Robert Strauss(1913-1975)

A seemingly ubiquitous presence in films of the 1950s, this beefy character actor drifted from one menial job to another before turning to dramatics. He worked on the stage for several years before breaking into movies in 1952. Typically played gruff characters -- sometimes comic, sometimes menacing -- and essayed quite a few gangster roles as well. He won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Animal in O Inferno Nº 17 (1953), a role he had originated on Broadway. He also appeared in O Marujo Foi na Onda (1952), Os Malucos do Ar (1952), As Pontes de Toko-Ri (1954), O Pecado Mora ao Lado (1955), O Homem do Braço de Ouro (1955), Morte sem Glória (1956), Aventuras de Ferdinando (1959) (as Romeo Scragg), Da Lama para a Glória (1961), Garotas e Mais Garotas (1962), Tempero do Amor (1963), A Família Fulera (1965), Chama Ardente (1965), Entre a Loura e a Ruiva (1966), and A Quadrilha dos Renegados (1967), to name a few, in addition to many TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. He was incapacitated during the final years of his life, from a paralytic stroke.