Robert Emhardt (July 24, 1914 – December 26, 1994)[1] was an American character actor who worked on stage, in film, and on television.[2] Emhardt was frequently cast as a villain, often a crooked businessman or corrupt politician.
Emhardt studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[3] He began his Broadway career in the 1930s as an understudy for the equally heavyset Sydney Greenstreet. Emhardt made his stage debut in The Pirate (1942).[2][4] One of the founding members of the Actors Studio,[5] Emhardt was a member of the cast of the original 1952 Broadway stage production of The Seven Year Itch. He won the Critics Circle Award for best supporting actor for his performance in Life with Mother in the 1948–1949 season.[2]
Emhardt married actress Martha Jones (later married name Martha Rofheart) in 1943,[6][7] with whom he had appeared on Broadway in both Harriet and The Pirate. After the dissolution of the marriage, he married actress Silvia Sideli in 1954. They had a son named Christopher and a daughter named Mia.
Emhardt died of heart problems at his home in Ojai, California, on December 26, 1994, at the age of 80.[2]
^Garfield, David (1980). "Birth of The Actors Studio: 1947-1950". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 52. ISBN0-02-542650-8. Also [in Lewis' class were] Henry Barnard, Jay Barney, John Becher, Philip Bourneuf, Joan Chandler, Peter Cookson, Stephen Elliott, Robert Emhardt, Joy Geffen, William Hansen, Will Hare, Jane Hoffman, George Keane, Don Keefer, George Matthews, Peggy Meredith, Ty Perry, Margaret Phillips, David Pressman, William Prince, Elliot Reid, Frances Reid, Kurt Richards, Elizabeth Ross, Thelma Schnee, Joshua Shelley, Fed Stewart, John Straub, Michael Strong, John Sylvester, Julie Warren, Mary Welch, Lois Wheeler, and William Woodson.
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