
Robert Alda
Born February 26, 1914 · New York City, New York, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert Alda (February 26, 1914 – May 3, 1986) was an American theatrical and film actor and father of actors Alan and Antony Alda. A singer and dancer, Alda was featured in a number of Broadway productions before moving to Italy during the early 1960s. He appeared in many European films over the next two decades, occasionally returning to the U.S. for film appearances such as The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969). Alda, an American of Italian descent, was born Alphonso Giuseppe Giovanni Roberto D'Abruzzo in New York, New York, the son of Frances (née Tumillo) and Antonio D'Abruzzo, a barber born in Sant'Agata de' Goti, Benevento, Campania, Italy. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York in 1930. He began as a singer and dancer in vaudeville after winning a talent contest, and moved on to burlesque. Alda is known for portraying George Gershwin in the biopic Rhapsody in Blue (1945) as well as the talent agent in the Douglas Sirk classic Imitation of Life (1959). He was very successful on Broadway, starring in Guys and Dolls (1950), for which he won a Tony Award, and in What Makes Sammy Run? (1964). He was also the host of the short-lived DuMont TV version of the game show What's Your Bid? (May–June 1953). Alda's first wife, and mother of actor Alan Alda, Joan Browne, was a homemaker and former beauty pageant winner. Alda was married to his second wife, Flora Marino, an Italian actress whom he met in Rome, until his death. Alda made two guest appearances with his son Alan on M*A*S*H, in the episodes "The Consultant" (January 1975) and "Lend a Hand" (February 1980). The latter episode also featured Antony Alda (1956–2009), his younger son by his second wife. Alda appeared in an episode of The Feather and Father Gang in 1977. Alda died on May 3, 1986, aged 72, after a long illness following a stroke.
Notable Appearances
Movies

Imitation of Life

Spider-Man Strikes Back

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

The Beast with Five Fingers

Cloak and Dagger

Beautiful But Dangerous

Mister Universe

The Serpent

Tarzan and the Slave Girl

Lucy Moves to NBC

The Man I Love

The Girl Who Knew Too Much

I Will, I Will...For Now

A Soldier and a Half

Cleopatra's Daughter

Last Hours Before Morning

The House of Exorcism

Nora Prentiss

Totò e Peppino divisi a Berlino

All Woman

Musketeers of the Sea

Hollywood Varieties

Every Girl Should Have One

The Devil's Hand

Rhapsody in Blue

Cinderella Jones

Fame

Homicide

Holiday Hookers

The Squeeze

Two Gals and a Guy

Express to Terror

April Showers

Bittersweet Love
TV Shows

Quincy, M.E.

Mission: Impossible

The Rockford Files

Robert Montgomery Presents

Emergency!

Naked City

The Facts of Life

The Incredible Hulk

The Lucy Show

Fantasy Island

Matt Houston

Trapper John, M.D.

Kojak

Here's Lucy

The Ed Sullivan Show

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Laverne & Shirley

That Girl

Police Story

Judd, for the Defense

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

Ellery Queen

The Millionaire

Wonder Woman

Tales of Tomorrow

The Tony Randall Show

The Amazing Spider-Man

Supertrain

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Tenspeed and Brown Shoe

Beyond Westworld

Sword of Justice








