What Was Robert Stack's Net Worth?
Robert Stack was an American actor, sportsman, television host, and producer who had a net worth equal to $30 million at the time of his death in 2003, after adjusting for inflation. Robert Stack won a Primetime Emmy for starring as Eliot Ness on the ABC crime drama "The Untouchables" (1959–1963), and he hosted the NBC/CBS/Lifetime series "Unsolved Mysteries" from 1987 to 2002. Robert had more than 90 acting credits to his name, including the films "The High and the Mighty" (1954), "Written on the Wind" (1956), "The Last Voyage" (1960), "1941" (1979), "Airplane!" (1980), "Caddyshack II" (1988), "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990), and "BASEketball" (1998) and the television series "The Name of the Game" (1968–1971), "Most Wanted" (1976–1977), "Strike Force" (1981–1982), and "Falcon Crest" (1987). Stack voiced Bob, The Narrator on "Disney's Hercules: The Animated Series" (1998–1999), and he lent his voice to the films "The Transformers: The Movie" (1986), "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" (1996), "Hercules: Zero to Hero" (1999), and "Recess: School's Out" (2001). He also executive produced the 2000 TV movie "Lords of the Mafia" and the 2003 documentary "Gangsta King: Raymond Lee Washington." Sadly, Robert passed away on May 14, 2003, at the age of 84.
Early Life
Robert Stack was born Charles Langford Modini Stack on January 13, 1919, in Los Angeles, California. Stack's mother chose the name Charles, but his father later changed it to Robert. Stack grew up in Rome and Adria, and he became fluent in Italian and French at a young age. He learned English at the age of 7 when he moved back to L.A. When Robert was a year old, his parents, James (the owner of an ad agency) and Mary, divorced. They later remarried, but James passed away when Stack was 10 years old. Robert's maternal grandfather was opera singer Charles Wood, who performed under the stage name "Carlo Modini" in Italy.
Stack attended the University of Southern California, where he took drama courses and played polo. He later studied drama at Bridgewater State University. Robert and his brother, James Jr., won the International Outboard Motor Championships in Italy, and Stack joined the All-American Skeet Team at the age of 16, setting two world records. He also became a national skeet shooting champion, and he was inducted into the National Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame in 1971. During World War II, Robert served as an aerial gunnery instructor the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
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Career
Robert visited the Universal Studios lot at the age of 20 and was asked by producer Joe Pasternak, "How'd you like to be in pictures? We'll make a test with Helen Parrish, a little love scene." Stack did the screen test and got the part. He made his film debut in 1939's "First Love," and he followed it with "The Mortal Storm" (1940), "A Little Bit of Heaven" (1940), "Nice Girl?" (1941), "Badlands of Dakota" (1941), "To Be or Not to Be" (1942), "Eagle Squadron" (1942), "Men of Texas" (1942), "Fighter Squadron" (1948), and "Miss Tatlock's Millions" (1948). Stack received an Academy Award nomination for 1956's "Written on the Wind," and in the '50s, he also appeared in "My Outlaw Brother" (1951), "War Paint" (1953), "Sabre Jet" (1953), "The Iron Glove" (1954), "The High and the Mighty" (1954), "The Tarnished Angels" (1957), "The Gift of Love" (1958), and "John Paul Jones" (1969). From 1959 to 1963, he starred as Eliot Ness on "The Untouchables," which aired 119 episodes over four seasons and earned Robert a Primetime Emmy.
Stack appeared in the films "The Last Voyage" (1960), "The Caretakers" (1963), "Is Paris Burning?" (1966), "The Peking Medallion" (1967), "Action Man" (1967), "Story of a Woman" (1970), and "Second Wind" (1978), and in 1979, he played Major General Joseph W. Stilwell in Steven Spielberg's "1941." From 1968 to 1971, Robert starred as Dan Farrell on the NBC series "The Name of the Game," and he played Captain Lincoln 'Linc' Evers on the ABC crime drama "Most Wanted" from 1976 to 1977. He guest-starred on "Police Story" (1976), "The Love Boat" (1980), and "Murder, She Wrote" (1986), appeared in the special "The Muppets Go Hollywood" (1979), and had a recurring role as Roland Saunders on "Falcon Crest" (1987), and from 1981 to 1982, he starred as Captain Frank Murphy on ABC's "Strike Force." Stack appeared in the films "Airplane!" (1980), "Uncommon Valor" (1983), "Big Trouble" (1986), "Caddyshack II" (1988), and "Dangerous Curves" (1988), and from 1987 to 2002, he hosted "Unsolved Mysteries." Robert co-starred with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in 1990's "Joe Versus the Volcano," and he appeared as himself in 1998's "BASEketball" and 1999's "Mumford." He guest-starred on "Blossom" (1993), "JAG" (1996), "Diagnosis Murder" (1997), and "Star Trek: Voyager" (2000), and he starred in the 1991 TV movie "The Return of Eliot Ness." Stack's final film was 2001's "Killer Bud."
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Personal Life
Robert married actress Rosemarie Bowe on January 23, 1956, and they remained together until his death in 2003. The couple welcomed two children together, daughter Elizabeth and son Charles. Elizabeth served as Miss Golden Globe in 1978. In 1953, the Blackfoot Confederacy's Piikani Nation (formerly known as the Peigan Nation) inducted Robert into their chieftainship, dubbing him Chief Crow Flag.
Death
In 2002, Stack underwent radiation therapy after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the age of 84, Robert died of heart failure at his Los Angeles home on May 14, 2003, and he was laid to rest at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
Awards and Nominations
In 1957, Stack earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Written on the Wind." He received three Primetime Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead or Support) for "The Untouchables" in 1960. Robert was also nominated for "The Untouchables" in 1961 and for Outstanding Informational Series for "Unsolved Mysteries" in 1995. He received two Laurel Award nominations, taking home the prize for Top Male Supporting Performance for "Written on the Wind" in 1957. Stack's other Laurel Award nomination was for Top Action Performance for "The Last Voyage" (1960). He was honored with a Golden Boot at the 2000 Golden Boot Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2001 Temecula Valley International Film Festival, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The American Academy of Achievement presented Robert with a Golden Plate Award in 1962.
Real Estate
A few months after Stack's death, Robert's widow, Rosemarie, sold the couple's Bel-Air home for $7 million.
