ROBERT F. SIMON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Robert F. Simon was born on December 2nd, 1908 in Mansfield, Ohio.  Although he excelled as a basketball player, he was actually quite shy.  After high school he first found work as a traveling salesman and later he became involved with acting originally to help him come out of his shell.  He had a very shy personality and joined the Cleveland Playhouse hoping this would help him become more comfortable with people.

Simon realized he enjoyed performing and went on to further his studies as the Actor's Studio in New York.  Simon was then able to gain over ten years experience working as a Broadway actor appearing in, "Clash by Night" and "Death of a Salesman".

Now very comfortable with his career choice Simon then broke into the film industry with some of his early credited roles being on, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1950) starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill, Tom Tully, Ruth Donnelly, Karl Malden and Craig Stevens, "Bright Victory" (1951) starring alongside Arthur Kennedy, Peggy Dow, Julia Adams, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Jim Backus and Rock Hudson and "Roogie's Bump" (1954) starring Ruth Warrick, Bob Marriott, Olive Blakeney, David Winters, Archie Robbins, William Harrigan, Roy Campanella and Carl Erskine.  Along with his early film roles he was also beginning to make quite a name for himself as a television actor appearing on such series as, "Out There", "Woman with a Sword", "Tales of Tomorrow", "Man Against Crime" and "Lux Video Theatre".

As his career progressed he added almost 200 credits to his resume although he never reached the level of stardom other actors achieved during the same era.  Nevertheless, Simon is most well remembered for his role as the father of Darren Stephens on the television series, "Bewitched" and as Maynard M. Mitchell on the series, "M*A*S*H".

Other television series he appeared on over the course of his career included, "The Streets of San Francisco", "The Lucy Show", "Climax!", "Nancy", "Saints & Sinners", "Custer", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Daniel Boone", "The Untouchables", "Holiday Lodge", "Lawman", "Klondike", "Sea Hunt", "Route 66", "Straightaway", "Wagon Train", "The Defenders", "Inner Sanctum", "Medic", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", "Playhouse 90", "The Dakota's", "The Fugitive", "Mr. Novak", "Ben Casey", "Zane Grey Theatre","The Outer Limits", "Bonanza", "Bat Masterson", "Shotgun Slade", "Tales of Tomorrow" and "Dr. Kildare" among many others.

Simon occasionally added a variety of film roles to his resume such as, "Chief Crazy Horse" (1955) starring Victor Mature, Suzan Ball and John Lund, Ray Danton, David Janssen, Robert Warwick, Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Larsen, James Millican, Morris Ankrum, James Westerfield, "Foxfire" (1955) starred Jane Russell, Jeff Chandler, Dan Duryea and Mara Corday, "Never Say Goodbye" (1956) also starring Rock Hudson, Cornell Borchers and George Sanders, Shelley Fabares, Ray Collins, David Janssen, John Banner, Jerry Paris, John Wengraf and Max Showalter, "Spring Reunion" (1957) starring Dana Andrews, Betty Hutton, Jean Hagen, Gordon Jones, Irene Ryan, James Gleason and Ken Curtis, "Gunman's Walk" (1958) with Van Heflin, Tab Hunter, James Darren, Mickey Shaughnessy and Kathryn Grant, "The Last Angry Man" (1959) Paul Muni, David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Luther Adler, Claudia McNeil, Joby Baker, Joanna Moore, Billy Dee Williams (in his film debut), and Godfrey Cambridge, "Pay or Die" (1960) starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine and Alan Austin, "The Spiral Road" (1962) starring Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Burl Ives, Reggie Nalder, Philip Abbott and Neva Patterson, "Wall of Noise" (1963) with Suzanne Pleshette, Ty Hardin, Dorothy Provine, Jean Byron, Fred Carson, Ralph Meeker, Simon Oakland, George Petrie and Roy Engel and "Across the River" (1965) with Lou Gilbert, Kay Doubleday and Samuel J. McCurry.

Robert F. Simon was married and had a total of four children although his wife's name is unknown along with specific dates of marriage.  Some of his later career appearances included the television series, "Columbo", "Barnaby Jones", "Hawaii Five-O" and his last acting role was in 1985 on, "Airwolf".

He passed away from a heart attack in Tarzana, California on November 29th, 1992 three days prior to his eighty fourth birthday.  His remains are interred at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California.

