Chuck Roberson

Chuck Roberson
Born	Charles Hugh Roberson May 10, 1919(1919-05-10) near Shannon, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 8, 1988(1988-06-08) (aged 69) Bakersfield, California, U.S.
Other names	Bad Chuck
Occupation	Actor, Stuntman, Cowboy
Years active	1946–88

Charles Hugh "Chuck" Roberson (May 10, 1919 – June 8, 1988) was an American cowboy, actor, and stuntman. He was nicknamed "Bad Chuck" by director John Ford, for whom he worked many times, to distinguish him from "Good Chuck," stuntman Chuck Hayward. Roberson was reportedly the rowdier of the two, thus the nicknames.

Roberson was born near Shannon, Texas, the son of farmer Ollie W. Roberson and Jannie Hamm Roberson. Raised on cattle ranches in Shannon, Texas, and Roswell, New Mexico, he left school at 13 to become a cowhand and oilfield roughneck. He married and took his wife and daughter to California, where he joined the Culver City Police Department and guarded the gate at MGM studios. Following army service in World War II, he returned to the police force. During duty at Warner Bros. studios during a labor strike, he met stuntman Fred Kennedy, who alerted him to a stunt job at Republic Pictures. Roberson got the job, due both to his expert horsemanship and his resemblance to John Carroll, whom Roberson doubled in his first picture, Wyoming (1947). His close physical resemblance to John Wayne led to nearly 30 years as Wayne's stunt double. He often played small roles and stunted in other roles in the same film, which frequently resulted in his "shooting" himself once the picture was cut together. He graduated to larger supporting roles in westerns for Wayne and John Ford, and to a parallel career as a second-unit director.

In 1979 he published an autobiography entitled “The Fall Guy: 30 Years as the Duke's Double” (ISBN 088839036X). Roberson died of cancer in Bakersfield, California and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills, next to his brother, actor Lou Roberson.

External links

Biography portal

• Chuck Roberson at the Internet Movie Database
• Chuck Roberson at Find a Grave

Persondata
Name	Roberson, Charles Hugh
Alternative names
Short description	American actor
Date of birth	May 10, 1919
Place of birth	near Shannon, Texas, U.S.
Date of death	June 8, 1988
Place of death	Bakersfield, California, U.S.