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Willard Robertson

Willard Robertson

Actor, also writer · Died April 5, 1948, aged 62 · Runnels, Texas, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Willard Robertson (January 1, 1886 – April 5, 1948) was an American actor and writer. He appeared in 147 films between 1924 and 1948. He was born in Runnels, Texas and died in Hollywood, California. Willard Robertson first worked as a lawyer in Texas, but he left his profession for a sudden interest in acting. He appeared on Broadway in 16 plays between 1907 and 1930. Robertson played supporting roles in many Hollywood films from 1930 until the year he died, typically portraying men of authority such as doctors, elected officials, military officers, and also lawyers. He played Jackie Cooper's stern but loving father in the oscar-winning drama Skippy (1931) and its sequel Sooky (1931). Robertson also portrayed a flamboyant lawyer in Remember the Night (1940) and the straight sheriff in The Ox-Bow Incident (1943). Willard Robertson was also a notable writer of numerous plays, two of them were adapted into films. He also wrote the novel Moon Tide (1940) which was turned into Archie Mayo's drama thriller Moontide (1942) starring Jean Gabin and Ida Lupino.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 31, 1885
Died
April 5, 1948 (aged 62)
From
Runnels, Texas, USA
Works as
Actor, also writer
Titles
56 on MovieCove · 132 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 41% in 30 days

What are Willard Robertson's films like?

Across their 31 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
36%
Bonds
33%
Self
12%
Society
6%
Power
6%
Survival
6%
Ideas
1%
Justice12 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 9 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 19 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 17 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 15 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 18 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 3 of 8 analyzed roles.

Shadow
3 of 8
Threshold guardian
2 of 8
Ally
2 of 8
Trickster
1 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Thrilling
11
Romantic
10
Melancholic
10
Warm
8
Other
26

How their films linger

Feel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy22
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Willard Robertson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 56 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Willard Robertson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

132 credits, 56 with a MovieCove page.

  • Fury at Furnace Creek(1948)

    as Gen. Leads

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Sitting Pretty(1948)

    as Mr. Ashcroft

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Deep Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Sheriff Akers

  • My Favorite Brunette(1947)

    as Prison Warden

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Gallant Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Zachary Montgomery

  • Renegades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Nathan Brockway

  • The Virginian(1946)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Perilous Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Graeme

  • To Each His Own(1946)

    as Dr. Hunt

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Along Came Jones(1945)

    as Luke Packard

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Nine Girls(1944)

    as Capt. Brooks

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Background to Danger(1943)

    as McNamara

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • No Time for Love(1943)

    as Construction Company President (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Air Force(1943)

    as Colonel at Hickam Field

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Ox-Bow Incident(1943)

    as Sheriff Risley

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Wake Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Actor

  • Juke Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mister Just

  • Moontide(1942)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Night of January 16th (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Inspector Donegan

  • Texas(1941)

    as Rancher Wilson

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Men of the Timberland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Tim MacGregor

  • I Wanted Wings(1941)

    as Judge Advocate

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Monster and the Girl(1941)

    as Lieutenant Strickland

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • North West Mounted Police(1940)

    as Supt. Harrington

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Brigham Young(1940)

    as Heber Kimball

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Lucky Cisco Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Judge McQuade

  • Castle on the Hudson(1940)

    as Ragan

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • My Little Chickadee(1940)

    as Uncle John

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Remember the Night(1939)

    as Francis X. O'Leary

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Main Street Lawyer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as John Ralston

  • Two Bright Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Clayton

  • Range War(1939)

    as Buck Collins

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Each Dawn I Die(1939)

    as Lang

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Heritage of the Desert(1939)

    as Henchman Nebraska

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Union Pacific(1939)

    as Oakes Ames

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • My Son Is a Criminal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Tom Halloran Sr.

  • Jesse James(1939)

    as Clarke

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Kentucky(1938)

    as Bob Slocum

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Torchy Gets Her Man(1938)

    as Charles Gilbert

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Men with Wings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Col. Hadley

  • You and Me(1938)

    as Dayton

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Gangs of New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Inspector Sullivan

  • Island in the Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Walter Rhodes

  • Hot Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Dr. Enfield

  • Exclusive(1937)

    as Mr. Franklin

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Roaring Timber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Harrigan

  • This Is My Affair(1937)

    as George Andrews

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Go Getter(1937)

    as Matt Peasely

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Park Avenue Logger(1937)

    as Ben Morton

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • John Meade's Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Man

