Robert Donner (Actor)

From Minesweeper Wiki

Robert Donner, the actor, was born April 27, 1931 in New York. His early life was spent in New Jersey, Michigan and Texas before he joined the Navy. He served four years, then settled in California.

He worked days while studying evenings at the California State University. By coincidence, Clint Eastwood lived in the same apartment and persuaded him to go into acting.

His first role was in Rio Bravo, a 1959 Western starring John Wayne. This led to roles in another five Westerns with John Wayne. While having acted in in more than twenty films, he is best known for over one hundred television appearances. Most famous are his roles as 'Exidor' in Mork and Mindy (1978-1982) and as 'Yancy Tucker' in The Waltons (1972-1979). He also appeared in McGyver, Rawhide and Bonanza.

Donner continued to act until 2000 but spent most of his time participating in celebrity golf and tennis events. He died June 8, 2006 in California.

It is interesting to note he shares a name with Robert Donner, the inventor of Minesweeper. Minesweeper is also the name of a WWII propaganda film, but Donner missed production while serving in the Navy.