I woke up this morning and was extremely sad to see this:

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/10/140368607/oscar-winner-cliff-robertson-dies-in-ny-at-88

I loved him.  'Flowers for Algernon' was one of my favorite stories growing up and I freaked out when I was 17 and finally found the 'Charly' VHS in some obsure record shop in North Lima, Ohio.  Became a Cliff Robertson fan for life after seeing him play my favorite character ever in a story.

Best wishes for his family and friends.

I was a fan of Cliff myself. Had to read Flowers for Algernon in school. Loved the story and then we got to watch the film afterwards. Sad to see him go...

James

My first big screen experience with Cliff Robertson was "Brainstorm".
He plays the villain in the troubled production that Natalie Wood passed away during.
I saw the film in Super Panavision 70mm presentation in NYC.
No virtual reality film has made such a lasting impression since.

Robertson's portrayal of Hugh Hefner in "Star 80" captivated me as a growing teen.
And of course, there's "Charly". The actor made it his own.
He starred in a 1961 TV production based on the novel, "Flowers for Algernon".
The story impacted this young reader, it makes an "appearance" in my new feature.

Robertson bought the rights to the book and made the theatrical film in 1968.
And the rest is history. Safe and wondrous travels, good sir.

E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer He starred in a 1961 TV production based on the novel, "Flowers for Algernon". The story impacted this young reader, it makes an "appearance" in my new feature.

Lol.  I wrote a remake of 'Flowers for Algernon' about eight years ago, using elements mainly from the book and scenes I came up with on my own, but I also used some scenes from the film.  It really helped me how to figure out pacing in a story.  But also, paying so much attention to Robertson's performance helped me realize how an actor can make a part great, and what it takes to make a great character.  Wish I still had that script.