Robert Trebor: “Hercules” actor died at the age of 71

The television world mourns the loss of a popular character actor: Robert Trebor, who became known in the 1990s primarily due to his role as a cunning dealer Salmoneus in the success series “Hercules” (1995-1999) and “Xena-the warrior princess” (1995-2001), the actor died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 71 in the Los Angeles Medical Center.

According to his wife, Trebor had been fighting leukemia since 2012 and received a stem cell transplant the following year. The versatile actor, who was actually called Robert Alan Schenkman with a bourgeois name, had deliberately chosen his stage name as a palindrome. According to his wife, he changed his name during the college to avoid confusion with his classmate Robert Schenkkan (72), who also made a career as an actor and was seen in “Spaceship Enterprise – the next century”.

The Trebor born in Philadelphia completed a studies at Northwestern University and initially started his career at the Theater in New York before giving his canvas debut in the comedy “Gorp” in 1980. He made his breakthrough in 1985, when he had three remarkable productions: in Woody Allen’s “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, Bob Clarks “Turk 182” and as a serial killer in “Out of the Darkness” alongside Martin Sheen (84).

However, his role as a materialistic but amiable dealer Salmoneus made him immortal. Originally engaged for only two episodes, the figure developed into an integral part of the two cult fantasy series “Hercules” and “Xena”. He was seen in a total of 20 episodes “Hercules” and four episodes of the offshoot “Xena”. The popularity of his figure even led to the production of his own action figure. At fan meeting all over the world, Trebor was always a welcome guest.