Jay Robinson (April 14, 1930 – September 27, 2013) was an American actor specializing in character roles. He achieved his greatest fame playing Emperor Caligula in the film The Robe (1953) and its sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954).

Biography

His new-found celebrity after appearing in The Robe and its sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators reportedly went to his head, and he became extremely difficult to work with. In addition the volatile actor began experimenting recklessly with drugs. He was arrested and booked in 1958 for possession of narcotics (methadone) and after a trial sentenced to a year in jail; his conviction was overturned on appeal, however. While free on bail, the incident and resulting bad press ruined his acting career.

After scraping up work outside the entertainment industry as a cook and landlord, he recovered from his drug addiction and eventually married. Resuming work in obscure bit parts, he had another career relapse when he was forced to spend 15 months in jail after all for an old warrant served on him for unknowingly missing a court date during his earlier retrial. Robinson credited letters of encouragement from friend Bette Davis with helping him find the strength to overcome his problems. She helped him get his first film role in 13 years, in 1971's Bunny O'Hare.

Robinson was married twice: to Pauline Flowers from 1960 until her death in 2002 and to Gloria Casas since 2004 until his death. He had one son with Flowers.

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