Robert Strauss

Robert Strauss (November 8, 1913 – February 20, 1975) was an American actor. He became most familiar in Hollywood films of the 1950s such as Stalag 17 (1953), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor. Career Strauss began his career as a classical actor, appearing in Twelfth Night and Macbeth on Broadway in 1930. Comedy became his specialty, and he was known best as Stalag 17's Stanislas "Animal" Kuzawa, a role he created in the original 1951 Broadway production and reprised in the 1953 film adaptation, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His memorable comic characters included a maniac called "Jack the Slasher" in the 1953 Bob Hope comedy film Here Come the Girls and Daisy Mae's cretinous cousin Romeo Scragg in the 1959 musical comedy Li'l Abner, based on the Broadway show. He also was featured in the 1955 Marilyn Monroe comedy film The Seven Year Itch. In more serious parts, Strauss appeared in the 1956 war film Attack! with Jack Palance, Eddie Albert and Lee Marvin. He also had an important supporting role in the 1955 drama The Man with the Golden Arm.