Bobby Diamond, Boy With a Horse on the 1950s TV Series ‘Fury,’ Dies at 75
Bobby Diamond, who portrayed a young orphan opposite Peter Graves and a wild stallion on the 1950s NBC series 'Fury,' has died. He was 75.
He was not on the list.
Bobby Diamond, who portrayed a young orphan opposite Peter Graves and a wild stallion on the 1950s NBC series Fury, has died. He was 75.
Diamond died May 15 of cancer at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., author and longtime friend Laurie Jacobson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Diamond also starred with Jack Klugman on “In Praise of Pip,” a 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone, and played Duncan “Dunky” Gillis, a cousin of Dwayne Hickman’s title character, on the final season of another CBS series, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
Legend has it he was in the running to portray Robin the Boy Wonder on ABC’s Batman before producers decided that at 21 he was too old and went with Burt Ward instead.
On Fury — “the story of a horse and the boy who loves him,” as it said in the opening — Diamond starred as Joey Clark, a troubled youngster. He’s adopted by Graves’ Jim Newton, the owner of the Broken Wheel Ranch in California, and forms a strong bond with a wild horse named Fury. (Newton’s wife and son recently had been killed by a drunk driver.)
The show ran for five seasons, from October 1955 through March 1960, and then for years afterward in syndication.
When Fury ended, Diamond said he turned down an opportunity to play one of the boys, Robbie Douglas (Don Grady), on a new show, ABC’s My Three Sons, in favor of working on another sitcom, NBC’s The Nanette Fabray Show.
My Three Sons ran for 12 seasons, The Nanette Fabray Show one.
“Great decision, eh? I could have been a multi-multimillionaire just from that alone,” he said in a 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
A son of a real estate broker and a housewife, Robert Diamond was born Aug. 23, 1943. His mother, Pearl, guided him into show business, and he made his way into such films as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), 3 Ring Circus (1954) and To Hell and Back (1955).
Later, he received top billing in Airborne (1962), a movie about paratroopers, and appeared in Billie (1965), a comedy that starred Patty Duke as an athletic tomboy.
Diamond also landed on other TV shows like Father Knows Best, The Loretta Young Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Lassie, Medical Center and Divorce Court.
He attended Ulysses S. Grant High School in Los Angeles and was an outstanding gymnast on the rings at San Fernando Valley State College (now Cal State Northridge). He then became a lawyer, representing, among others, actors Paul Petersen and Kelsey Grammer.
Survivors include his sons, Robbie and Jesse. His funeral will be private.
Actor (48 credits)
1990 Midnight Caller (TV Series)
Billy Gant
- Kid Salinas (1990) ... Billy Gant
1986 Divorce Court (TV Series)
- Farwell vs Farwell (1986)
1981 Scream
Rod
1974 Emergency +4 (TV Series)
Additional Voices
- Blast Off (1974) ... Additional Voices (voice)
- The Old Crox (1974) ... Additional Voices (voice)
- Ghost of Billy Silver (1974) ... Additional Voices (voice)
- Wheels of Fire (1974) ... Additional Voices (voice)
- Afterburner (1974) ... Additional Voices (voice)
1973 The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie (TV Series)
- The Mini-Munsters (1973) ... (voice)
1972 Banyon (TV Series)
- The Old College Try (1972)
1971 The Smith Family (TV Series)
Harry Weaver
- Blind Chance (1971) ... Harry Weaver
1964-1970 My Three Sons (TV Series)
Mike / Scuba / Mark / ...
