Robert Drivas

Robert Drivas, born Robert Choromokos on November 21, 1935 in Coral Gables, Florida, was a versatile American actor and theatre director whose career spanned more than two decades on stage, screen, and television. After completing undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago and the University of Miami, he refined his craft at the Greek Playhouse in Athens, giving him a classical foundation that would inform his later performances. His professional debut came in the murder‑mystery Night Must Fall at a local theater in his hometown, followed quickly by a memorable turn as Tom Lee in Tea and Sympathy at Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse, a role that attracted the attention of playwright Tennessee Williams. Williams personally invited Drivas to headline the premiere of Sweet Bird of Youth in 1956, launching a series of regional performances that included The Lady’s Not for Burning, Death of a Salesman, Thieves’ Ball, and A View from the Bridge at Chicago’s Highland Park Playhouse. In 1958 Drivas made his Broadway debut as Ramses in The Firstborn, sharing the stage with Anthony Quayle, and soon accumulated credits such as Jacko in One More River (1960), a participant in the powerful Wall (1960) opposite George C. Scott, and Giorgio in Lorenzo (1963). His talent earned him a Theatre World Award for Mrs. Dally Has a Lover in 1963, and he later exercised his directorial instincts on productions like And Things That Go Bump in the Night (1965). The 1970s saw him directing Terrence McNally’s The Ritz (1975) and collaborating with Edward Albee on the challenging premiere of The Man Who Had Three Arms (1983). Parallel to his theatrical work, Drivas appeared on a litany of popular television series from 1957 onward, including Route 66, Bonanza, The Defenders, The Fugitive, and Hawaii Five‑O. His first cinematic role was the brash Loudmouth Steve in the iconic 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, a performance that led to further screen work in The Illustrated Man (1969) and the Garson Kanin‑directed drama Where It’s At (1969). Though his promising career was cut short by his untimely death from AIDS‑related complications on June 29, 1986, Robert Drivas left an indelible mark on American theatre and film through his dynamic performances and insightful direction.