Robert Trebor
Robert Trebor | |
---|---|
Born |
Robert Schenkman June 7, 1953 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
Other names | Bob Trebor, Robert Alan Trebor |
Website | http://alwheaties.com/Robert_Trebor.html |
Robert Trebor (born June 7, 1953) is an American character actor, perhaps best known for starring as Salmoneus on the cult hits Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. His stage name is a palindrome (meaning it is spelled the same way backwards as it is forwards).
Biography
Early life
Trebor was born Robert Schenkman and grew up in Northeast Philadelphia; he is of Jewish origin.[1] He first showed signs of interest in acting around age 13. He was soon taking acting classes and participating in local theater groups. He also won several filmmaking awards from Kodak short film competitions, and the local ABC Philadelphia and PBS affiliates for a short black and white film called "Communicate!?"
Starring Himself
He wrote, directed, and starred in this short, as well as composed the music on an early version of a Moog synthesizer. His first lead role on the stage was as Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying for the St. Joseph's Summer Music Theatre Festival. Along with his acting Robert won several national awards from Scholastic Magazines for writing film and theatre reviews. Ironically one of his award winning reviews was for John Frankenheimer's The Fixer. Years later he would star for Mr. Frankenheimer in the film 52 Pickup. After a brief focus on oratory, he returned to acting, majoring in theater at Northwestern University. He returned to Philadelphia to star with Bill Irwin in a revival of George Gershwin's Strike Up The Band for the inaugural season of the American Music Theatre Festival at the historic Walnut Street Theatre.
Trebor has alternated between film and television. On the silver screen, his most acclaimed work is probably 52 Pickup, directed by John Frankenheimer.
Film and television
Trebor played the Son of Sam killer in Out of the Darkness opposite Martin Sheen. On television, after playing Waylin the slave in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, the second of five TV movies, Trebor rose to fame for playing the ever-out-to-make-a-dinar merchant Salmoneus, a character originating on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and making occasional crossovers to sister show Xena: Warrior Princess. He appeared in the 2016 Coen Brothers film Hail, Caesar!, playing opposite Josh Brolin.
Theatre
A recent project for the theatre is a one-man show called "The Return of Brother Theodore". The Los Angeles Weekly gave the show its prized "GO" recommendation and said, "actor Robert Trebor reincarnates Gottlieb in a 45-minute late-night solo performance that paints Brother Theodore’s belligerent reflections on a twisted life with broad yet powerful comedic strokes." This production was nominated by The LA Weekly for Best Solo Performance of 2007. Trebor starred as the Russian Major Viktor Davidykov in the drama Ravensridge written by TS Cook. Mr. Cook was the writer of the aforementioned Out Of The Darkness produced in 1985. His work in this play has been widely praised, Variety saying "Trebor is superb as the acerbic Davidykov, ironically bemoaning, "We used to be such a beautiful police state," and then affectingly describing how for all of communism's faults, how important it was that the whole country was experiencing it together. Trebor's Russian accent is excellent, and his perf is multilayered and nimble."
Filmography
- Gorp (1980)
- The First Time (1983)
- The Sex O'Clock News (1984)
- Out of the Darkness (1985) (TV)
- The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
- Turk 182 (1985)
- 52 Pick-Up (1986)
- Making Mr. Right (1987)
- My Demon Lover (1987)
- Talk Radio (1988)
- The Nutt House (1992)
- Universal Soldier (1992)
- Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) (TV)
- The Shadow (1994)
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) (TV series)
- Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001) (TV series)
- Dying on the Edge (2001)
- Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004)
- Meet Market (2004)
- Raise Your Voice (2004)
- Wedding Daze (2004) (TV)
- The Devil's Rejects (2005)
- Meet Market (2008)
- Hail, Caesar! (2016)
References
- ↑ Bret Ryan Rudnick (September 12, 1997). "An Interview With Robert Trebor". Whoosh.org. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
External links
- Robert Trebor at the Internet Movie Database
- Official website
- Interview-with online magazine Whoosh
- "The Return of Brother Theodore" A one-man theatrical tribute starring Robert Trebor