ethical decisions made at sea by the captains of ships...

, and in several other productions.

On television, Lowery was best known for the role of Big Tim Champion on the series Circus Boy

Circus Boy

Circus Boy is an American action/adventure/drama series that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1958. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960...

(1956–1957). In 1956, he guest starred in an episode of The Adventures of Superman (the first time a Batman actor shared screen time with a Superman actor). Lowery also had guest roles on Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...

("The Helen Morgan Story"), Cowboy G-Men

Cowboy G-Men

Cowboy G-Men is an American Western series that aired in syndication from September 1952 to June 1953, for a total of thirty-nine episodes.-Synopsis:...

, Maverick

Maverick (TV series)

Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...

, Tales of Wells Fargo

Tales of Wells Fargo

Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...

, Rawhide

Rawhide (TV series)

Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...

, 77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....

, Hawaiian Eye

Hawaiian Eye

Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...

, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats

Pistols 'n' Petticoats

Pistols 'n' Petticoats is an American Western sitcom that ran on CBS during the 1966-1967 television season. It was produced by Kayro/Universal Television for CBS Productions and ran from September 17, 1966 to March 11, 1967. The series was created by George Tibbles, who wrote the show's theme song...

. He made his last onscreen appearance in the 1967 comedy/Western film The Ballad of Josie

The Ballad of Josie

The Ballad of Josie is a 1967 Technicolor American comedy western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Doris Day, Peter Graves and George Kennedy...

, opposite Doris Day

Doris Day

Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...

 and 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...

.

Personal life and death

He was married three times, to three different actresses: Jean Parker

Jean Parker

-Career:Born as Lois Mae Green in Deer Lodge, Montana, she appeared in 70 movies from 1932 through 1966. She was discovered by Ida Koverman, secretary to MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, after she saw a poster featuring Parker portraying Father Time. She attended Pasadena schools and graduated from John...

, Vivan Wilcox, and Rusty Farrell. He had one child, Robert, who lives in Redondo Beach, California; and two grandchildren.

Lowery died of heart failure at the age of 58 in his Los Angeles, California

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...

 apartment on December 26, 1971.

