Robert Colbert: The Time Tunnel Star’s Life, Career and Legacy

Introduction

Robert Colbert became a familiar face to American television viewers through three very different roles: a Western adventurer, a scientist trapped in time and the head of a soap opera family. His work on Maverick, The Time Tunnel and The Young and the Restless reflects a career that moved comfortably between genres during an important period in television history. Robert Colbert Quick Bio

Details	Information
Full Name	Robert Louis Colbert
Known As	Robert Colbert
Date of Birth	July 26, 1931
Age (2026)	95 years
Birthplace	Long Beach, California, USA
Nationality	American
Profession	Retired Actor
Famous For	The Time Tunnel, Maverick, The Young and the Restless
Career Years	1957–1995
Father	Clarence Colbert
Mother	Helena Gorman Colbert
Wife	Dorothy “Dotty” Harmony (died 2023)
Children	Two – Cami and Clayton
Marital Status	Widowed
Net Worth	Not publicly verified
Current Status	Retired from acting

Who Is Robert Colbert?

Robert Louis Colbert is a retired American actor born on July 26, 1931, in Long Beach, California. He is 95 years old as of October 2026. His screen career extended from 1957 to 1995, with some of his best-known work appearing on ABC and CBS.

His best-known characters demanded different acting styles and established him as a versatile television performer.

Early Life: From California to the Stage

Colbert was born in Southern California, the son of Clarence Colbert and Helena Gorman Colbert. His route into acting was less conventional than that of many Hollywood performers of his generation.

While serving in Okinawa with a United States Army military police unit, he worked as a clerk typist and spent evenings as a disc jockey at radio station KSBK. His voice attracted attention from someone involved in Air Force Special Services, leading to a part in a production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

That opportunity introduced him to performance before he had established a screen career. He subsequently developed his stage experience through repertory theatre in Portland, Oregon.

The Warner Bros. Years

Colbert began appearing on screen in 1957 and later worked under contract with Warner Bros. The studio’s television operation produced numerous Westerns, detective dramas and adventure programmes, offering young actors regular opportunities to play supporting characters.

His credits included Bronco, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Bourbon Street Beat and Surfside 6.

Movie appearances during this period included Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959), featuring the Three Stooges, and the dramas A Fever in the Blood and Claudelle Inglish, both released in 1961.

Why He Played Brent Maverick

A New Face in a Familiar Western

The Western series Maverick had enjoyed considerable success with James Garner as Bret Maverick. After Garner left, Warner Bros. explored ways to keep the programme going with additional members of the fictional family.

Colbert closely resembled Garner, making him a natural choice for the new character Brent Maverick in 1961. The studio even dressed him in a costume similar to the one Garner had worn, inviting comparisons between the actors.

Colbert appeared as Brent in two fourth-season episodes, “The Forbidden City” and “Benefit of Doubt.” He had previously appeared in the same season as a different character, “Cherokee” Dan Evans, in “Hadley’s Hunters.”

His brief time as Brent illustrates how classic television studios relied on recognisable character types and established audience expectations.

The Time Tunnel: His Signature Science Fiction Role

Trapped Between Past and Future

Colbert secured his defining leading role in The Time Tunnel, created and produced by Irwin Allen. The ABC series ran from September 1966 to April 1967, producing 30 episodes in a single season.

He played Dr. Doug Phillips opposite James Darren as Dr. Tony Newman. Their characters worked on an ambitious government time-travel project but became stranded in the past after entering the experimental tunnel. Colleagues in the present attempted to bring them home while the scientists moved unpredictably through history.

The opening episode, “Rendezvous with Yesterday,” sent the pair aboard the doomed Titanic, immediately establishing the stakes of their journeys. Subsequent stories placed them amid dramatic events such as the Battle of the Alamo and other historical crises.

The show’s premise allowed each instalment to explore a new setting while maintaining the scientists’ unresolved struggle to return home.

What Made Doug Phillips Memorable?

Doug Phillips provided an assured, resourceful counterpart to Tony Newman’s impulsiveness. Colbert’s restrained performance helped balance the show’s extraordinary situations, giving viewers a credible person to follow through each new crisis.

The supporting cast included Lee Meriwether as Dr. Ann MacGregor, Whit Bissell as General Heywood Kirk and John Zaremba as Dr. Raymond Swain.

