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Robert Louis Colbert (born July 26, 1931) is an American actor best known for his leading role as Dr. Doug Phillips on the ABC television series The Time Tunnel and his two appearances as Brent Maverick, a third Maverick brother in the ABC/Warner Brothers western Maverick.
In 1960, he appeared in three episodes of the ABC/WB western, Colt .45 with Wayde Preston, including the episode "Showdown at Goldtown". Colbert plays Johnny Moore, a young ex-convict. Colbert also appeared as Bill Mannix in another 1960 Colt .45 episode, "Strange Encounter."
On October 28, 1960, Colbert was cast as Army Corporal Howie Burch in the episode "Two Trails to Santa Fe" of the ABC/WB western series Cheyenne starring Clint Walker.
Before Roger Moore, who played Bart's cousin Beau Maverick, left Maverick during the same season in which Colbert appeared, the studio shot numerous publicity photographs of Colbert, Kelly and Moore cavorting in costume together that are readily accessible on Google Images; the rights to many of the pictures are currently owned by Getty Images. By the time Colbert's two episodes were telecast, however, Moore had already quit the show and Moore and Colbert never appeared together in the series itself. James Garner reminisced in his Archive of American Television interview that the studio lit Colbert darkly as well as dressing him like Garner in an attempt to mislead the public that Garner had returned but that when Colbert spoke, the audience realized that it wasn't Garner. A viewing of the episodes themselves, however, reveals that Garner was mistaken about this and that Colbert was lit normally during his shows although he was certainly dressed precisely as Garner had been earlier in the series.
In 1962, Colbert appeared as Miles Kroeger on the TV western The Virginian on the episode titled "Impasse." In 1962, Colbert played Lonzo Green in the episode "Footlights" of the ABC/WB crime drama, The Roaring 20s. Moreover, he guest starred on most of the ABC/WB series, including 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye (seven times each), Bronco (six times), Bourbon Street Beat (three times), Sugarfoot, The Alaskans with Roger Moore, Twelve O’Clock High, and Surfside 6 (twice each), and Cheyenne and Lawman, once each.
Due to a business issue resulting from a restaurant investment, Colbert requested that Warner Bros. Television head Bill Orr release him from his Warners contract.
That same year, Colbert guest-starred in an episode of Bonanza, " The Meredith Smith", in which he appeared dressed almost exactly as he had as Brent Maverick only in full color with a bright blue hatband. In the episode he portrays a man called Ace Jones, who claims to be Meredith Smith, the heir of a large estate.
Colbert's agent arranged a meeting with Irwin Allen. In 1966–1967, Colbert played the part of Doug Phillips in thirty episodes of the Irwin Allen science fiction ABC series The Time Tunnel, the second lead in a show about two time travelers. James Darren and Lee Meriwether starred with Colbert. Historical events like the Alamo, the sinking of the Titanic, the volcanic eruption on Krakatoa, and Custer's Last Stand were fictionalized. Colbert later starred in an unsuccessful 1970 television pilot for Allen entitled City Beneath the Sea that was shown as a made-for-TV movie.
In 1968, Colbert appeared in the final episode of the first season of Hawaii Five-O. In 1969, he was a guest star in an episode of Mannix, "Who Is Sylvia" (season 3, episode 19), where he played an old friend of Mannix, Phil, whose wife is the victim of several murder attempts. He was also a guest star in another episode of Mannix, "Duet for Three" (season 4, episode 13), playing Vic Stanley, whose friend Mart commits suicide in Hong Kong. Also in 1969, Colbert appeared in an episode of That Girl, "Fly Me To The Moon" (season 3, episode 23), as Air Force Reserve Major Brian James. Colbert also appeared as the character Stuart Brooks on the television soap opera The Young and the Restless from March 1973 to March 1983, being honored at the show's tenth anniversary.
In 1971, Colbert guest-starred again on Mannix in the episode "A Choice of Evils" as spy John Phillips. He made another guest appearance on Mannix in 1972, in the episode "A Walk in the Shadows" as scheming businessman Carl Blake. In 1973, he made a brief appearance in the Mannix episode, "Little Girl Lost" (season 7, episode 4), where he appeared as the victim of a murder. In 1987, he appeared in the film parody Amazon Women on the Moon.
Colbert is retired, though he still makes occasional cameo appearances, takes part in science fiction conventions and Western conventions all across America, and participates in celebrity golf tournaments for fundraising events.
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