Robert Pine

A character actor who made a career out of guest starring on successful television series for five decades, the familiar, comforting face of Robert Pine was perhaps most recognized from his role as Sgt. Joe Getraer on the wildly popular NBC motorcycle cop series, “CHiPs” (NBC, 1977-1983).

Born July 10, 1941 in New York City, Pine was raised in Scarsdale, NY, the son of a patent attorney. He originally planned to study pre-med, but while attending Ohio Wesleyan University, he fell into acting – due in no small part to the influence of his older brother, character actor, Philip Pine. With a 21 year age difference, the elder Pine had appeared in numerous gangster and western b-movies starting in the 1940s, before moving on to supporting roles in television during the 1960s and 70s. The younger brother could not help but take notice.

Pine got his start in television in the mid-1960s with an episode of “Kraft Suspense Theater” (NBC, 1963-65) entitled, “A Lion Amongst Men,” followed by guest roles on episodes of “Broadside,” (ABC, 1964-65), and “Convoy” (NBC, 1965). He went about the standard practice of working television actors in that era, by signing a contract – in his case, with Universal Television – and consistently landing parts on such shows as “Run For Your Life” (NBC, 1965-68) and “Lost in Space,” (CBS, 1965-68), as well as the typical westerns of the day, “The Virginian” (NBC, 1962-1971), where he played three characters throughout the run of the show, “Wild, Wild West” (CBS, 1965-69), “Bonanza,” (NBC, 1959-1973) and “Gunsmoke,” (CBS, 1955-75), where he again played four different characters over the series’ run.

In the 1970s, Pine continued to pay his dues, appearing in prime-time dramas such as “Medical Center” (CBS, 1969-1976) and “Barnaby Jones” (CBS, 1973-80) before finally hitting pay dirt as a member of the California Highway Patrol. In 1977, he landed his first regular starring role, as Sgt. Getraer on the hit show, “CHiPs.” As the commanding officer of motorcycle patrol officers “Ponch,” played by Erik Estrada, and John, played by Larry Wilcox, Pine brought a sarcastic exasperation to the officers’ two-wheeled adventures on the L.A. freeways. Pine stayed with the formulaic show throughout its run, up to its 1983 cancellation after six successful seasons.

After the sun set on his high profile cop gig, Pine found steady work guest-starring on such 1980s soap staples as (of course) “The Love Boat” (ABC, 1977-1986), “Hotel” (ABC, 1983-88), “Dallas” (CBS, 1978-1991) and “Dynasty” (ABC, 1981-89). He also appeared in a third-season episode of “Family Ties, (NBC, 1982-89), playing a school dean. After a bevy of additional guest spots, in 1987 he landed the regular role of Walker Coleman on the daytime soap opera, “Days of Our Lives,” (NBC, 1965- ) before popping up intermittently as Stephen Logan for several seasons of “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS, 1987-) from 1988 through 2000.

On the big screen, Pine appeared in the 1996 blockbuster “Independence Day,” as the President’s Chief of Staff, and continued his occasional sci-fi presence with a guest spot on “Star Trek: Voyager” (UPN, 1995-2001) that same year, playing an ambassador in the episode “The Chute” (he would later appear on “Star Trek: Enterprise” (UPN, 2001-05) in 2002, playing a different character).

Pine reprised his role of the beleaguered Sgt. Getraer in the 1998 TNT reunion movie, “CHiPs ’99.” The movie was a ratings monster and aired at a time when 1970s nostalgia was just hitting its stride. Both Estrada and Wilcox had signed on for the movie, reprising their iconic roles as well and providing the cast with a bit of a bittersweet homecoming.

Soon thereafter, Pine landed another regular role, Mayor Worth, on “Black Scorpion,” (2001, syndicated). Produced by veteran B-movie mogul Roger Corman, the sci-fi show developed a small cult following during its brief run. In recent years, he appeared in a handful of HBO original series, including “Six Feet Under” (2001-05), where he played the character of Basil in two episodes; “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000-), where he played Ben Hogan in the season five finale; as well as “Big Love” (2006- ). On the big screen, the consistent character actor played a weary traveler in the 2005 hit thriller “Red Eye.”

In his personal life, Pine was just as successful. He had married character actress Gwyne Gilford in 1969, having two children, Katherine and Chris. At age 23, Pine’s son Chris joined the family business, landing a guest spot on a 2003 episode of “ER” (NBC, 1994-), before moving on to other roles on “CSI: Miami” (CBS, 2002-),“American Dreams” (NBC, 2002-05) and “Six Feet Under” (HBO, 2001-05). Daughter Katie also appeared alongside her father in “CHiPs 99,” as well as an episode of the short-lived “Love Boat: The Next Wave” (UPN, 1998-99).