Filmography

1985         Airwolf 
1977-1982     Quincy, M.E.
1980         Eight Is Enough
1978-1979     The Amazing Spider-Man
1977         The Girl in the Empty Grave
1977         The Feather and Father Gang 
1977         Tail Gunner Joe
1976         McMillan & Wife 
1972-1976     The Streets of San Francisco
1973-1976     McCloud
1975         Cannon
1975         Ellery Queen 
1975         Columbo
1975         Hawaii Five-O 
1974         Amy Prentiss
1974         Police Woman
1974         The Six Million Dollar Man 
1974         Winter Kill
1974         Barnaby Jones 
1973         M*A*S*H
1973         The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War
1973         The New Temperatures Rising Show 
1973         The Partridge Family 
1972         Assignment Vienna
1969-1972     Mod Squad 
1970-1972     Marcus Welby, M.D. 
1971         Nichols
1971         Private Duty Nurses
1964-1971     Bewitched
1971         The Interns
1970-1971     Nancy 
1970         Love, American Style 
1970         Wild Women 
1960-1970     Bonanza 
1969         The Guns of Will Sonnett 
1969         The Outcasts 
1963-1968     The Virginian
1968         It Takes a Thief 
1968         The Legend of Custer
1968         Run for Your Life
1968         The Andy Griffith Show 
1967         Custer 
1967         The Reluctant Astronaut
1965-1967     Laredo 
1967         The Rat Patrol
1966         The Road West 
1957-1966     Gunsmoke 
1966         The Lucy Show 
1966         Get Smart 
1966         The Iron Men
1966         The Third Killer
1965         Blindfold
1965         Dr. Kildare
1965         The Legend of Jesse James
1965         Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 
1965         Slattery's People
1965         Luke and the Tenderfoot
1965         Kraft Suspense Theatre
1965         Across the River
1964-1965     McHale's Navy 
1965         Profiles in Courage 
1964         Fate Is the Hunter
1964         Daniel Boone
1964         The Great Adventure 
1962-1964     Ben Casey 
1963-1964     Arrest and Trial 
1963         The Outer Limits 
1963         Captain Newman, M.D.
1963         Mr. Novak
1963         77 Sunset Strip
1963         The Greatest Show on Earth 
1963         A New Kind of Love
1963         The Fugitive
1963         Wall of Noise
1963         The Dakotas 
1963         Twilight Zone 
1958-1963     Perry Mason 
1962-1963     Saints and Sinners 
1962         The Lloyd Bridges Show
1962         Sam Benedict 
1961-1962     The Dick Powell Theatre
1958-1962     Wagon Train
1962         Kraft Mystery Theater
1962         The Spiral Road
1961-1962     Target: The Corruptors 
1962         The Defenders
1962         The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1960-1962     Rawhide 
1962         Cain's Hundred 
1962         The Gertrude Berg Show
1962         Outlaws 
1962         Frontier Circus 
1962         Bus Stop 
1957-1962     Have Gun - Will Travel
1962         Straightaway
1962         Ichabod and Me 
1960-1961     Route 66
1961         Sea Hunt 
1961         Holiday Lodge 
1961         The Case of the Dangerous Robin 
1961         The Asphalt Jungle 
1959-1961     Lawman 
1961         The Roaring Twenties
1961         Klondike
1960-1961     The Untouchables 
1960         The Wizard of Baghdad
1960         Bat Masterson 
1960         Tess of the Storm Countr
1960         The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1960         The Facts of Life
1960         Dante 
1960         Stagecoach West
1960         Pay or Die
1960         Shotgun Slade
1960         Tate
1960         Tombstone Territory 
1959-1960     The Texan
1960         The Man from Blackhawk
1960         Wichita Town 
1960         Lock Up
1960         Alcatraz Express
1960         Johnny Midnight 
1959-1960     Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1959         Johnny Ringo 
1959         Operation Petticoat
1959         Law of the Plainsman 
1957-1959     Cheyenne
1959         The Last Angry Man
1959         Goodyear Theatre
1959         Black Saddle
1959         Adventures in Paradise
1959         Laramie
1959         Face of Fire
1959         Peter Gunn
1959         Compulsion
1959         Zane Grey Theatre
1959         Border Patrol
1958         Steve Canyon
1958         The Buccaneer
1958         Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1958         Gunman's Walk
1958         Mike Hammer
1958         Schlitz Playhouse
1958         Man Without a Gun
1957-1958     Playhouse 90
1954-1958     Climax! 
1958         G.E. True Theater
1957         M Squad
1957         The Millionaire 
1957         The Web
1957         The United States Steel Hour 
1957         Spring Reunion
1957         The Alcoa Hour 
1957         Broken Arrow
1957         Edge of the City
1956         Crusader
1956         State Trooper
1956         The Rack
1955-1956     Studio One in Hollywood
1956         The First Traveling Saleslady
1956         Bigger Than Life
1953-1956     Kraft Theatre
1956         The Catered Affair
1956         The 20th Century-Fox Hour 
1955-1956     Justice 
1956         Never Say Goodbye
1956         Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre
1956         The Benny Goodman Story
1956         Studio 57
1955         Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955         The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing
1955         Science Fiction Theatre
1955         Foxfire
1955         5 Against the House
1955         You Are There 
1955         Medic
1955         Chief Crazy Horse
1955         Seven Angry Men
1951-1954     The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1954         Rogue Cop
1954         The Black Dakotas
1954         Roogie's Bump
1954         Inner Sanctum
1954         Waterfront
1954         Mayor of the Town 
1953         The Gulf Playhouse 
1953         Man Against Crime 
1953         Tales of Tomorrow 
1952         Lux Video Theatre 
1952         Woman with a Sword 
1952         Out There 
1951         Bright Victory
1951         Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
1950         Where the Sidewalk Ends