- The Honeymoon (1970) ... Mike (as Robert Diamond)
- Ernie's Crowd (1967) ... Scuba
- The Ballad of Lissa Stratmeyer (1964) ... Mark (as Bob Diamond)
- The Substitute Teacher (1964) ... Mickey (as Bob Diamond)
1970 The Bill Cosby Show (TV Series)
Harvey Sanderson
- Really Cool (1970) ... Harvey Sanderson (as Bob Diamond)
1970 Medical Center (TV Series)
Student Reporter
- The Professional (1970) ... Student Reporter (as Bob Diamond)
1969 The Silent Gun (TV Movie)
Eddie (as Bob Diamond)
1967 Moby Dick and the Mighty Mightor (TV Series)
Tor
- The People Keepers/The Aqua-Bats/The Snow Trapper (1967) ... Tor (voice)
- The Giant Hunters/The Crab Creatures/Mightor Meets Tyrannor (1967) ... Tor (voice)
- The Serpent Queen/The Electrofying Shoctopus/The Bird People (1967) ... Tor (voice)
1965-1967 Lassie (TV Series)
Eddie / Johnny / Doug Austin
- Winged Attack (1967) ... Eddie
- In the Midst of Splendor (1965) ... Johnny
- Tinderbox (1965) ... Doug Austin
1967 The Fugitive (TV Series)
Ollie
- The Savage Street (1967) ... Ollie
1966 The F.B.I. (TV Series)
Soccer Player
- List for a Firing Squad (1966) ... Soccer Player
1966 The Patty Duke Show (TV Series)
Louie / The Waiter
- Too Young and Foolish to Go Steady (1966) ... Louie
- The Greatest Speaker in the Whole Wide World (1966) ... The Waiter (as Bob Diamond)
1965-1966 Mister Ed (TV Series)
Steve / Chuck
- Ed and the Motorcycle (1966) ... Steve (as Robert 'Bobby' Diamond)
- Don't Skin That Bear (1965) ... Chuck
1965 Billie
Eddie Davis
1965 The Andy Griffith Show (TV Series)
Evan Hendricks
- Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau (1965) ... Evan Hendricks
1964 Mr. Novak (TV Series)
Gus / R.O.T.C. Student
- Visions of Sugar Plums (1964) ... Gus (as Robert Diamond)
- The Private Life of Douglas Morgan Jr. (1964) ... R.O.T.C. Student (as Bob Diamond)
1960-1964 Wagon Train (TV Series)
Matt Basham / Joey Henshaw
- The Melanie Craig Story (1964) ... Matt Basham (as Bob Diamond)
- The Dick Jarvis Story (1960) ... Joey Henshaw
1964 The Lieutenant (TV Series)
Pvt. Floyd James
- O'Rourke (1964) ... Pvt. Floyd James
1963 The Twilight Zone (TV Series)
Pvt. Pip
- In Praise of Pip (1963) ... Pvt. Pip (as Robert Diamond)
1962-1963 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (TV Series)
Duncan Gillis
- Three Million Coins in the Fountain (1963) ... Duncan Gillis (as Bob Diamond)
- Who Did William Tell? (1963) ... Duncan Gillis (as Robert Diamond)
- Will the Real Santa Claus Please Come Down the Chimney? (1962) ... Duncan Gillis (as Bob Diamond)
- The Iceman Goeth (1962) ... Duncan Gillis (as Bob Diamond)
- Flow Gently, Sweet Money (1962) ... Duncan Gillis (as Bob Diamond)
1962 Airborne
Pvt. Eddie Slocum
1961 Pete and Gladys (TV Series)
Horton Armbruster
- Lover Go Away (1961) ... Horton Armbruster (as Robert Diamond)
1961 Westinghouse Playhouse (TV Series)
Buddy / Buddy McGovern
- Nan Suits Dan (1961) ... Buddy
- Ballet-Oop (1961) ... Buddy
- The Mrs. Harper Story (1961) ... Buddy McGovern
- House Guest (1961) ... Buddy
- Behind Every Great Man (1961) ... Buddy
1961 Angel (TV Series)
- Goodbye, Young Lovers (1961)
1961 The Rebel (TV Series)
Jody Webster
- Paperback Hero (1961) ... Jody Webster (as Robert Diamond)
1955-1960 Fury (TV Series)
Joey Newton / Joey / The Kid
- Packy's Dream (1960) ... Joey / The Kid
- The Skin Divers (1960) ... Joey
- Gaucho (1960) ... Joey Newton
- Packy's Dilemma (1960) ... Joey Newton
- Trottin' Horse (1960) ... Joey
1957 Code 3 (TV Series)
Anson Griswold
- The Search (1957) ... Anson Griswold
1957 This Could Be the Night
Boy in Class (uncredited)
1954-1957 The Loretta Young Show (TV Series)
Lowell / Little Boy
- The Bad Apple (1957) ... Lowell
- The New York Story (1954) ... Little Boy
1955 It's a Dog's Life
Boy (uncredited)
1955 To Hell and Back
Gene Murphy - Age 10 (uncredited)
1955 Cavalcade of America (TV Series)
Denzil Barker as a child
- Stay On, Stranger (1955) ... Denzil Barker as a child
1955 The Glass Slipper
Boy (uncredited)
1955 Father Knows Best (TV Series)
Jimmy Wood
- No Partiality (1955) ... Jimmy Wood
1955 Untamed
Maria's Child (uncredited)
1955 The Americano
Stevie Dent - Sam's Nephew (uncredited)
1954 3 Ring Circus
Little Boy (uncredited)
1953 Half a Hero
Boy (uncredited)
1953 Ride, Vaquero!
Boy with Circular (uncredited)
1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Small Role (uncredited)
1953 The Lady Wants Mink
Melvin Potts (uncredited)
1953 The Silver Whip
Jody (uncredited)
1952 Young Man with Ideas
Willis Gilpin
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth
Little Boy Spectator (uncredited)
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