What happened to “Airplane!” Star – Robert Hays? Net Worth

Known for movies

Airplane! (1980)
as Ted Striker

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
as Bob Seaver

Cat's Eye (1985)
as Johnny Norris

Angie (1979-1980)
as Brad Benson

Where is Robert Hays now? Wiki Bio

Robert Hays was born in Bethesda, Maryland USA, on 24 July 1947 – his zodiac sign is Leo and he holds American nationality. He is an actor, perhaps still best known for his portrayal of the lead character Ted Striker in the parody movie “Airplane!” in 1980, directed and written by Jim Abrahams and which also starred Julie Hagerty and the late Leslie Nielsen. The film follows a man scared of airplanes who has to land a plane after its pilots pass out – it won two awards and was nominated for seven others, including one Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.

There have been rumors circulating the internet that Robert has retired from acting, but these have been proven false. However, he is offered only a few roles because of his age, 73 in 2020.

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Early life and education

Robert was raised in Bethesda as an only child in a middle-class family – both his parents worked hard to put food on the table. Robert became interested in acting while attending high school, and was a member of the school’s drama club, while also practicing his acting skills at a local theatre. Although he hasn’t talked about his education, it is widely believed that Robert attended college and that he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in 1969. Before moving to Los Angeles, Robert was living in San Diego where he was acting at a local theatre, and appeared on the stage of the legendary Old Globe Theatre multiple times.

Robert officially launched his acting career in 1975, when he played Darren Weeks in the episode “The Deep Blue Sleep” of the TV detective series “The Rockford Files”.

Roles in TV series

The year 1976 saw him appear in single episodes of six TV shows, including the crime series “The Streets of San Francisco”, the comedy series “Laverne & Shirley” and another crime series “Most Wanted”. He gained recognition in 1979 when he was cast to play the main character Brad Benson in all 36 episodes of the comedy series “Angie”, which also starred Donna Pescow and Sharon Spelman, and was about the marriage between Angie and Brad Benson – the series won Donna a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical.

His next notable performance was in the romantic science fiction series “Starman” in 1984, in which he starred as Paul Forrester in all 22 episodes, while the series also starred Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, and followed an alien travelling in a car from Wisconsin to Arizona.

In 1989, Robert portrayed Ted Costas in 13 episodes of the comedy series “FM”, which follows a man who has problems with women – it won Patrick Williams (composer) a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music. The year 1993 saw Robert portray the lead character Joe Polachek in the comedy series “Cutters”, but which ended after airing only five episodes, then in 1994 he voiced Tony Stark (Iron Man) in all 26 episodes of the animated superhero series “Iron Man”, created by Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and which also starred John Reilly and Jim Cummings – although the series wasn’t successful, it later led to the creation of the today’s popular movie franchise “Ironman”.

Robert went on to star in the pilot episode of the series “Guys Like Us” in 1996, but which failed to be picked up by a network, then voiced Iron Man in the episode “Helping Hands, Iron Fist” of the animated superhero series “The Incredible Hulk”.

He reprised his role as Iron Man for the third time in six episodes of the animated superhero series “Spider-Man” in 1996, as well as in two episodes of “Superman: The Animated Series” in 1997. The following year saw him star as Doug Kelly in all seven episodes of the romantic comedy series “Kelly Kelly”, which also starred Shelley Long and Ashley Johnson and which follows a politician who falls in love with the woman who saved his life.

In 2000, Robert appeared as Bud Hyde in two episodes of the critically acclaimed period comedy series “That ‘70s Show”, which starred Topher Grace, Laura Prepon and Mila Kunis among others, and was about several teenagers spending most of their free time in one of their friend’s basement in the ‘70s – it was a huge success, winning 15 awards including a Primetime Emmy, while it was nominated for 77 others.

The following year saw Robert play Roy in the comedy series “Bette”, about a famous singer Bette living with her husband Roy, who is a professor – the series won four awards and was nominated for five others, including a Golden Globe.