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1936	Great Guy Great Guy Great Guy is a crime film starring James Cagney and Mae Clarke. An honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians.-Cast:*James Cagney as Johnny Cave*Mae Clarke as Janet Henry...	Mr. Parker	Uncredited
1937	Second Honeymoon Second Honeymoon (film) Second Honeymoon is a 1937 romantic comedy film starring Tyrone Power and Loretta Young....	Reporter	Uncredited
1938	Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938 film) Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a 1938 American musical film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Shirley Temple, Randolph Scott, and Bill Robinson. The screenplay by Don Ettlinger and Karl Tunberg is loosely based on Kate Douglas Wiggin's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...	Attendant	Uncredited
1939	Young Mr. Lincoln Young Mr. Lincoln Young Mr. Lincoln is a 1939 partly fictionalized biography about the early life of President Abraham Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Ford and producer Darryl F. Zanuck fought for control of the film, to the point where Ford destroyed unwanted takes for fear the studio...	Juror Bill Killian	Uncredited
1940	Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise is a 1940 murder mystery film starring Sidney Toler in his fifth of many performances as Charlie Chan. It is a remake of the 1931 lost film Charlie Chan Carries On, which is also the title of the Earl Derr Biggers novel on which both movies are based.-Cast:*Sidney Toler...	Dick Kenyon
1941	Remember the Day Remember the Day Remember the Day is a 1941 film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Henry King, and starring Claudette Colbert and John Payne-Plot:An elderly schoolteacher reflects on her life and teaching career while waiting to see "Dewey Roberts", formerly her student and currently a Presidential nominee...	Hotel P.A. Announcer	Uncredited
1942	My Gal Sal My Gal Sal My Gal Sal is a 20th Century Fox musical starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer, Sally Elliot. The story it was based on was written by Paul Dresser's brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser...	Sally's friend	Uncredited
1943	Tarzan's Desert Mystery Tarzan's Desert Mystery Tarzan's Desert Mystery is a 1943 film starring Johnny Weismuller and Nancy Kelly. The movie was directed by Wilhelm Thiele.Like its immediate predecessor, "Tarzan Triumphs," this movie makes reference to Tarzan's mate, Jane, played in earlier Weissmuller films by Maureen O'Sullivan, but it does...	Prince Selim
1945	The Monster and the Ape The Monster and the Ape The Monster and the Ape was the 26th serial released by Columbia Pictures.-Synopsis:The Monster of the title is the "Metalogen Man", a robot created by Professor Franklin Arnold. After displaying his invention, the robot is stolen by Professor Ernst with the aid of his trained ape, Thor...	Ken Morgan
1946	They Made Me a Killer They Made Me a Killer They Made Me a Killer is a 1946 B-movie directed by William C. Thomas, and written by Daniel Mainwaring, Winston Miller and Kae Salkow, based on story by Owen Franes. The film was made by Pine-Thomas, the B-movie unit of Paramount Pictures.- Plot :...	Tom Durling
1947	Queen of the Amazons Queen of the Amazons -Plot:Jean Preston is determined to find her fiancée, Greg Jones , who went on a safari and didn’t come back when expected. She travels to Akbar, India with Greg’s father, Colonel Jones , Wayne Monroe and the Professor . She asks about Jones at the front desk of the hotel where she stays...	Gary Lambert
1953	Jalopy Jalopy (film) Jalopy is a 1953 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on February 15, 1953 by Allied Artists and is the twenty-ninth film in the series.-Plot:...	Skid Wilson	with The Bowery Boys
1963	McLintock! McLintock! McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The film is notable, perhaps even infamous, for its two spanking scenes, in which mother and daughter are each paddled with coal shovels: the daughter by her...	Gov. Cuthbert H. Humphrey
1965	Zebra in the Kitchen Zebra in the Kitchen Zebra in the Kitchen is a 1965 American family comedy film, produced and directed by Ivan Tors. The film stars Jay North in his first leading feature film role, Martin Milner, Andy Devine, and Joyce Meadows, and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy's love and compassion for the animals he finds...	Preston Heston
1966	Johnny Reno Johnny Reno Johnny Reno is a 1966 American western film made by A.C. Lyles Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by R.G. Springsteen, produced by A.C. Lyles, with a screenplay by Andrew Craddock, Steve Fisher and A.C...	Jake Reed
1967	The Ballad of Josie The Ballad of Josie The Ballad of Josie is a 1967 Technicolor American comedy western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Doris Day, Peter Graves and George Kennedy...	Whit Minick, Town Drunk
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	The Joe Palooka Story	Don Jackson	1 episode
	The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...	George Loring	1 episode
1955	Letter to Loretta	Gordy	1 episode
1956	The Millionaire	David Hanley	1 episode
1956-1957	Circus Boy Circus Boy Circus Boy is an American action/adventure/drama series that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1958. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960...	Big Tim Champion	49 episodes
1958	Casey Jones Casey Jones (TV series) Casey Jones is an American children's Western series that ran during the '58-'59 television season, based around the pioneering western railroads. The series aired in syndication in the United States...	Greg Pontus	1 episode
	26 Men 26 Men 26 Men is a syndicated American western television series about the Arizona Rangers, an elite group commissioned in 1901 by the legislature of the Arizona Territory and limited, for financial reasons, to twenty-six active members. Russell Hayden was the producer of the series and the co-composer of...	Red Tanner	3 episodes
	Yancy Derringer Yancy Derringer Yancy Derringer is an American Western series that ran on CBS from 1958 to 1959, with Jock Mahoney in the title role. It was produced by Derringer Productions and filmed in Hollywood by Desilu Productions...	Blair Devon	2 episodes
1959	The Texan The Texan (TV series) The Texan is a Western television series starring popular B movie star Rory Calhoun. It aired on the CBS television network from 1958-1960.-Production notes:...	Coy Bennet	1 episode
	Bronco Bronco (TV series) Bronco is a Western series on ABC from 1958 through 1962. It was shown by the BBC in the United Kingdom. The program starred Ty Hardin as Bronco Layne, a former Confederate officer who wandered the Old West, meeting such well-known individuals as Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Jesse James,...	Mike Kirk	1 episode
	Cimarron City Cimarron City (TV series) Cimarron City is an American Western television series starring George Montgomery and John Smith that aired on NBC from October 11, 1958 until April 4, 1959...	Harris	1 episode
1960	Richard Diamond, Private Detective	Mark Sutro	1 episode
	Hotel de Paree Hotel de Paree Hotel de Paree is a Western television series that aired on the CBS Friday schedule from October 2, 1959, until June 3, 1960, under the alternate sponsorship of Liggett & Myers and Kellogg's....	Trent	1 episode
	COronado 9 COronado 9 Coronado 9 is a syndicated crime drama set in San Diego, California, starring Rod Cameron as Dan Adams, a former United States Navy intelligence officer turned private detective. Coronado 9 is Adams's address; the numeral 9 on a rock shown near his front door in the opening credits denotes the...	Miller	1 episode
1961	Whispering Smith Whispering Smith (TV series) Whispering Smith is a short-lived American Western series that aired on NBC. Based on a 1948 movie, the series stars Audie Murphy as Tom "Whispering" Smith, a police detective in Denver, Colorado...	Dave Markson	1 episode
1962	Frontier Circus Frontier Circus For the NBC program similarly named, see Frontier .Frontier Circus is a short-lived Western television series about a traveling circus roaming the American West in the 1880s...	Marshal Taggert	1 episode
	Gunsmoke Gunsmoke Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....	Idaho Smith	1 episode
"[(Hazel)]"	Pablo	1 episode