Robert Hitchcock

As the son of a dental surgeon, Robert Hitchcock grew up in an affluent Maryland neighborhood. Like many actors, he didn't start out with any intention of being an actor but it eventually worked that way. In the mid-1960s, Hitchcock began work as a screen extra in a career that lasted over 20 years. Starting in the mid-1960s, Hitchcock's biggest asset was his prematurely white hair. It helped him gain several roles that required a mature but good looking businessman. In one such role, Hitchcock played a date that Lucille Ball thought she was about to go on a blind date with but to her great disappointment, Hitchcock walks by her. These were the types of roles the Hitchcock excelled in. Hitchcock's white hair also served another purpose, he became one of the regular stand-ins for various guest stars because you could dye his hair any color that would match the guest stars. This lead to even more work on shows like Bonanza where he stood in for Gerald Mohr and various appearances on several other series. By the late 1970s, Hitchcock became another face in the crowd. He was known to be rather shy so he depended upon his professionalism and established contacts to gain work for various studios. It wasn't uncommon for him to be seen in a Murder, She Wrote, or a Matlock as a courtroom spectator. By the late 1980s, work had really started to dry up for Hitchcock and so he eventually retired to Las Vegas leaving behind a large body of work in films and television and a sterling reputation of professionalism among his peers.