Robert Totten
Robert Charles Totten (February 5, 1937 – January 27, 1995) was an American television director, writer, and actor, best known for directing 25 Gunsmoke episodes, Henry Fonda's adaptation of The Red Pony, and Louis L'Amour's The Sacketts miniseries.
Robert Totten
- Name
- Robert Totten
- Birth Name
- Robert Charles Totten
- Born
- 5 February 1937
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 27 January 1995
- Place of death
- Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- actor · screenwriter · director
- Education
- Eagle Rock High School
- Languages
- English
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Robert Charles Totten (February 5, 1937 – January 27, 1995) was an American television director, writer, and actor, best known for directing 25 Gunsmoke episodes, Henry Fonda's adaptation of The Red Pony, and Louis L'Amour's The Sacketts miniseries.
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Robert Totten (1937–1995) was an actor, director and screenwriter, of American nationality. The actor was born in Los Angeles and died in Sherman Oaks. Robert Totten was educated at Eagle Rock High School.
Languages used include English. Works are held at Harvard Film Archive.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q3436417 · wikipedia · Robert Totten
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Robert Totten • Birth Name — Robert Charles Totten • Born — 5 February 1937 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 27 January 1995 • Place of death — Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. • Years Active — 1961–1990 • Organization — *Directors Guild of America • Writers Guild of America • Screen Actors Guild
Career
Career
In addition to directing, Totten also co-starred in Gunsmoke playing the role of Corley, opposite of Nehemiah Persoff, in the 1969 episode "The Mark of Cain." He also played Cleavus Lukens, the childhood friend of Festus in an episode named for his role. As director, writer, and actor, Totten is a member all three guilds; the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild.
Death
Death
Totten died at the age of 57 on January 27, 1995, from a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California.
Filmography
Filmography
A partial filmography follows.
Television
Television
• Writer • Gunsmoke (1968) - "Nowhere to Run" (S13E18) • Director Gunsmoke (1966–71) • "My Father's Guitar" (S11E21) • "My Father, My Son" (S11E30) • "Prime of Life" (S11E32) • "The Good People" (S12E5) • "The Wrong Man" (S12E7) • "The Newcomers" (S12E11) • "Saturday Night" (S12E16) • "Mail Drop" (S12E19) • "Mistaken Identity" (S12E26) • "Nitro!" (S12E28 & S12E29) • "The Wreckers" (S13E1) • "A Hat" (S13E6) • "Major Glory" (S13E8) • "Blood Money" (S13E19) • "Hill Girl" (S13E20) • "The First People" (S13E23) • "Waco" (S14E11) • "Stryker" (S15E2) • "A Matter of Honor" (S15E9) • "Stark" (S16E3) • "The Scavengers" (S16E10) • "Jenny" (S16E15) • "Murdoch" (S16E20) • "The Lost" (S17E1) Other shows (1962–90) • The Gallant Men (1962) - S1E13 "Advance and Be Recognized" • Hawaiian Eye (1962-1963) • "Lament for a Saturday Warrior" (S4E5) • "To See, Perchance to Dream" (S4E9) • "Two Too Many" (S4E16) • "The Long Way Home" (S4E19) • Temple Houston (1963) • "Letter of the Law" (S1E3) • "Gallows in Galilee" (S1E6) • "Jubilee" (S1E8) • "Seventy Times Seven" (S1E11) • The Virginian (1964) - "The Secret of Brynmar Hall" (S2E26) • Bonanza (1965) • "Dead and Gone" (S6E27) • "A Natural Wizard" (S7E13) • The Legend of Jesse James (1965-1966) • Daniel Boone (1966) - "The Gun" (S2E20) • Iron Horse (1966) - "Cougar Man" (S1E7) • The Monroes (1966) - "War Arrow" (S1E9) • The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1966) • The Lamb Who Hunted Wolves (S1E16 & S1E17) • Brother Love (S1E21) • Mission: Impossible (1968) • The Phoenix (S3E23) • Recovery (S3E25) • Dan August (1970) - "When the Shouting Dies" (S1E10) • Bearcats! (1971) • Kung Fu (1973) • "The Tong" (S2E7) • "The Hoots" (S2E10) • The Red Pony (1973) • Huckleberry Finn (1975) • The Fitzpatricks (1977) - "Say Goodbye to Buddy Bonkers" (S1E10) • The Sacketts (1979) • Enos (1981) - "House Cleaners" (S1E7) • Magnum, P.I. (1981) - "Double Jeopardy" (S2E19) • The Young Riders (1990) - "The Man Behind the Badge" (S1E21) Actor • Year — Title — Role — Episode • 1969-1974 — Gunsmoke — Corley — "The Mark of Cain" • Ben Miller — "The Long Night" • Tully — "Hackett" • Abner — "Gentry's Law" • Blacksmith — "Captain Sligo" • Cleavus Lukens — "Cleavus" • Josh Walker — "Alias Festus Haggen" • Eli Snider — "Talbot" • 1970 — Cutter's Trail — Thatcher — TV movie • 1974 — Dirty Sally — Cave — "My Fair Laddie" • 1983-1987 — Simon & Simon — Mechanic Feltzer — "The Secret of the Chrome Eagle" • Man #1 — "Lost Lady"
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Los Angeles.
Birth place
Sherman Oaks.
Death place
Film
Director • Year — Title — Role • 1963 — The Quick and the Dead • 1969 — Death of a Gunfighter — Credited as Alan Smithee • 1970 — The Wild Country • 1976 — Pony Express Rider — Also writer Actor • Year — Title — Role • 1979 — The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again — Blainey
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3436417: Robert Totten
General reference · Wikidata
reference work
- “Robert Totten”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Awards
Totten was nominated at the 25th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in Drama - Adaptation for his work on the 1973 television film, The Red Pony.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Lentz, Harris. Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers. McFarland. 994. 1996. 9780786402175.
- 2.Fagen, Herb. Duke, We're Glad We Knew You: John Wayne's Friends and Colleagues Remember His Remarkable Life. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 115. 1998. 9780806520568.
- 3.Andreychuk, Ed. Louis L'Amour on Film and Television. McFarland. 140. March 2010. 9780786457175.
- 4.Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Nominees/Winners | Television Academy.
- 5.Dan Cox. Robert Totten. Variety.com. February 12, 1995.
- 6.Lentz, Harris. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1995. McFarland. 192. July 1996. 9780786402533.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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