Rudy Robbins was a Western entertainer known for his singing, songwriting, acting, writing, and film and television stunts. At the age of two, his family moved from Evergree, Louisiana, to Port Arthur, Texas, where he grew up and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High in 1952.

 

After attending Lamar Technical Institute and East Texas Baptist College, Robbins achieved success as a western entertainer in film, television, music, literature, and wild west shows.

 

His career began when John Wayne cast him in the epic movie The Alamo. He worked as an actor and stuntman in such films as Two Rode Together, Cheyenne Autumn, The Rounders, The Green Berets, Rio Lobo, and Sugarland Express, and Gunsmoke as a double for series star James Arness.

 

Often working with John Wayne, Charlton Heston, and Clint Eastwood, he was awarded an Honorary Membership in The Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures. Robbins also trained horses for other stuntmen and became a production manager. In 1967, he was selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce to go to Europe as a Cowboy Goodwill Ambassador, promoting the sale of blue jeans.

 

Later Robbins joined Montie Montana, Jr. to re-create Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. With a cast of 125 cowboys, cowgirls, Indians, buffalo, longhorns, and horses, the show toured worldwide. Back in Texas, Robbins produced the Rudy Robbins Western Show and The All American Cowboy Get-Together. He also formed the Spirit of Texas, a western harmony group, which, in 1991, was named the "Official Cowboy Band for Texas" by the State Senate. In addition to singing, Robbins wrote many songs as well as short stories for Cowboy Magazine.