Three of Robert’s latest roles in TV series have been in the episode “A Tale of Four Cities” of the comedy series “Spin City” in 2002, the episode “Hellbound Train” of the police procedural series “Robbery Homicide Division” in 2003, and the episode “Survival Trail” of the series “Shooting Gallery” in 2012.

Roles in movies

After becoming famous for his portrayal of Ted Striker in “Airplane!”, Robert was invited to star in many other movies, such as the comedy “Take This Job and Shove It” in 1981, the parody movie “Airplane II: The Sequel” in 1982, and the action comedy film “Trenchcoat” in 1983.

In the same year, Robert portrayed the main character of Bob Hunt in the comedy movie “Utilities”, which also starred Brooke Adams and John Marley, and is about a social worker who organizes a protest against the people who hold monopoly over gas and water.

The year 1984 saw him play Frank Swedlin in the British-American comedy movie “Scandalous”, directed by Rob Cohen and written by Larry Cohen and Rob, but which failed to gain much attention. In 1985, Robert appeared as Johnny Norris in the anthology horror movie “Cat’s Eye”, before he took four years off acting in movies, before being invited to play the lead character Sean McDonald in the comedy film “Honeymoon Academy”, which was directed by Gene Quintano, and which also starred Kim Cattrall.

Some of his following notable performances were in the action adventure comedy movie “Fifty/Fifty” in 1992, the adventure comedy movie “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” in 1993, and the action thriller film “Raw Justice” in 1994.

In 1995, Robert played Morgan in the science fiction movie “Cyber Bandits” which starred Martin Kemp, Alexandra Paul and Adam Ant, and is about a mogul boss’ girlfriend who steals his important device, and runs away with her lover. The following year saw Robert play the lead character Bob Seaver in the adventure comedy movie “Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco”, which also starred Michael J. Fox and Sally Field and was about three pet dogs who have to survive in the streets of San Francisco. Robert voiced his first movie character, Reed Daley in 1999, in the animated adventure film “An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster”, before he was cast to play the main character Harlan in the romantic comedy movie “Dr. T & The Women” also starring Richard Gere and Helen Hunt, and which follows the lives of a gynecologist (Richard) and his wife (Helen).

In 2001, Robert played the main character Dan in the comedy movie “Sex and a Girl”, which also starred Angela Gots, Ellen Greene and Sean Flynn, and some of Robert’s latest roles in movies have been in the “Superhero Movie” in 2008 which starred Drake Bell, Sara Paxton and late Leslie Nielsen, the parody comedy “Paranormal Movie” in 2013 which was directed by Kevin Farley, and the western film “Boonville Redemption” in 2016, which starred Pat Boone, Ed Asner and Diane Ladd.

Love life and relationships

Robert met his now ex-wife Cheri Currie on set in 1989; the two dated for less than a year before marrying in 1990 in a small ceremony attended by their closest friends and family. Cherie is a famous American musician and an actress, perhaps still best known for having been the lead vocalist of the rock band Runaways which performed in the ‘70s.

Cheri gave birth to their son Jake Hays several months after the wedding, but after seven years of marriage they divorced.

Before meeting Cheri, Robert dated Donna Pescow, an American actress and a film director, for several months in 1979, and went on to date Maureen McGovern who is a famous musician, and they were together for a year before splitting ways in 1981. He dated his next girlfriend Pam Dawber, another actress, in 1983, and from 1987 to December 1988 Robert was in a relationship with Canadian actress Catherine Mary Stewart.

It appears that he’s been officially single since his split from Cherie.

Hobbies and other interests

Robert was keen on playing sports during his 20s and 30s, and was also going to the gym around three times per week to maintain his physique. He also often played golf and tennis with his closest friends.

In 1986, he directed the episode “The Test” of the series “Starman”, but as he realized he was not that skilled in directing, Robert tried producing films, and went on to produce the series “Kelly Kelly” in 1998, the film “Sex and a Girl” in 2001 and the movie “Nicky’s Birthday Camera” in 2007.

