Robert F. Simond, a talented character actor with an imposing presence, began his acting career at the Cleveland Playhouse, seeking to overcome his natural shyness. He then trained at the renowned Actor's Studio in New York, where he spent ten years honing his craft on Broadway, tackling a diverse range of roles from drama to musical comedy, and even serving as a stage manager.
As an understudy to the legendary Lee J. Cobb in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", Simond was able to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a traveling salesman, albeit in a roundabout way.
Simond's film career commenced in 1950, but he often found himself typecast in stereotypical roles, playing benevolent authority figures or gruff executives, earning mixed reviews from critics at times.
However, the small screen proved to be a more suitable platform for Simond, where he became a familiar face, playing generals, police captains, doctors, journalists, and attorneys for over 35 years.
Audiences may fondly remember him as General Alfred Terry, the disapproving superior of George Armstrong Custer in the 1967 film "Custer"; as the sympathetic father of Darrin Stephens in the 1964 TV series "Bewitched"; or as Maynard M. Mitchell, one of the most eccentric generals to serve in the Korean War, in the 1972 TV series "M*A*S*H".
