Robert Tessier
Encyclopedia
Robert W. Tessier was an American
actor and stuntman
who was best known for playing heavy, menacing characters on film and television.
of Algonquian
descent, Tessier served as a paratrooper
in the Korean War
earning both a Silver Star
and Purple Heart
.
rider doing stunts in the circus. These skills helped him secure his first movie role in The Born Losers
directed by Tom Laughlin
.
With his shaven head, size and threatening-looking appearance, Tessier went on to play a series of villainous roles on both TV and in film. He later formed a stunt troupe called Stunts Unlimited with director Hal Needham
.
Although Tessier starred in many films and TV roles over his career, probably two of his best remembered movie roles were as the menacing, karate-wielding convict "Shokner" in the 1974 comedy-drama The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds
(whom he counted as one of his friends) and as Kevin in The Deep
. He also played a bare knuckle fighter in the Charles Bronson
film Hard Times
.
In his spare time, Tessier was an accomplished cabinet maker
often making pieces for his co-stars.
in 1990. He was survived by his wife Diana Ivarson, and their son Ben Ivarson. Also survived by 5 children from a previous marriage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and stuntman
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
who was best known for playing heavy, menacing characters on film and television.
Early life
Born in Lowell, MassachusettsLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
of Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
descent, Tessier served as a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
earning both a Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
and Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
Performing career
Tessier was an accomplished motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
rider doing stunts in the circus. These skills helped him secure his first movie role in The Born Losers
The Born Losers
This article is about the film. You may be looking for the song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_LosersBorn Losers is a 1967 action film and the first of the Billy Jack movies. The film introduced Tom Laughlin as the half-Indian Green Beret Vietnam veteran Billy Jack...
directed by Tom Laughlin
Tom Laughlin
Tom Laughlin is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author, educator and political activist. Laughlin is best known for his series of Billy Jack films. He has been married to Delores Taylor since 1954. Taylor has also co-produced and acted in all four of the Billy Jack films...
.
With his shaven head, size and threatening-looking appearance, Tessier went on to play a series of villainous roles on both TV and in film. He later formed a stunt troupe called Stunts Unlimited with director Hal Needham
Hal Needham
Hal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
.
Although Tessier starred in many films and TV roles over his career, probably two of his best remembered movie roles were as the menacing, karate-wielding convict "Shokner" in the 1974 comedy-drama The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
(whom he counted as one of his friends) and as Kevin in The Deep
The Deep (film)
The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
. He also played a bare knuckle fighter in the Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
film Hard Times
Hard Times (1975 film)
Hard Times is a 1975 film starring Charles Bronson as Chaney, a drifter who travels to Louisiana during the Great Depression and begins competing in illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches...
.
In his spare time, Tessier was an accomplished cabinet maker
Cabinet making
Cabinet making is the practice of using various woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture.Cabinet making involves techniques such as creating appropriate joints, dados, bevels, chamfers and shelving systems, the use of finishing tools such as routers to create decorative...
often making pieces for his co-stars.
Death
Tessier died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1990. He was survived by his wife Diana Ivarson, and their son Ben Ivarson. Also survived by 5 children from a previous marriage.
Filmography
- The Born LosersThe Born LosersThis article is about the film. You may be looking for the song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_LosersBorn Losers is a 1967 action film and the first of the Billy Jack movies. The film introduced Tom Laughlin as the half-Indian Green Beret Vietnam veteran Billy Jack...
(1967) (as Robert W. Tessier) - The Glory Stompers (1968)
- Run, Angel, Run!Run, Angel, Run!Run, Angel, Run! is a 1969 film directed by Jack Starrett. It stars William Smith and Valerie Starrett.-Cast:*William Smith as Angel*Valerie Starrett as Laurie*Dan Kemp as Dan Felton*Gene Shane as Ron*Lee de Broux as Pappy...
(1969) (not credited) - Five the Hard Way (1969)
- The Babysitter (1969)
- Cry Blood, ApacheCry Blood, ApacheCry Blood, Apache is a 1970 western film directed by Jack Starrett and assistant director Robert Tessier. The film released by Liberty Entertainment was from an original story by Harold Roberts with a screenplay by Sean MacGregor and has been rereleased as part of a 20 movie DVD pack titled Mean...
(1970) - Outlaw Riders (1971)
- The Jesus Trip (1971)
- The Velvet Vampire (1971) (as Bob Tessier)
- Gentle Savage (1973)
- The Longest Yard (1974)
- How Come Nobody's on Our Side? (1975)
- Doc Savage: The Man of BronzeDoc Savage: The Man of BronzeDoc Savage: The Man of Bronze is a 1975 camp action film starring Ron Ely as pulp hero Doc Savage. This was the last film completed by pioneering science-fiction producer George Pal.- Plot :...
