# Rex Robbins
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{{short description|American actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Rex Robbins
|birth_name=Roger McNicol Robbins
|birth_date=March 30, 1935
|birth_place=[Pierre, South Dakota](/source/Pierre%2C_South_Dakota), U.S.
|death_date=September 23, 2003 (aged 68)
|death_place=Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
|occupation= Actor, singer
}}
'''Rex McNicol Robbins''' (March 30, 1935 – September 23, 2003) was an American character actor of stage and screen. He played the Narrator/Mysterious Man in the first national tour of ''[Into the Woods](/source/Into_the_Woods)''. Robbins also portrayed Herbie in the first [Broadway revival](/source/Broadway_revival) of [''Gypsy''](/source/Gypsy_(musical)).
==Career==
Robbins appeared opposite [Angela Lansbury](/source/Angela_Lansbury) in the 1974 Broadway revival of ''[Gypsy](/source/Gypsy%3A_A_Musical_Fable)''. He made his Broadway debut in 1963 as the doctor in ''[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest](/source/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo's_Nest_(play))'' and subsequently went on to play roles in over 30 plays and films. He also starred with [John Lithgow](/source/John_Lithgow) in several British plays, including ''[The Changing Room](/source/The_Changing_Room)'' (1973) and ''Comedians'' (1976) and was directed by Lithgow in ''Boy Meets Girl'' (1976) based on the [1938 film](/source/Boy_Meets_Girl_(1938_film)) of the same name. He replaced [David Ogden Stiers](/source/David_Ogden_Stiers) in the long-running [Doug Henning](/source/Doug_Henning) musical ''[The Magic Show](/source/The_Magic_Show)''.[{{cite news| title=Rex Robbins, Herbie to Lansbury's Mama Rose, Is Dead at 68|authorlink1=Robert Simonson| last=Simonson| first=Robert| url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/81903-Rex-Robbins-Herbie-to-Lansburys-Mama-Rose-Is-Dead-at-68| work=[Playbill](/source/Playbill)| date=September 30, 2003| accessdate=Aug 1, 2014}}]
In 1972, he played the role of [Roger Sherman](/source/Roger_Sherman) in the film version of the musical ''[1776](/source/1776_(film))''. Off-Broadway, he appeared in ''Urban Blight'' at Manhattan Theatre Club,[{{cite news| title=Taking New York Apart in a Musical Revue| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/20/theater/review-theater-taking-new-york-apart-in-a-musical-revue.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A17%22%7D| last=Rich| first=Frank| authorlink=Frank Rich| date=June 20, 1988| work=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)| accessdate=Aug 1, 2014}}] [A.R. Gurney](/source/A.R._Gurney)'s ''[The Dining Room](/source/The_Dining_Room)'' at Playwrights Horizons and ''[Henry IV, Part I](/source/Henry_IV%2C_Part_I)'' at [the Public Theater](/source/the_Public_Theater).[{{cite news| title='Henry IV, Part 1,' In the Park| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/21/theater/henry-iv-part-1-in-the-park.html| last=Gussow| first=Henry| date=August 21, 1981| work=The New York Times| accessdate=Aug 1, 2014}}] His last stage appearance was as Mr. Brown in the musical adaption of ''[James Joyce's The Dead](/source/James_Joyce's_The_Dead)'' in 2000. His last film was a brief appearance in ''[The Royal Tenenbaums](/source/The_Royal_Tenenbaums)''.
==Personal life==
Robbins was born in [Pierre, South Dakota](/source/Pierre%2C_South_Dakota), to Lucy Geraldine (McNicol), who worked in journalism, and Clarence Edward Robbins, a doctor.[{{Cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/60/Rex-Robbins.html|title=Rex Robbins Biography (1935-)|website=www.filmreference.com|accessdate=December 3, 2020}}] He was an alumnus of [Yale University](/source/Yale_University) and was married with three children.[{{cite news| title=Rex Robbins, 68, Actor on Broadway| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/arts/rex-robbins-68-actor-on-broadway.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Aw%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A17%22%7D| work=The New York Times| date=October 2, 2003| accessdate=Aug 1, 2014}}] Robbins died of a stroke on September 23, 2003, at age 68.
==Partial filmography==
*''[Shaft](/source/Shaft_(1971_film))'' (1971) – Rollie
*''[1776](/source/1776_(film))'' (1972) – Roger Sherman (CT)
*''[Simon](/source/Simon_(1980_film))'' (1980) – Army doctor
*''The First Time'' (1983) – Leon
*''[The Man Who Wasn't There](/source/The_Man_Who_Wasn't_There_(1983_film))'' (1983) – Minister
*''[Reuben, Reuben](/source/Reuben%2C_Reuben)'' (1983) – C. B. Springer
*''[Key Exchange](/source/Key_Exchange)'' (1985) – Dr. Fanshaw
*''[The Secret of My Success](/source/The_Secret_of_My_Success_(1987_film))'' (1987) – McMasters
*''[Vampire's Kiss](/source/Vampire's_Kiss)'' (1988) – Sidney Langdon
*''Love or Money'' (1990) – Al McDonough
*''[Stella](/source/Stella_(1990_film))'' (1990) – Minister
*''[I.Q.](/source/I.Q._(film))'' (1994) – Suit
*''Breathing Room'' (1996) – David's Father
*''[The Associate](/source/The_Associate_(1996_film))'' (1996) – Investor at 21 Club
*''[The Royal Tenenbaums](/source/The_Royal_Tenenbaums)'' (2001) – Mr. Levinson (final film role)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Rex}}
Category:1935 births
Category:2003 deaths
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:American male stage actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:People from Pierre, South Dakota
Category:Male actors from South Dakota
Category:Yale University alumni
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rex Robbins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Robbins) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Robbins?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.