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Robert Ellenstein

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Robert Ellenstein
Ellenstein in the One Step Beyond episode "Message from Clara", 1959
Born(1923-06-18)June 18, 1923
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedOctober 28, 2010(2010-10-28) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other nameBob Ellenstein
EducationUniversity of Iowa
OccupationsActor, director
Years active1954–1998
Spouse
Lois Sylvia Stang
​
​
(m. 1952⁠–⁠2010)​
(his death)

Robert Ellenstein (June 18, 1923 – October 28, 2010) was an American actor. The son of Meyer C. Ellenstein, a Newark dentist, Ellenstein grew up to see his father become a two-term mayor from 1933 to 1941. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, earning a Purple Heart during his service.[1]

Early years

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Ellenstein's parents were Meyer C. Ellenstein and Hilda Ellenstein.[2] After attending New York University he graduated with a degree in theater[3] from the University of Iowa in 1947.[2] His interest in acting began while he was a prep school student[4] at Mercersburg Academy,[5] and after his university years he studied theater in New York with Stella Adler.[4]

Film and television career

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A veteran of the "Golden Age" of live television (he played Quasimodo in a live Robert Montgomery Presents (1950) version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"),[6] for the same show played the lead in "A Case of Identity", later turned into the film The Wrong Man (1956), he was the first actor to play Albert Einstein on television. Ellenstein made his first film in 1954 (MGM's Rogue Cop). He was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. In 1961, he played the mobster Legs Diamond in an episode of NBC's 1920s crime drama The Lawless Years with James Gregory.[citation needed]

Among his television appearances, Ellenstein guest starred in three episodes of Perry Mason. In 1957 he played defendant John Addison in "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen." In 1959 he played murder victim Arthur Cartright in "The Case of the Howling Dog," and in 1960 he played Medical Examiner Dr. McBride in "The Case of the Madcap Modiste." In 1965 he played a character curiously of 65 years of age (in obviously inadequate makeup) in a second-season episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He appeared in two episodes of the WWII drama, Combat!, first in 1965 in "The Tree of Moray" and in 1966 he was in the episode "Counterplay". He also made three guest appearances on The Untouchables, five appearances on The Wild Wild West, four on Ironside, and five on Mission: Impossible. He also directed television with an episode of the 1960s sitcom, Love on a Rooftop, and many live television episodes.[citation needed]

Ellenstein had over 200 television appearances.

Stage

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Ellenstein's career began on stage in 1947 at the Cleveland Play House.[3] He performed hundreds of stage roles as an actor. He directed many theatre productions in New York, Los Angeles and in regional theater. He was artistic director of The Company of Angels and Founding Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Repertory Company.[1] He co-starred in a national tour of Irma La Douce in the 1960s.[3]

Personal life and death

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Ellenstein was married and had two sons and a daughter.[4] He died in Los Angeles of natural causes on October 28, 2010, at age 87.[3]

Partial filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1954Rogue CopDet. Sidney Y. Myers
1955IllegalJoe Knight
1956Gunsmoke TewksburyEpisode: "Prairie Happy"
1957The Garment JungleFred Kenner
19573:10 to YumaErnie Collins
1957The Walter Winchell FileMelkEpisode: "Where Is Louise Melk?"
1958The Young LionsRabbi Joseph SilversteinUncredited
1958Too Much, Too SoonGerald Frank
1959One Step BeyondCaptain PeabodyEpisode: "The Navigator"
1959One Step BeyondMr. TomachekEpisode: "Message from Clara"
1959North by NorthwestLicht
1959The GazeboBen
1960Pay or DieLuigi Di Sarno
1961The Big BankrollLenny
1965DeathwatchGuard
1965The Wild Wild WestLuis VasquezEpisode: "The Night of the Flaming Ghost"
1966 Get Smart Alex Episode: "Double Agent"
1966BonanzaHarry FittsEpisode: "The Code"
1968The Wild Wild WestDr. Occularis SecondEpisodes: "The Night of the Winged Terror – Parts I & II"
1968The Legend of Lylah ClareMike
1969The Big ValleyDr. Amos PearceEpisode: "Top of the Stairs"
1972Mission: ImpossibleVincent VochekEpisode: "Stone Pillow"
1978Hawaii Five-OBart WarrenEpisode: "Death Mask"
1979Love at First BiteVW Man
1981Magnum, P.I.Saul GreenbergEpisode: "Never Again...Never Again"
1985Brewster's MillionsMr. Carter
1986Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeFederation Council President
1987Star Trek: The Next GenerationSteven MillerEpisode: "Haven"
1989L.A. LawDr. Peter LackerEpisode: "I'm in the Nude for Love" (uncredited)

References

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  1. 1 2 Lentz, Harris M. III (March 21, 2016). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland. pp. 119–120. ISBN 9780786486496. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Lois S. Stang Betrothed; To Be Wed to Robert Ellenstein, Son of Newark Ex-Mayor". The New York Times. January 29, 1952. p. 19. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Thursby, Keith (November 4, 2010). "Robert Ellenstein dies at 87; actor and director". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Keating, Micheline (December 14, 1978). "Actor Robert Ellenstein cloaks 'self' on stage". Tucson Citizen. p. B 1. Retrieved May 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Ellenstein's son stars on stage". The Newark Star-Ledger. October 31, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved May 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Hawes, William (2001). Live Television Drama, 1946–1951. McFarland. p. 119. ISBN 978-14-76608-49-5. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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