Robert J. Wilke

 Robert J. Wilke (May 18, 1914 – March 28, 1989)

Wilke was a film and television actor noted primarily for his roles as villains, mostly in Westerns. Wilke started as a stuntman in the 1930s and his first appearance on screen was in San Francisco (1936). He soon began to acquire regular character parts, mainly as a heavy, and made his mark when, along with Lee Van Cleef and Sheb Wooley, he played one of the "three men waiting at the station" in High Noon (1952). Outside of westerns, Wilke appeared in such films as From Here to Eternity (1953) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), in which he was cast as the first mate of the Nautilus. It is Wilke who, in the film, warns Captain Nemo that a giant squid is approaching the ship, and who utters the line, "We understand, sir, and we're with you", when Nemo announces his final intentions. His drama/adventure roles included U.S. Marshal, Peter Gunn, Tarzan, Bourbon Street Beat, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Untouchables. Wilke's final film role was somewhat against type as Gen. Barnicke in the 1981 comedy Stripes. Wilke died from cancer on March 28, 1989, he was 74.