Robert Hays

American actor (born 1947)

Cherie Currie

(m. 1990; div. 1997)

Children1

Robert Hays (born July 24, 1947) is an American actor, known for a variety of television and film roles since the 1970s. He came to prominence around 1980, co-starring in the two-season domestic sitcom Angie, and playing the central role of pilot Ted Striker in the hit spoof film Airplane! and its sequel. Other film roles include the lead role in the comedy Take This Job and Shove It (1981), and Bob Seaver, one of the main human characters in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993).^[1] On television, he starred in the science fiction series Starman (1986–1987)^[2] and the short-lived workplace sitcom FM (1989–1990), played the voice of Tony Stark on Iron Man (1994), and had a guest role as Bud Hyde on That '70s Show (2000).^[3]

Career

In 1977, Hays played a military corporal in an episode of the television series Wonder Woman. He starred in several short-lived television series, including the 1978 production The Young Pioneers on ABC; the 1979–1980 series Angie; Starman, and FM.

He was cast as Ted Striker, the washed up pilot who needs to save the day in Airplane! (1980), a spoof of disaster films such as the Airport series, and returned for Airplane II: The Sequel. In 1981, he hosted the sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live. He played a man thought to be Hyde's dad in several episodes of That '70s Show.

He has performed in many television films and done voice work, such as the title character in the Marvel Comics adaptation of Iron Man. In 2013, Hays appeared in a slapstick-laden TV spot promoting tourism in Wisconsin, which also reunited him with Airplane! co-director David Zucker.^[4]

Personal life

Hays married musician and singer Cherie Currie on May 12, 1990.^[5] The couple have a son, Jake.^[5] Hays and Currie divorced in 1997 after seven years of marriage.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Airplane!	Ted Striker	Alternative title: Flying High!
1981	Take This Job and Shove It	Frank Macklin
1982	Airplane II: The Sequel	Ted Striker	Alternative title: Flying High II: The Sequel
1983	Trenchcoat	Terry Leonard
1983	Utilities	Bob Hunt
1983	Touched	Daniel
1984	Scandalous	Frank Swedlin
1985	Cat's Eye	Johnny Norris	Alternative title: Stephen King's Cat's Eye
1989	Honeymoon Academy	Sean Mcdonald	Alternative title: For Better or For Worse
1992	Fifty/Fifty	Sam French
1993	Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey	Bob Seaver
1993	Partners	Grave Squad Lawyer	Short film
1994	Raw Justice	Mitch McCullum	Alternative titles: Good Cop, Bad Cop and Strip Girl
1994	No Dessert, Dad, till You Mow the Lawn	Ken Cochran
1995	Cyber Bandits	Morgan
1996	Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco	Bob Seaver
1999	An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster	Reed Daley	Voice^[6]
2000	Dr. T & the Women	Harlan
2001	Sex and a Girl	Dan	Alternative title: Alex in Wonder
2001	The Retrievers	Tom Lowry
2004	The Nutcracker and the Mouse King	Squeak	Voice, English dub^[6]
2005	Freezerburn	Michael Reed the Talent
2007	Universal Remote	Dr. Anderson
2007	Nicky's Birthday Camera	Bob
2008	Superhero Movie	Blaine Riker
2013	Paranormal Movie	Director
2016	Miracle in the Valley	Pastor Reign

