Willard Robertson

Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor, writer, and Broadway performer born in Runnels, Texas. Over the course of his career he accumulated credits across the stage, screen, and prose fiction, appearing in more than 140 films between 1924 and 1948 and on Broadway in 16 productions spanning 1907 to 1930.

Before pursuing a career in performance, Robertson practiced law in Texas. His transition to acting came after encouragement from Joseph Jefferson, though his initial foray onto the stage proved short-lived. He returned to the legal profession, working as an attorney with the Interstate Commerce Commission. During World War I, Robertson served as an administrator in the Chicago office of the federal railway police before eventually committing fully to his performing career.

His Broadway work included appearances in Big Game, Black Velvet, The Sea Woman, This Man's Town, and Winter Bound, among other productions. Robertson's stage career extended across more than two decades, from his first Broadway appearance in 1907 through his final credit in 1930.

From 1930 onward, Robertson concentrated primarily on Hollywood, where he frequently portrayed figures of authority, including doctors, elected officials, military officers, and lawyers. He played Jackie Cooper's stern but loving father in the drama Skippy (1931) and reprised a role in its sequel Sooky (1931). Later film work included a flamboyant lawyer in Remember the Night (1940) and the role of the straight sheriff in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).

Robertson also worked as a prose writer. His novel Moon Tide was published in 1940 and subsequently adapted into the drama thriller Moontide (1942), directed by Archie Mayo and starring Jean Gabin and Ida Lupino. He died on April 5, 1948, in Hollywood, California.