- Served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild for ten years; he assisted the Guild's efforts to get both women and minority groups to participate in the media.
- When Robert died in 2008 he was survived by his life partner Mittie Lawrence, an African-American actress best remembered for her personal assistant/confidante role to Barbra Streisand's Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968), four sons and one daughter, his 96-year-old mother, and 10 grandchildren.
- Served four years in the U.S. Air Force prior to moving to New York and pursuing a career in show business.
- His last name is of Cherokee origin.
- Attended Langston University on a music scholarship.
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