Biography
Beefy British character actor Robert Brown should not be confused with the actor of the same name who starred in TV's
Here Come the Brides (1968-1969), nor with film editor Robert N. "Toby" Brown. In films from 1955's
Helen of Troy, Brown specialized in roughneck costume roles, such as the Chief of Rowers in
Ben-Hur (1959) and Talbot in
Billy Budd (1962). In the 1957
Roger Moore TV series
Ivanhoe, Brown was appropriately cast as Gurth. After playing Admiral Hargreaves in the 1977 James Bond entry
The Spy Who Loved Me, Robert Brown succeeded
Bernard Lee as Bond's immediate superior "M", essaying the role for the first time in
Octopussy (1983) and for the last time in
A View to a Kill (1989). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide