published on in UncategorizedNewsInfoBlog

Robert Totten

Robert Totten, a director, writer and actor, died Jan. 27 of a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He was 57.

Totten was a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild.

Totten’s first film as a director was “The Quick and the Dead” in 1961. The pic, shown in a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, convinced Jack Warner to give Totten a six-month contract as a helmer.

Popular on Variety

While at Warners, he directed episodes of “Hawaiian Eye” and “77 Sunset Strip” and was second unit helmer on the features “Youngblood Hawke” and “Spencer’s Mountain.”

His television helming credits included “Gunsmoke” (27 episodes), “The Legend of Jesse James,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Then Came Bronson,” “Bonanza,” “The Virginian,” “The Dakotas,” “Daniel Boone,” “The Way West,” “Cowboys,” “Kung Fu,” “The Iron Horse,” “The Wackiest Ship in the Army” and “Magnum, P.I.”

He also directed “The Sacketts,” a miniseries that starred Tom Selleck, Jeff Osterhage and Sam Elliott, and “The Red Pony” with Henry Fonda. Totten received an Emmy nomination for co-scripting “Pony.”

Acting credits included “Gunsmoke,” “Dirty Sally,” “Cutter’s Trail” and “Simon & Simon.”

At the time of his death, he was planning to direct “Lonesome Dove, The Series.”

He is survived by his wife, Mikki, a son and a daughter.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9mhnqBjqyanqaVZL2mu8%2BlnGamlazAcL7Om5yrrF2pvLXAxKdkcnFhZ4F5f5Ro