Bob Harks was born into a large family with a father who worked as a salesman for oil rig companies and a mother who dedicated herself to being a stay-at-home mother. Despite his strong family ties, Harks always had a desire to explore the world beyond his family's confines.
As he grew older, Harks found himself drawn to California, where he began a career as a clothing model. His connections in the modeling world led him to the Screen Extras Guild, and he soon found himself working on the set of the film Bullet. This marked the beginning of a long and illustrious career in the Screen Extras Guild.
Harks' career took a natural turn towards television westerns, with appearances on popular shows such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke. As the popularity of westerns began to wane, Harks transitioned to playing detectives, making frequent appearances on shows like Kojak and Lou Grant.
In the early 1970s, Harks landed a significant role as a utility stand-in on the Bill Bixby show The Magician, which proved to be a turning point in his career. He went on to work with Bixby again on the popular show The Incredible Hulk, where he would often play upgraded roles, earning a higher pay rate than his usual extra roles. Harks would frequently drive the car that would pick up Bixby's character at the end of each episode or have his character pick up Bixby's as he hitchhiked to his next destination.
After The Incredible Hulk came to a close, Harks found regular work as Bixby's stand-in on the short-lived show Goodnight Beantown. As Bixby's career began to wind down, Harks worked as a stand-in on the show Alien Nation, appearing in the series and most of its subsequent television movies. Eventually, Harks decided to retire and move to Wisconsin to be closer to his sister Sue and the rest of his family, bringing a career spanning over 30 years to a close.
