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Robert Livingston (actor)

American actor (1904-1988)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ7346945 ↗
Source-derived summary

Robert Edward Randall (December 9, 1904 – March 7, 1988) was an American film actor known under his stage name, Robert Livingston. He appeared in 136 films between 1921 and 1975. He was one of the original Three Mesquiteers. He also played The Lone Ranger and Zorro.

Life and career

Livingston was born in Quincy, Illinois, and died in Tarzana, California, from emphysema at age 83.

Often billed as "Bob Livingston," he was the original "Stony Brooke" in the "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie series, a role later played by John Wayne for eight films. He also portrayed Zorro in The Bold Caballero (1936) and The Lone Ranger in the 1939 film serial The Lone Ranger Rides Again directed by William Witney and co-starring Chief Thundercloud as Tonto. Livingston also appeared as the title character in The Lone Rider series, starring alongside sidekicks Al "Fuzzy" St. John and Dennis "Smoky" Moore. The role of the Rider had previously been played by George Houston.

Editorial summary

“Robert Livingston (actor)” enters the record as american actor (1904-1988). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Robert, Livingston and actor can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1904, 1988, 1921, 1975—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1904-12-09. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Robert, Livingston and actor.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Robert Livingston (actor)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Robert, Livingston and actor provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7346945. VIAF identifies the subject as 51227182. The Library of Congress control number is no00010627. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1904, 1988, 1921 and 1975.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Robert Livingston (actor)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Robert Livingston (actor) primary sources, Robert Livingston (actor) archive and Robert research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Robert Livingston (actor)”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Robert Livingston (actor)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.