Trivia

Served with Ronald Reagan on the Screen Actors Guild board and on the committee for aging actors at the Actors Equity Association.

First film experience was in an experimental two-reel talkie in 1929 with Bert Lahr shot at the famed Astoria Studios in New York.

Raised in the political arena of Washington, DC. His father was a publisher with major connections to the White House. As a very young child Shayne once sat on the lap of President William Howard Taft. When Taft asked him how he was, the young Shayne replied that he was uncomfortable sitting on Taft's lap because his belly was so big (Taft was renowned for his girth and was so fat he once got stuck in the bathtub at the White House).

His career consisted of supporting roles and bit parts (sometimes uncredited) in well over 100 feature films. It was his regular role as Insp. Bill Henderson on the classic TV series Adventures of Superman (1952) that finally made his face and name familiar to the public.

He had two failed marriages. His third marriage lasted almost 50 years and ended only with his passing in 1992.

One of his last TV appearances was in The Flash (1990), in which he played a blind news vendor. He was 90 at the time and declared legally blind himself.

Had one daughter, Dorothy Dawe, from his first marriage to Mary Crouch.

Worked part-time as a stockbroker until the crash of 1929.

Two children with Elizabeth: 1) son, Robert Shayne, Jr. born June 5, 1947 died August 19, 1983 of throat cancer. Was a child actor. 2) Daughter, Stephanie Shayne born March 11, 1950, still living. Actress since childhood, still working.

Daughter, Roberta Shayne was born from his second marriage to Mary Sheffield.

Reunited with his Adventures of Superman (1952) co-star Phyllis Coates, who played Lois Lane, in his last legit stage production, "Never Too Late." His real-life daughter, Stephanie Shayne, played Kate, his on-stage daughter.

Before becoming an actor, Shayne was a journalist in Washington, DC.

He was a very prolific character actor best remembered for his recurring role as Inspector Henderson on the "Adventures of Superman" (1952) television series. He had also gained lasting fame for becoming a familiar face in a number of 1950s science fiction films including "Invaders from Mars" (1953), "The Neanderthal Man" (1953) (for which he had top billing), "Tobor the Great" (1954), "Indestructible Man" (1956), "Kronos" (1957), "The Giant Claw" (1957), "War of the Satellites" (1958), "How to Make a Monster" (1958), "Teenage Cave Man" (1958) and "The Lost Missile" (1958).

He finally got top a billing role in the low budget science fiction film "The Neanderthal Man" (1953). His name was listed in the credits as "Robert Shane." His name was spelled correctly on the poster and other promotional material.

Like his fellow supporting player from the Adventures of Superman, John Hamilton, he appeared in dozens of movie shorts throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

He was cremated without a funeral service at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in its crematory. His widow and children entombed his urn in a columbarium.