Robert Stack life and biography

Robert Stack, born Robert Langford Modini Stack was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he also appeared on the television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.

Raised in Europe and Los Angeles by his mother, Robert Stack was a competitive polo player and skeet shooter and won several championships. He studied drama at the University of Southern California and, thanks to his deep baritone and handsome looks, had a relatively easy time landing jobs in Hollywood.

Stack made his screen debut with Deanna Durbin in 1939's First Love. Other hit films include 1942's To Be or Not To Be with Carole Lombard and John Wayne';s The High and the Mighty in 1954. Stack was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in 1957's Written on the Wind. During World War II, he took a three-year hiatus from Hollywood to serve as a gunnery officer, earning numerous medals and commendations. In all, he starred in more than 40 films.

Despite his success in the movies, Robert Stack is perhaps best known for his work in TV. He endeared himself to television audiences as the crime-fighting Eliot Ness, a role he played from 1959 to 1963 in the ABC drama series The Untouchables. In 1988, he made a comeback on the small screen as the authoritative host of Unsolved Mysteries, which he stayed with until 2002.

Robert Stack died of heart failure after suffering from prostate cancer on May 14, 2003. He was survived by his wife, actress Rosemarie Bowe whom he married in 1956, and their two children.

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