His many hobby has been travelling since he turned 18 and Robert has been to each and every state in the US more than once, and has also been to South America, Europe and Asia on many occasions – two of his favorite cities among those he has visited are Paris in France and Rome in Italy.

Robert has his own favorite actor and actress, who are Tom Hanks and Angelina Jolie, while some of his favorite movies are “The Terminal”, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Gone in 60 Seconds”.

Robert’s net worth

Robert’s net worth has been estimated at over $3 million as of June 2020. He has short brown hair and his eyes are blue while his height is 6ft (1.83m).

Quotes

#	Quote
1	Starman is not American, Russian or Nicaraguan. He holds up a mirror to all of us.

Facts

#	Fact
1	He has played the same character (Tony Stark / Iron Man) on three different series: Iron Man (1994), Spider-Man (1994) and The Incredible Hulk (1996).
2	Ex-son-in-law of Marie Harmon.
3	Former brother-in-law of Marie Currie, Sondra Currie.
4	Father, with Cherie Currie, of a son.

Pictures

All pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
Hot Chocolate	1992	TV Movie	Eric Ferrier
The Larry Sanders Show	1992	TV Series	Robert Hays
Fifty/Fifty	1992		Sam French
Running Against Time	1990	TV Movie	David Rhodes
FM	1989-1990	TV Series	Ted Costas
Honeymoon Academy	1989	Video	Sean
Starman	1986-1987	TV Series	Starman Paul Forrester
Murder by the Book	1987	TV Movie	D.H. 'Hank' Mercer / Biff Deegan
Cat's Eye	1985		Johnny Norris
Mister Roberts	1984	TV Movie	Lt. JG Doug Roberts
Scandalous	1984		Frank Swedlin
Touched	1983		Daniel
Utilities	1983		Bob Hunt
Trenchcoat	1983		Terry Leonard
Airplane II: The Sequel	1982		Ted Striker
The Day the Bubble Burst	1982	TV Movie	Gregory Winslow
California Gold Rush	1981	TV Movie	Bret Harte (Narrator)
Take This Job and Shove It	1981		Frank Macklin
Airplane!	1980		Ted Striker
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything	1980	TV Movie	Kirby Winter
Angie	1979-1980	TV Series	Brad Benson
The Fall of the House of Usher	1979	TV Movie	Jonathan Cresswell
Will Rogers: Champion of the People	1978	TV Movie	Will Rogers (uncredited)
Almost Heaven	1978	TV Movie	Dave Leland
The Young Pioneers	1978	TV Series	Dan Gray
The Initiation of Sarah	1978	TV Movie	Scott Rafferty
The Love Boat	1978	TV Series	Sam Bradley
Delta County, U.S.A.	1977	TV Movie	Bo
Wonder Woman	1977	TV Series	Corporal Jim Ames
Young Pioneers' Christmas	1976	TV Movie	Dan Gray
Most Wanted	1976	TV Series	Bruce Collins
Spencer's Pilots	1976	TV Series	Jack
The Blue Knight	1976	TV Series	Officer Wells
Laverne & Shirley	1976	TV Series	Tom
Young Pioneers	1976	TV Movie	Dan Grey
Cannon	1976	TV Series	Michael Narak
The Streets of San Francisco	1976	TV Series	Lester
Marcus Welby, M.D.	1975	TV Series	Officer Hanson / Officer Gilpin
The Rockford Files	1975	TV Series	Darren Weeks
Boonville Redemption	2016		Pastor Reign
Sharknado 2: The Second One	2014	TV Movie	Captain Bob Wilson
Paranormal Movie	2013		Director
Superhero Movie	2008		Blaine Riker
Nicky's Birthday Camera	2007		Bob
Universal Remote	2007/I		Dr. Anderson
Freezerburn	2005		Michael Reed the Talent
The Nutcracker and the Mouseking	2004	Video	Squeak (English version, voice)
Robbery Homicide Division	2003	TV Series	Eddie
The Santa Trap	2002	TV Movie	Bill Emerson
Spin City	2002	TV Series	Los Angeles Mayor Stone Taylor
The Retrievers	2001	TV Movie	Tom Lowry
Alex in Wonder	2001		Dan
Bette	2001	TV Series	Roy
That '70s Show	2000	TV Series	Bud Hyde
Dr. T & the Women	2000		Harlan
Deadly Appearances	2000	TV Movie	Andy Boychuk
An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster	1999	Video	Reed Daley (voice)
The Outer Limits	1999	TV Series	Dr. Peter Halstead
30 Years to Life	1998	TV Movie	Vincent Dawson
Kelly Kelly	1998	TV Series	Doug Kelly
I'll Be Home for Christmas	1997	TV Movie	Michael
Spider-Man	1996-1997	TV Series	Tony Stark Iron Man
Promised Land	1997	TV Series	Mark Gerhart
Superman	1997	TV Series	Edward Lytener Luminus
Christmas Every Day	1996	TV Movie	Henry Jackson
Touched by an Angel	1996	TV Series	Scott Walden
The Incredible Hulk	1996	TV Series	Tony Stark Iron Man
Unabomber: The True Story	1996	TV Movie	David Kaczynski
The Abduction	1996	TV Movie	Paul Olavsky
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco	1996		Bob Seaver
Iron Man	1994-1996	TV Series	Tony Stark Iron Man Living Laser ...
Cyber Bandits	1995		Morgan
Guys Like Us	1995	TV Movie
Vanished	1995	TV Movie	John Taylor
Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare	1995	TV Movie	Chad Ingram
No Dessert, Dad, Till You Mow the Lawn	1994		Ken Cochran
Raw Justice	1994		Mitch McCullum
Partners	1993	TV Short
Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's	1993	TV Movie
Cutters	1993	TV Series	Joe Polachek
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey	1993		Bob Seaver

