Robert O. Cornthwaite
Encyclopedia
Robert O. Cornthwaite was an American
film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night
, while attending Reed College
in Portland, Oregon
.
Cornthwaite was born in Saint Helens, Oregon
. He said that his interest in acting began in his early teens, when he was forced to recite one line in a school play.
and worked at radio stations in Southern California. He earned a degree from the University of Southern California
after serving as an intelligence officer in the Army Air Force during World War II.
Upon his return to civilian life in 1946, Cornthwaite moved to Hollywood and soon found movie work, typically portraying scientists, lawyers and other "learned types" in a number of studio productions.
In 1951, Cornthwaite was cast in Howard Hawks
's production of The Thing from Another World
. His character, Dr. Carrington, the unofficial leader of an Arctic Polar Expedition (a scientific group dismissed by one Air Force general as a "bunch of eggheads"), observes the nearby crash of an unidentified flying object, and urges his military liaison, USAF Captain Hendry, to mount a trip to the site to investigate. As portrayed by 50's sci-fi movie stalwart Kenneth Tobey
, Hendry operates as an "All-American" counterpoint, a competent team player (and love interest for the film's heroine, Margaret Sheridan
). As part of the generation that had just won WWII, the Captain stands in stark contrast to Carrington's imperious intellectual who, with his silvered hair and attired in a blue yacht club blazer, casts an aristocratic pose.
Upon awakening the "Thing" and discovering its true 'vegetable' nature, Carrington immediately identifies with it, applauding the absence of emotional and sexual 'weaknesses' in its makeup, traits which he believes make it "man's superior, superior in every way." The Thing soon attempts to start reproducing itself, and Dr. Carrington moves to block all attempts to recapture or kill it, yet recognizes the Thing has no more regard for humans as they would "a field of cabbages.". In his final confrontation with the creature, he nearly dies in a desperate and foolhardy attempt to communicate with this "super carrot". This singular performance eventually earned him entry into the "Science Fiction Hall of Fame" in 1993.
Other notable films include Monkey Business
, The War of the Worlds
, Ten Seconds to Hell, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
(both for director Robert Aldrich
), Colossus: The Forbin Project
and the Joe Dante
production of Matinee
, in which he shared screen time with fellow 50's screen notables, William Schallert
and Kevin McCarthy
in the "film within a film," "MANT," a spoof of sci-fi films. Similarly, Cornthwaite appeared as Dr. Carrington opposite Ken Tobey (again as Hendry) in a spoof titled "Attack of the B Movie Monster," shot in 1984. Expanded and retitled The Naked Monster
," it was released on DVD in 2005 by Anthem Pictures.
John James Audubon
in an episode of the Desilu Studios Production, The Adventures of Jim Bowie
, starring Scott Forbes
. He appeared twice as Joe Brennan in the first Brian Keith
series, Crusader
, which aired on CBS in the middle 1950s. He appeared during the 1960s
and 1970s
in such series as The Twilight Zone
, Batman
, The Monkees
, Gidget
, Laverne & Shirley
, Dragnet, The Munsters
) and Get Smart
, in which he had a semi-recurring role. One of his last major stage roles was in a La Jolla Playhouse
production of The Cherry Orchard
opposite Lynn Redgrave
. Cornthwaite's last television work was a recurring role as an Alzheimer's victim on the series Picket Fences
.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night; or, What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season...
, while attending Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Cornthwaite was born in Saint Helens, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He said that his interest in acting began in his early teens, when he was forced to recite one line in a school play.
Career
In the late 1930s he enrolled in Long Beach City CollegeLong Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...
and worked at radio stations in Southern California. He earned a degree from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
after serving as an intelligence officer in the Army Air Force during World War II.
Upon his return to civilian life in 1946, Cornthwaite moved to Hollywood and soon found movie work, typically portraying scientists, lawyers and other "learned types" in a number of studio productions.
In 1951, Cornthwaite was cast in Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
's production of The Thing from Another World
The Thing from Another World
The Thing from Another World , is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell . It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being...
