Robertson appeared in six Police Academy movies (Picture: Warner Bros/Jody Cortes)
George R Robertson, who played Chief Hurst in the Police Academy film franchise, has died at the age of 89.
The actor’s death was announced by his family, who described their late loved one as a ‘husband, father, grandfather, actor, writer, painter, and humanitarian’.
‘George bid this world goodbye, surrounded by his loving family on January 29, 2023, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre,’ they said in his obituary.
‘He leaves a legacy of many accomplishments – a splendid career in stage, films, and TV with over 80 roles on both the big and small screen, most notably the original and six sequels of Police Academy.’
Born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada on April 20 1933, Robertson enjoyed a career spanning six decades, having first embarked on his pursuit of acting in the theatre.
His first film performances came in the late 1960s, boasting uncredited roles in movies including Rosemary’s Baby and Marooned.
The late actor’s family stressed how important his humanitarian work was to him (Picture: Michael Stuparyk/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Then in 1984, he played Chief Hurst in the first Police Academy film, who went on to become Commissioner.
He starred in the first six movies in the franchise over the course of five years, with his final performance as the character appearing in the 1989 release Police Academy 6: City Under Siege.
He went on to appear in TV series including E.N.G, Leap Years, The Path to 9/11 – in which he played Vice President Dick Cheney – and the Showtime mini-series The Reagans, as well as playing the US president in the 1995 movie National Lampoon’s Senior Trip.
In his obituary, his family stressed how important Robertson’s humanitarian work was to him, which included walking 529 kilometres across southwest France to raise money for an orphanage in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Robertson (centre) with his co-stars George Gaynes and Steve Guttenberg (Picture: Ladd Company/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock)
In 2004, he was named humanitarian of the year at the Gemini Awards with the 19th Annual Gemini Award, which was presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for ‘extraordinary compassion and community involvement’ which had ‘an enormous impact on the lives of children in Canada and around the world’.
He was also honoured for his prolific career in entertainment, receiving the CBC’s Margaret Collier Award in 1993 as best Canadian writer for his impressive body of work on film and TV.
His family also shared his athletic achievements, having played both hockey and football in his younger years.
In 1952, he won the Allan Hall Memorial Trophy award at West Hill High School, which was ‘presented each year to the athlete who sets a high standard in clean sportsmanship and who, through precept and example inspires his teammates to greater achievement’.
Robertson is survived by his wife of 61 years, Adele, his daughter Sarah Robertson, grandchildren, step-grandchildren and other extended family members.
A memorial is being planned for late March, and his family has suggested that donations are made to Youth Without Shelter and Unicef Canada instead of flowers.
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His family stressed how important his humanitarian work was to him.
