Robert J. Wilke was an American television and film actor who is popularly known for portraying negative characters in Westerns. He began his career as a stuntman in the 1930s and went on to first appear on the silver screen with the movie San Francisco (1936). Early in his career he appeared in several television westerns such as The Range Rider, Bonanza, Wagon Train, and Death Valley Days. Wilke also played a cameo in the 1960 movie The Magnificent Seven. Apart from western movies, some of his notable roles came with the movies From Here to Eternity (1953) and 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).