. His character, Dr. Carrington, the unofficial leader of an Arctic Polar Expedition (a scientific group dismissed by one Air Force general as a "bunch of eggheads"), observes the nearby crash of an unidentified flying object, and urges his military liaison, USAF Captain Hendry, to mount a trip to the site to investigate. As portrayed by 50's sci-fi movie stalwart Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
, Hendry operates as an "All-American" counterpoint, a competent team player (and love interest for the film's heroine, Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. The raven-haired beauty is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World.-Career:She was born in...
). As part of the generation that had just won WWII, the Captain stands in stark contrast to Carrington's imperious intellectual who, with his silvered hair and attired in a blue yacht club blazer, casts an aristocratic pose.
Upon awakening the "Thing" and discovering its true 'vegetable' nature, Carrington immediately identifies with it, applauding the absence of emotional and sexual 'weaknesses' in its makeup, traits which he believes make it "man's superior, superior in every way." The Thing soon attempts to start reproducing itself, and Dr. Carrington moves to block all attempts to recapture or kill it, yet recognizes the Thing has no more regard for humans as they would "a field of cabbages.". In his final confrontation with the creature, he nearly dies in a desperate and foolhardy attempt to communicate with this "super carrot". This singular performance eventually earned him entry into the "Science Fiction Hall of Fame" in 1993.
Other notable films include Monkey Business
Monkey Business (1952 film)
Monkey Business is a screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Charles Coburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Hugh Marlowe. To avoid confusion with the famous Marx Brothers movie of the same name, this film is sometimes referred to as Howard Hawks' Monkey...
, The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
, Ten Seconds to Hell, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
(both for director Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
), Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A...
and the Joe Dante
Joe Dante
Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
production of Matinee
Matinee (film)
Matinee is a 1993 period comedy film directed by Joe Dante. It is an ensemble piece about the home front in the Cuban Missile Crisis combined with a tribute to independent filmmaker William Castle. The film stars John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, and Kellie Martin...
, in which he shared screen time with fellow 50's screen notables, William Schallert
William Schallert
William Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
and Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (actor)
Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
in the "film within a film," "MANT," a spoof of sci-fi films. Similarly, Cornthwaite appeared as Dr. Carrington opposite Ken Tobey (again as Hendry) in a spoof titled "Attack of the B Movie Monster," shot in 1984. Expanded and retitled The Naked Monster
The Naked Monster
The Naked Monster is a 2005 American ultra low-budget science fiction and horror comedy film written by Ted Newsom and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s...
," it was released on DVD in 2005 by Anthem Pictures.
Stage work
He remained primarily a stage actor throughout his career, and translated a number of plays from French to English. Balancing his theater work with "bill-paying" jobs, he appeared frequently on television, including a role as naturalistNaturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
John James Audubon
John James Audubon
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
in an episode of the Desilu Studios Production, The Adventures of Jim Bowie
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
In September of 1956 a TV series named "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" was aired on ABC. The show was only on the air for two years from 1956 to 1958. The series' music was unique in that is was primarily vocal, provided by Ken Darby and The King's Men .-Synopsis:The series stars Scott Forbes as the...
, starring Scott Forbes
Scott Forbes
Conrad Scott-Forbes , popularly known as Scott Forbes, was a movie and television actor and screenwriter. In his later career as a screenwriter, he was credited as C. Scott Forbes.-Early years:...
. He appeared twice as Joe Brennan in the first Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
series, Crusader
Crusader (TV series)
Crusader is a half-hour black-and-white American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS for two seasons from October 7, 1955 to December 28, 1956.-Synopsis:...
, which aired on CBS in the middle 1950s. He appeared during the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
and 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
in such series as The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
, Gidget
Gidget (TV series)
Gidget is an American sitcom about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager called "Gidget" and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as her father. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 through April 21, 1966...
, Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, Dragnet, The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
) and Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
, in which he had a semi-recurring role. One of his last major stage roles was in a La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
production of The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
opposite Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
. Cornthwaite's last television work was a recurring role as an Alzheimer's victim on the series Picket Fences
Picket Fences
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
.
Death
Cornthwaite's death was attributed to natural causes. He died at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
.