Whatever became of the actor Robert Lansing?
—Roger and Donna S., Colorado
Lansing actually was born Robert Howell Brown, in San Diego, and grew up in Indiana before moving to New York to pursue an acting career. He changed his professional name to Lansing because there already was a working actor named Robert Brown (who played the oldest brother from Here Come The Brides), and though he didn't live there, he took the name from Michigan's capital city. In a 1976 interview, he said that he became interested in acting as a child. "I started acting when I was very young and enjoyed it, and found out I did it well. I suppose there's that thing with children when they look at an adult doing something and they say, 'Well, I can do that' or 'I can do that better.' I think that happened with me." Lansing began his career on Broadway and appeared in films such as A Gathering of Eagles and Namu, The Killer Whale, but is probably best known for his television work in the shows 87th Precinct, Twelve O'Clock High and The Equalizer. Lansing died in 1994 at age 66.