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	The Rockford Files	Darren Weeks	Episode: "The Deep Blue Sleep"
1975	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Officer Gilpin / Officer Hanson	3 episodes
1976	The Streets of San Francisco	Lester	Episode: "Judgment Day"
1976	Cannon	Michael Narak	Episode: "Bloodlines"
1976	Young Pioneers	Dan Gray	Television film
1976	Laverne & Shirley	Tom	Episode: "Dating Slump"
1976	The Blue Knight	Officer Wells	4 episodes
1976	Spencer's Pilots	Jack	Episode: "The Hitchhiker"
1976	Most Wanted	Bruce Collins	Episode: "The Heisman Killer"
1976	Young Pioneers' Christmas	Dan Gray	Television film
1977	Wonder Woman	Corporal Jim Ames	Episode: "Wonder Woman in Hollywood"
1977	Delta County, U.S.A.	Bo	Television film
1978	The Love Boat	Sam Bradley	Episode: "Family Reunion"
1978	The Initiation of Sarah	Scott Rafferty	Television film
1978	The Young Pioneers	Dan Gray	Miniseries
1978	Almost Heaven	Dave Leland	Television film
1978	Will Rogers: Champion of the People	Will Rogers	TV special
1979	The Fall of the House of Usher	Jonathan Cresswell	Television film
1979–80	Angie	Brad Benson	36 episodes
1979	Battle of the Network Stars VII	Himself	TV special
1980	Battle of the Network Stars VIII	Himself	TV special
1980	The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything	Kirby Winter	Television film
1981	Saturday Night Live	Himself / Host	Episode: "Robert Hays/14 Karat Soul/Joe 'King' Carrasco & The Crowns"
1981	California Gold Rush	Bret Harte / Narrator	Television film
1982	The Day the Bubble Burst	Gregory Winslow	Television film
1984	Mister Roberts	Lieutenant Douglas Roberts	Television film
1986–87	Starman	Paul Forrester	22 episodes
1987	Murder by the Book	D.H. Mercer / Biff Deegan	Television film
1989–90	FM	Ted Costas	13 episodes
1990	Running Against Time	David Rhodes	Television film
1992	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	Episode: "The Garden Weasel"
1992	Hot Chocolate	Eric Ferrier	Television film
1993	Cutters	Joe Polachek	5 episodes
1993	Sex, Shock and Censorship in the '90s	Martin Day	TV special
1994–96	Iron Man	Tony Stark / Iron Man	Voice, 26 episodes^[6]
1995	Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare	Chad Ingram	Television film
1995	Vanished	John Taylor	Television film
1996	Guys Like Us	Mike Hanson	Episode: "Pilot"
1996	The Abduction	Paul Olavsky	Television film
1996	Unabomber: The True Story	David Kaczynski	Television film
1996	The Incredible Hulk	Tony Stark / Iron Man	Voice, episode: "Helping Hands, Iron Fist"^[6]
1996	Touched by an Angel	Scott Walden	Episode: "Groundrush"
1996–97	Spider-Man	Tony Stark / Iron Man	Voice, 6 episodes^[6]
1996	Christmas Every Day	Henry Jackson	Television film
1997	Superman: The Animated Series	Edward Lytener / Luminus	Voice, 2 episodes^[6]
1997	Promised Land	Mark Gerhart	Episode: "Mr. Muscles"
1997	I'll Be Home for Christmas	Michael Greiser	Television film
1998	Kelly Kelly	Doug Kelly	7 episodes
1998	30 Years to Life	Vincent Dawson	Television film
1999	The Outer Limits	Dr. Peter Halstead	Episode: "Donor"
2000	Deadly Appearances	Andy Boychuk	Television film
2000	That '70s Show	Bud Hyde	2 episodes
2001	Bette	Roy	2 episodes
2001	The Retrievers	Tom Lowry	Television film
2002	Spin City	Los Angeles Mayor Stone Taylor	Episode: "A Tale of Four Cities"
2002	The Santa Trap	Bill Emerson	Television film
2003	Robbery Homicide Division	Eddie	Episode: "Hellbound Train"
2012	Shooting Gallery	Himself	Episode: "Survival Trail"
2014	Sharknado 2: The Second One	Captain Bob Wilson	Television film
2020	Smartphone Theatre	Jonathan 'Johnny' Cooper	Episode: "Holy Water"

Production credits

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
1986	Starman	Director	Episode: "The Test"
1998	Kelly Kelly	Co-producer
2001	Sex and a Girl	Producer
2007	Nicky's Birthday Camera	Producer

References

^ Hal Erickson (2014). "Robert Hays-biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on December 15, 2014.
^ "Hays ready to assume role of 'Starman' for television". The Daily News. Bowling Green, KY. Associated Press. August 15, 1986. p. TV4. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
^ Rabin, Nathan (October 4, 2011). "Robert Hays". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
^ Davis, Stacy Vogel (March 18, 2013). "Zucker, Hays poke fun at summer in Wisconsin in latest tourism ad". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Strauss, Bob (March 19, 2010). "Cherie Currie rocks with biopic". Los Angeles Daily News.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Robert Hays (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 12, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.