  • Larceny on the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Inspector 'Mac' McDonald

  • That Girl from Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Immigration Officer (uncredited)

  • Wanted: Jane Turner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Walter Davies

  • Winterset(1936)

    as Policeman in the Square

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Man Who Lived Twice(1936)

    as Logan

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Gorgeous Hussy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Secretary Ingham

  • The Last of the Mohicans(1936)

    as Captain Winthrop

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • I Married a Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Guy Pollock

  • The First Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Dr. Clarke

  • Three Godfathers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Reverend McLane

  • Dangerous Waters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Bill MacKeechie

  • Forced Landing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Martin Byrd

  • The Old Homestead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Uncle Jed

  • His Night Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as J.J. Trent

  • O'Shaughnessy's Boy(1935)

    as Dan Hastings

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Dante's Inferno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Inspector Harris

  • Oil for the Lamps of China(1935)

    as Speaker

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Straight from the Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as District Attorney

  • Laddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Mr. John Stanton

  • Transient Lady(1935)

    as Ed Goring

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Biography of a Bachelor Girl(1935)

    as Grigsby, the Process Server

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Million Dollar Baby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Actor

  • The Secret Bride(1934)

    as Representative Grosvenor

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Mills of the Gods(1934)

    as Thomas

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Elinor Norton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Ranch Foreman

  • Death on the Diamond(1934)

    as Cato

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Have a Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Mr. Schauber

  • Housewife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Judge Edwin A. Matthews

  • Here Comes the Navy(1934)

    as Executive Officer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Murder in the Private Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Hanks

  • He Was Her Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Police Captain

  • Operator 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Captain Channing

  • Let's Talk It Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Dr. Preston

  • One Is Guilty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Wells Deveroux

  • Upperworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Police Captain Reynolds

  • I'll Tell the World(1934)

    as Hardwick

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Whirlpool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Morrison

  • Gambling Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as District Attorney

  • Heat Lightning(1934)

    as Everett Marshall

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dark Hazard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Bill 'Billy' Fallen

  • Two Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as George Marshall

  • Lady Killer(1933)

    as Detective Conroy

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • East of Fifth Avenue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Dr. Morgan

  • Roman Scandals(1933)

    as Warren Finley Cooper

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Female(1933)

    as Department Head (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Ever in My Heart(1933)

    as Kennel Caretaker

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Wild Boys of the Road(1933)

    as Captain of Detectives

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Tugboat Annie(1933)

    as Red Severn

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Another Language (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Harry Hallam

  • Supernatural (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Prison Warden

  • Trick for Trick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Dr. Frank Fitzgerald

  • Central Airport(1933)

    as Havana Airport Manager

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Destination Unknown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Joe Shano

  • Frisco Jenny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Police Capt. Tom

  • Call Her Savage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Pete Springer

  • If I Had a Million(1932)

    as Fred - Glidden Associate (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932)

    as Prison Board Chairman

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Wild Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Red Pete

  • Virtue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Detective MacKenzie

  • Okay, America! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bit Role

  • Guilty as Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Police Sgt. Alcock

  • Doctor X(1932)

    as Detective O'Halloran

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Tom Brown of Culver (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Capt. White

  • The Texas Bad Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Millard Keefe

  • The Rider of Death Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bill Joyce

  • The Famous Ferguson Case(1932)

    as Sheriff

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Broken Wing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Sylvester Cross

  • Steady Company (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Pop Henley

  • Behind the Mask (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Capt. E.J. Hawkes

  • The Gay Caballero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Major Lawrence Blount

  • Sooky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Herbert Skinner

  • The Cisco Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Enos Hankins

  • Graft (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as E. T. Scudder

  • Shanghaied Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Newman

  • Silence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Phil Powers

  • The Lawyer's Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)

  • Skippy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Herbert Skinner

  • Fair Warning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Tex Calder

  • The Last of the Duanes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Texas Ranger Captain

  • Why Women Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1925)

    Theatre Play

  • Daughters of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Screenplay · Story · as Prof. Woodbury

  • Big Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Screenplay

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 132 titles from 1921 to 1948.

Highest rated

Remember the Night (1939)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

My Favorite Brunette (1947)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting129 of 132: 128 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stWriting4 of 132: 3 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1920s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew1930s100 · acting1940s29 · 28 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 26 roles
313641

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Willard Robertson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 56; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 56 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th29
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

39 of their 56 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser39
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Transient Lady (1935)

76th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Willard Robertson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Willard Robertson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hal B. Wallis shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles