About
He is perhaps best remembered for his role of Big Ed Somers, the power hungry gangster pal of James Cagney in "White Heat" (1949). Born Robert Alexander Cochran in Eureka, California, he was the son of a California lumberjack, who moved the family to Wyoming in the 1920s, where Cochran grew to adulthood. After graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1939, Cochran began working steadily as a Wyoming cowboy, while developing his acting skills working in summer stock and regional theaters and gradually moving on to Broadway. In 1945, he signed with MGM, and for the next several years, played mostly secondary roles as gangsters or boxers. He made his film debut with "Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion" (1945) and quickly followed with "Wonder Man" (1945). Released from his contract in 1948, he returned to Broadway where he worked with Mae West; the next year he signed on with Warner...
Known for
The VirginianSeries • 1962
The Twilight ZoneSeries • 1959
Dick Powell's Zane Grey TheatreSeries • 1956
Climax!Series • 1954
Studio OneSeries • 1948
Robert Montgomery PresentsSeries • 1950
Naked CitySeries • 1958
Route 66Series • 1960
Burke's LawSeries • 1963
Stoney BurkeSeries • 1962
Lux Video TheatreSeries • 1950
Bus StopSeries • 1961
White HeatMovie • 1949
The Best Years of Our LivesMovie • 1946
Storm WarningMovie • 1951
DallasMovie • 1950
The Damned Don't CryMovie • 1950
A Song Is BornMovie • 1948
Wonder ManMovie • 1945
The Deadly CompanionsMovie • 1961
The ChaseMovie • 1946
Highway 301Movie • 1950
CopacabanaMovie • 1947
Private Hell 36Movie • 1954