(1975) - Hard TimesHard Times (1975 film)Hard Times is a 1975 film starring Charles Bronson as Chaney, a drifter who travels to Louisiana during the Great Depression and begins competing in illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches...
(1975) - Breakheart Pass (1975)
- The DeepThe Deep (film)The Deep is a 1977 adventure film directed by Peter Yates and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, and Nick Nolte.-Plot:...
(1977) - Another Man, Another Chance (1977)
- HooperHooper (film)Hooper is a 1978 action-comedy motion picture starring Burt Reynolds, based loosely on the experiences of director Hal Needham, a one-time stuntman in his own right...
(1978) - StarcrashStarcrashStarcrash is an Italian 1979 science fiction film, which was also released under the English title of The Adventures of Stella Star . The film is a low budget and is often regarded as a rip-off of Star Wars...
(1979) - The Villain (1979)
- Steel (1979)
- The Cannonball Run (1981)
- The Sword and the SorcererThe Sword and the SorcererThe Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. A mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful...
(1982) - Double Exposure (1983)
- The Fix (1984)
- Avenging AngelAvenging Angel (1985 film)Avenging Angel is a 1985 film directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill and written by Robert Vincent O'Neill with Joseph Michael Cala. The movie is a sequel to 1984's Angel and was followed by the 1988 film Angel III: The Final Chapter and Angel 4: Undercover...
(1985) - The Lost EmpireThe Lost Empire (1983 film)The Lost Empire is a 1983 fantasy adventure film directed by Jim Wynorski. It stars Melanie Vincz, Raven De La Croix, Angela Aames and Angus Scrimm-External links:* at Bad Movie Planet* at And you call yourself a scientist!...
(1985) - No Safe Haven (1987)
- Beverly Hills BratsBeverly Hills BratsBeverly Hills Brats is a 1989 American comedy film. Directed by Jim Sotos, the film starred Peter Billingsley, Martin Sheen, Burt Young, Terry Moore, George Kirby, Ruby Keeler and Whoopi Goldberg in a cameo role.-Plot:...
(1989) - Future ForceFuture Force (film)Future Force is a 1989 science-fiction film written and directed by David A. Prior and starring David Carradine. A 1990 sequel to the film was made called Future Zone.-Synopsis:...
(1989) - Nightwish (1989)
- One Man Force (1989)
- Fertilize the Blaspheming Bombshell (1990)
- Fists of Steel (1991)
Television
- Kung FuKung Fu (TV series)Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
(1974) - Little House on the PrairieLittle House on the Prairie (TV series)Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
(Survival, 1975) (as: Jack Lame Horse) - Last of the Mohicans (1977)
- CentennialCentennial (miniseries)Centennial is a 12-episode American television miniseriesthat aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. It was based on the novel of the same name by James A. Michener. The miniseries was produced by John Wilder....
(1978) 1 chapter in miniseries - Desperate Women (1978) (uncredited)
- Starsky and HutchStarsky and HutchStarsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
2-part episode in 1979 - The Billion Dollar Threat (1979)
- Buck Rogers in the 25th CenturyBuck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
2 episodes both in 1979 - The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
(1980) - The Incredible HulkThe Incredible Hulk (1977 TV series)The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The pilot episodes were a pair of TV movies on the CBS network beginning on November 4, 1977; the series soon followed, airing from March 10, 1978 to...
(1980) - Vega$Vega$Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series, was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas...
(1980) - Fantasy IslandFantasy IslandFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
(1981) - The Fall GuyThe Fall GuyThe Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
4 episodes in 1981, 1982, 1984 & 1986 - CHiPsCHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
(1982) - The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
2 episodes in 1983 & 1985 - ManimalManimalManimal is an American action–adventure series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centers on the character Dr Jonathan Chase , a shape-shifting man who possessed the ability to turn himself into any animal he chose...
(1983) (as Robert W. Tessier) - The RoustersThe RoustersThe Rousters is a 1983 NBC television series about a group of modern-day bounty hunters who are descendants of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. Despite advertising claims that this series would "sink The Love Boat" in the ratings, it ran for only one season of 13 episodes.-Premise:Wyatt Earp III works...
(1983) - Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
(1984) - Spenser: For HireSpenser: For HireSpenser: For Hire is a mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. The series, developed for TV by John Wilder, differs from the novels, mostly in its lesser degree of detail....
(1985) - Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
(1986) - Sledge Hammer!Sledge Hammer!Sledge Hammer! is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character,...
(1987) - B.L. StrykerB.L. StrykerB.L Stryker is an American detective drama that aired on ABC from February 13, 1989 to May 1990 as part of the ABC Mystery Movie along with Gideon Oliver, Columbo and Kojak. The series was executive produced by Tom Selleck.-Premise:...
(1989)