Robert Strauss

Biography

Robert Strauss (1913–1975) was an American actor best known for comic and character roles in the Hollywood films of the 1950s. Though he is most remembered for comedy and for stage musicals, he also took on dramatic and crime-tinged parts.

He began in classical theatre and appeared on Broadway in the 1930s. His performance as the sergeant Stanislas "Animal" Kuzawa in Stalag 17, a role he had created in the 1951 stage version, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. On screen he moved between comedy, such as The Seven Year Itch opposite Marilyn Monroe, and war and drama, including Attack! alongside Jack Palance and The Man with the Golden Arm. He also worked for low-budget producers and became a familiar face on television, appearing in shows such as Bonanza, Bewitched and Get Smart, where he played a recurring private detective.

His career is remembered for the sturdy supporting work that gave humour and tension to other people's stories.

Key films

• Stalag 17 (1953), as Animal Kuzawa, earning an Oscar nomination.
• The Seven Year Itch (1955), a comedy opposite Marilyn Monroe.
• Attack! (1956), a war film directed by Robert Aldrich.
• The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), a drama about heroin addiction.
• The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954), a war film set during the Korean War.