Editing Cliff Robertson (section)

==Early life and education==
Robertson was born in [[La Jolla]], [[California]],<ref name="Times Obit" /><ref name="Birth Index">[http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461?c=search&first=clifford%20parker&last=robertson California Births, 1905–1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115142336/http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461?c=search&first=clifford%20parker&last=robertson |date=November 15, 2011}} ''Familytreelegends.com''</ref> the son of Clifford Parker Robertson Jr. (1902–1968) and his first wife, Audrey Olga Robertson (''[[née]]'' Willingham; 1903–1925).{{efn|Several obituaries have stated that Robertson was adopted by his parents. However, the California Birth Index of 1905–1995 states that Clifford P. Robertson was born to a mother whose maiden name was Willingham, in [[Los Angeles County]], California, on September 9, 1923. He was adopted by his maternal grandmother upon his mother's death.<ref name=Mag />}}<ref>Mother's birth and death information per records accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011</ref>  His [[Texas]]-born father was described as "the idle heir to a tidy sum of ranching money".<ref>Father's birthplace accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011</ref> Robertson once said, "[My father] was a very romantic figure – tall, handsome. He married four or five times, and between marriages he'd pop in to see me. He was a great raconteur, and he was always surrounded by sycophants who let him pick up the tab. During the Great Depression, he tapped the trust for $500,000, and six months later he was back for more."<ref name=Mag>{{cite web|last=Green|first=Michelle|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20086490,00.html|title=Cliff Robertson profile at|work=People|date=December 5, 1983|access-date=November 25, 2011|archive-date=March 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311114913/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20086490,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Robertson's parents divorced when he was one, and his mother died of [[peritonitis]] a year later in [[El Paso, Texas]], at the age of 21.<ref name="Times Obit">{{cite news|last=Keepnews|first=Peter|title=Cliff Robertson, Oscar-Winning Rebel, Dies at 88|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/movies/cliff-robertson-oscar-winning-rebel-dies-at-88.html|access-date=September 11, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 11, 2011|archive-date=September 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911194131/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/movies/cliff-robertson-oscar-winning-rebel-dies-at-88.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Mag/><ref>Mother's death information per records accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011</ref> He was raised by his maternal grandmother, Mary Eleanor "Eleanora" Willingham (''née'' Sawyer, 1875–1957), in [[California]], and rarely saw his father.<ref name="Times Obit"/><ref name=Mag/><ref>Grandmother's name and dates accessed on ancestry.com on September 12, 2011</ref> He graduated in 1941 from [[La Jolla High School]], where he was known as "The Walking Phoenix".<ref name="Walk of Fame">{{cite web|title=Cliff Robertson/Hollywood Walk of Fame|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/cliff-robertson|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|access-date=September 11, 2011|archive-date=December 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201145920/http://www.walkoffame.com/cliff-robertson|url-status=live}}</ref>

He served as a [[third mate]] in the [[United States Merchant Marine|U.S. Merchant Marine]] during [[World War II]],<ref name="Times Obit"/><ref>[https://digitalarchive.pacificwarmuseum.org/digital/collection/p16769coll1/id/2292/ The National Museum of the Pacific War: Center for Pacific War Studies - Interview with Mr. Cliff Robertson. December 7, 2001.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417202130/https://digitalarchive.pacificwarmuseum.org/digital/collection/p16769coll1/id/2292/|date=April 17, 2021}} [[National Museum of the Pacific War]]. Retrieved April 16, 2021.</ref> before attending [[Antioch College]] in [[Yellow Springs, Ohio]], and dropping out to work for a short time as a journalist.<ref name="yahoo">[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800029948/bio Cliff Robertson biodata] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522092317/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800029948/bio |date=May 22, 2011 }}, yahoo.com; accessed April 26, 2015.</ref>