Although The Time Tunnel ended after one season, its combination of science fiction, history and cliffhanger adventure has preserved its place in classic television culture. For many admirers, Doug Phillips remains Colbert’s most recognisable character.

Becoming Stuart Brooks on The Young and the Restless

In 1973, Colbert joined CBS’s new daytime serial The Young and the Restless as Stuart Brooks, one of its original central characters. He remained associated with the part for approximately ten years, through 1983.

Stuart was the owner and publisher of the fictional Genoa City Chronicle and the father of daughters whose relationships and ambitions shaped the show’s early stories. The Brooks family was central to the drama before the programme’s later generations became dominant.

Unlike a guest appearance, a continuing soap role required Colbert to sustain a personality across years of evolving plots. As a parent, businessman and romantic figure, Stuart contributed to the show’s family conflicts and emotional continuity.

That decade introduced Colbert to daytime audiences and connected him to one of America’s longest-running dramatic programmes.

Other Films and Television Appearances

Colbert’s career extended well beyond his three signature shows. His television appearances included Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Virginian, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O and Land of the Giants.

He reunited professionally with the Irwin Allen style of science fiction in City Beneath the Sea, a 1971 television movie developed from an unrealised series concept. Later film credits included the comedy anthology Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988).

In the final stage of his acting career, he appeared in programmes including Hunter, Wings, Frasier and Baywatch.

Marriage, Children and Family Life

Colbert married dancer and songwriter Dorothy Marian “Dotty” Harmony in 1961. They had two children, a daughter, Cami, and a son, Clayton.

The marriage ended in divorce in 1976, but their story later took an unexpected turn. The couple remarried on April 4, 2022, decades after their first wedding. Dotty died on April 4, 2023, aged 90, exactly one year after their remarriage.

Harmony had her own entertainment background, including work as a dancer and songwriter. Their family’s published tribute remembered her involvement in performing arts and the importance of her children and grandchildren.

Retirement, Public Appearances and Net Worth

Colbert has been retired from regular screen acting since the mid-1990s. He has remained associated with classic television through convention appearances, particularly events celebrating science fiction and Western programmes. However, specific current bookings should not be assumed without confirmation.

No independently verified figure for his personal net worth is publicly available. His credits establish a substantial television career, but they do not reveal the value of his assets, savings or income from earlier work. Estimates without supporting financial evidence should not be treated as facts.

A Lasting Place in Television History

His progression from studio-contract guest roles to science fiction lead and daytime regular reflects a changing television industry.

His best-known performances also represent genres that continue to attract devoted viewers: the television Western, the imaginative 1960s science fiction adventure and the family-centred soap opera. His importance lies less in celebrity headlines than in the durable work he contributed to each.

Conclusion

Robert Colbert built a varied career across nearly four decades of American television. Whether portraying Brent Maverick, Dr. Doug Phillips or Stuart Brooks, he brought a steady screen presence to characters with very different demands. His roles remain part of the history of classic entertainment, especially for audiences drawn to the storytelling styles of the 1960s and 1970s.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Robert Colbert?

Robert Colbert was born on July 26, 1931, making him 95 years old in October 2026. His birthplace is Long Beach, California. He began working in film and television in the late 1950s and continued acting until the mid-1990s.

What is Robert Colbert most famous for?

He is best known for playing scientist Dr. Doug Phillips in The Time Tunnel (1966–1967). He also portrayed Brent Maverick in two episodes of Maverick and Stuart Brooks in The Young and the Restless for roughly a decade.

Who was Robert Colbert’s wife?

His wife was dancer and songwriter Dorothy “Dotty” Harmony. They first married in 1961, divorced in 1976 and remarried in April 2022. She died in April 2023. Their relationship and later reunion are documented in her published obituary.

Does Robert Colbert have children?

Yes. Robert Colbert and Dotty Harmony had two children: their daughter Cami and their son Clayton, also called Clay. Their mother’s obituary also mentions grandchildren. Colbert has generally kept much of his family life outside the spotlight.

Is Robert Colbert still acting?

Colbert retired from regular acting in 1995. He is remembered for his extensive screen credits and has participated in fan conventions celebrating older television programmes. There is no reliably documented return to an ongoing acting role as of October 2026.

READ THIS TOO Brian Patrick Clarke: From Yale Football to a Lasting TV Career