Even before his role as Sheriff Mobley on Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home, Robert Craighead has been respected as a notable character actor for over 30-years in Hollywood. Robert has made hundreds of appearances in television shows, had roles in over 40 feature films, performed in over 100 theatrical productions across the country, and has recently seen success as a country music singer.
Growing up in the tiny oil town of Electra, Texas, being an actor would not have been an obvious career choice, but for Robert, he could think of nothing else. After finishing high school, Robert was accepted to the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in Los Angeles, where he studied acting and performed in the AADA Repertory Company. After graduating, Robert wasted no time in securing work as an actor in film, television and on stage. He was immediately cast in the world premiere musical comedy Ameritage that had a successful run of over a year in Beverly Hills. Several guest starring roles on television followed before he secured roles in cult classic films, such as Return of the Living Dead, Cujo, and The Bear. Robert then appeared as Lieutenant Frank Conran on the daytime drama The Bold and The Beautiful for four years, and had a recurring role on The Young and the Restless.
Since his early career, Robert has amassed a long resume of television guest starring roles on just about every crime drama there is, most recently NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles, Castle, Southland, and Criminal Minds,to name a few. Although Robert is well known for his dramatic performances, he has had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his comedic ability in guest starring roles on television shows, including New Girl, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Millers, Crowded, Childrens Hospital, and upcoming appearances in the new One Mississippi, with Tig Notaro and Winslow K. Whitaker, and Michael Ian Black.
He can be seen in several upcoming feature films, including The Last Heist and the soon to be released comedy The Tiger Hunter opposite Danny Pudi and Kevin Pollack. Robert still enjoys performing live on stage, when his schedule permits. Last year in Los Angeles, he starred in The Ruskin Group Theatre’s world premiere country musical Sneaky Ole Time, featuring top hits of Grammy and CMA award winner, Paul Overstreet. Most recently, Robert completed a screenplay. in which he will star and is currently in development. Featuring original songs by Paul Overstreet, about a country music singer and his son, titled Catch a Fallen Star. Robert resides in Los Angeles with his lovely wife of 31 years, Jennifer. They have one daughter and are proud grandparents of an 8 month old grandson.
After appearing in over 40 feature films and over 100 musical productions, you have definitely made a mark on this industry! How does it feel to have done so many projects?
Well, I have NOT appeared in over 100 musical productions, but I have appeared in over 100 theatrical productions some of which were musicals.
How do I feel about having done so many projects? I am very grateful to have had the opportunities that have been provided to me. I have been an actor for many years and have even had a period where I left the business to concentrate on family and raising my daughter. So I guess when I came back into the business 6-years ago, after a 10-year hiatus, I returned with a renewed passion for my craft and the industry itself.
Interestingly, I have worked more consistently the past few years than at any other time in my career and I attribute that to the joy I find in my work now. What do they say? Distance makes the heart grow fonder? I appreciate the work, I guess more than anything.
Yes, I have even ventured into the world of Country Music the last few years as well, having recorded a few songs that are available on iTunes and Amazon and just completed my first live concert in Santa Monica to a Sold Out crowd. Very thrilling!
You can listen to a couple of my songs here for free:
Ha! We meant to say “over 100 theatrical productions!” We were just too excited over that accomplishment. [laughs] Moving forward, you recently played Sheriff Mobley in Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home. Tell us about your role.
My role as Sheriff Mobley is about as tailor made a role as I could possibly ask for. I have played many sheriff’s, detectives, FBI, DEA Agents, Cops, etc.,. over the years, but never one that I was able to bring some of the elements to the character that Mr. Perry has allowed me to bring to this one.
I come from a very small town in Texas, very much like our Happy Alabama on Too Close to Home, so I am quite familiar with the type of people and situations that arise in that environment. Knowing that, allows me to play within my character and find humorous moments even amidst all of the drama and chaos, and, of course, Mr. Perry has begun writing in some wonderful situations for Sheriff Mobley to get caught up in!
I look at Sheriff Mobley as kind of the Patriarch of the town. These are his people, his family and in a small community, like this, even though you must still uphold the law, you care and try to protect them from getting themselves in too deep.
I absolutely LOVE working on this show! The cast is a very tight family and Mr. Perry, the Producers, Mark E. Swinton, and Ozzie Areu and the entire production team is a joy to work with.
You recently finished filming Smothered by Mothers. Can you share some info on the film and your role?
In Smothered by Mothers, I play an NFL Coach, whose daughter (Juliette Bennett) is having the child of one of my players, our kicker Bobby Davis, played by Shannon Brown.
It is a fast-paced comedy about a professional football star that loses all of his and his relative’s money in a Ponzi scheme, and becomes a father with three different women, all at the same time. The Ponzi scheme forces them to all live under one roof, and he has to pull off an elaborate caper in order to get his money back.
The film is quite funny, and also stars Jim O’Heir and Burt Young. The film will be released later this fall.
You just wrapped The Mustanger and the Lady (recently changed to Painted Woman). Tell us what you can about the film, and you role as Kyle Allison.
The Mustanger and the Lady was the working title of the film based on the award winning book by Dusty Richards of the same name. The film will be released as Painted Woman and will have a special premiere at Gina Davis new festival dedicated to Diversity and Women in Film, The Bentonville Film Festival in Bentonville Arkansas; the premiere will be on May 3rd.