Producer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Nicky's Birthday Camera	2007	producer
Alex in Wonder	2001	producer
Kelly Kelly	1998	TV Series co-producer

Director

Title	Year	Status	Character
Starman	1987	TV Series 1 episode

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
The Red Booth	2016	TV Series	Himself
Lord of the Freaks	2015	Documentary	Himself
KCAL 9 News Weekend Report	2014	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Shooting Gallery	2012	TV Series	Himself
Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time	2011	TV Movie documentary	Himself
SAG Foundation Conversations	2009	TV Series	Himself
Today	2008	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Airplane: Long-Haul Version	2005	Video documentary	Himself / Ted Striker
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: America's Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases	2005	TV Special documentary	Himself
2002 California Music Awards	2002	TV Special	Himself
Sidewalks Entertainment	2002	TV Series	Himself
To Tell the Truth	2000	TV Series	Himself / Guest Panelist
Reel to Reel	1998	TV Movie	Himself
Barry Gibb Love and Hope Festival IV	1988	TV Movie	Himself
She's Having a Baby	1988		Himself (uncredited)
The 54th Annual Academy Awards	1982	TV Special documentary	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Costume Design
The 38th Annual Golden Globe Awards	1981	TV Special	Himself
Saturday Night Live	1981	TV Series	Himself - Host / Various
The John Davidson Show	1980	TV Series	Himself - Guest
Battle of the Network Stars VIII	1980	TV Special	Himself - ABC Team
The 52nd Annual Academy Awards	1980	TV Special	Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Costume Design
The Mike Douglas Show	1979-1980	TV Series	Himself - Guest / Himself - Co-Host
The Hollywood Squares	1979-1980	TV Series	Himself - Panelist
Family Feud	1979	TV Series	Himself
Battle of the Network Stars VII	1979	TV Special	Himself - ABC Team
All-Star Family Feud Special	1979	TV Series	Himself - Celebrity Contestant

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
L'IA et Mathieu	2016	TV Mini-Series	Himself
MythBusters	2007	TV Series documentary	Ted Striker
Silenci?	2005	TV Series	Ted Striker
Hollywood: The Gift of Laughter	1982	TV Movie documentary	Actor - 'Airplane!' (uncredited)