The film is about a young woman in the west during the Victorian era of the 1890’s, (played by Stef Dawson of The Hunger Games and The Lennon Report), who is thrown into turmoil in a life of prostitution and must fight her way into her own power as an independent woman.
I play one of the most despicable characters I have ever portrayed as Kyle Allison, the owner of the local saloon and brothel as well as just about everything else in town and a major force to be reckoned with. I am very proud to be a part of this production and was very excited to work on a western and sink my teeth into this juicy role.
I can’t give too many details regarding the story line, but I can guarantee you it is a riveting film, beautifully directed by James Cotton and one that you will definitely want to put on your “Must See” list!
Editor’s Note: The Mustanger and the Lady was recently changed to Painted Woman.
You recently completed a screenplay, Catch a Fallen Star, which you will star in that will feature original songs by Grammy and CMA award winner Paul Overstreet. According to IMDB, the story is about love, family, redemption, and country music. Dee Wallace is also in the film. Can you share any additional information?
My screenplay Catch a Fallen Star is a story about an aging country singer that has been brewing in my head for about 15 years, and after working on another project and becoming friends with Paul Overstreet for over a year; I finally put it down on paper. I am excited about how it came out and I have been getting a tremendous response from a great number of industry professionals.
The story tells the tale of a Nashville singer, who just at the cusp of a great career has his world torn apart when he is sent to prison for twenty years on a double manslaughter charge while drinking and driving. Upon his release, he returns to Nashville where he meets and begins to mentor a son. whom he has never known. There are many plot twists, lots of great original music and an exciting dramatic conclusion.
We are still very much in pre-production, but currently I have several very talented artists willing to play roles in the film. My longtime best friend. Dee Wallace, as well as her very talented daughter Gabrielle Stone, the beautiful Amanda Wyss (Nightmare on Elm Street, Silverado) one of my costars from Too Close to Home, Brad Benedict, and of course my great friend, Paul Overstreet, has been working with me on writing some original songs and will also be lending some more tunes from his immense library of music.
We are hoping to go into production within the year.
We’re looking forward to it! What is like starring with another veteran actor, such as Dee Wallace?
I met Dee Wallace in 1982, while working on a world premiere musical comedy “Ameritage” that her and her late husband, Christopher Stone, were producing in Beverly Hills. We quickly became very close friends and have had the opportunity to work together a few times, on CUJO and again just two years ago on Flowers in December, a tragic story about two lovers in a doomed relationship.
I love, respect, and admire Dee Wallace. We have remained close friends for 35 years, and spend most of our holidays together. So, of course, it is quite comfortable when we are in front of the camera with each other. I cherish any opportunity to work with her, she is an amazing actress.
Readers will soon see you in the comedy The Tiger Hunter opposite Danny Pudi and Kevin Pollack. Could you tell us about the film and your role?
The Tiger Hunter is a feature comedy that has been winning Best Picture Awards at Film Festivals around the world for the past year and a half and will finally see a theatrical release in theaters later this year.
It is a story about a young engineer from India in the 1970’s (Danny Pudi), who comes to America to seek his fame and fortune. He goes to work for a company owned by Kevin Pollack and finds the road to success in America is not as easy as he had imagined. When his job falls through, he resorts to an elaborate charade with misfit friends in order to woo his childhood sweetheart.
I play Mr. Baldwin, whom owns the huge manufacturing company that Kevin Pollack’s firm is engineering a new invention for.
The film also stars Jon Heder, Karen David, and Rizwan Manji. It is a hilarious and heartwarming tale that is obviously already critically acclaimed and is written and directed by an amazing first time film maker Lena Khan.
When your schedule permits, you love performing on stage. Tell about your love for theater.
My roots are in theatre, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I began at an early age as a child on stage and that carried me to Hollywood. I continued my studies at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where I studied intensively for 3-years before venturing into film and television.
There is something about performing in front of a live audience that is like nothing else. Each performance and each audience is different, so every moment is unique and something that you and that particular audience share together forever.
I will always seek an opportunity to do a play whenever I am able to.
Do you have any upcoming projects that we haven’t mentioned?
Well, you are the first to know this, but I am currently working as a recurring guest star on a new comedy series for HULU that is produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg called FUTURE MAN.
The series stars Josh Hutcherson, (The Hunger Games) as Josh Futterman, a janitor by day/world-ranked gamer by night and is tasked with preventing the extinction of humanity after mysterious visitors from the future proclaim him the key to defeating the imminent super-race invasion.
I play Detective Vincent Skarsgard, who has been hot on the trail of these “time travelers” for over 40 years.
The scripts are all written by the same team that brought you SAUSAGE PARTY, THIS IS THE END, and THE NIGHT BEFORE.
I am very excited to be working with this talented team of writers and producers and an all-star cast, including Eliza Coup, Haley Joel Osment, Glenne Headley, Ed Begley Jr., Keith David, and Derek Wilson.
Complete this sentence, if I could do anything I want at this very moment, I would do _________.
If I could do anything I wanted, and had unlimited resources, I would love to have my own production company and be able to write, direct and produce my own television series and make my own feature films.
I have several ideas that are boiling and would love to be able to bring them all to fruition. I am a firm believer that nothing is ever too late, you are never too old, and opportunities are always available . . . you just have to recognize them when they present themselves to you!!
Connect with Robert:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robertcraighead
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robert_craighead
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robert-Craighead-552951771416859
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0186060
About Author
