Robert James Anderson was born on March 6, 1933, in
Hollywood, California, to a show business family. He was the son of Eugene Randolph Anderson, an assistant director and production manager, and Marie Augusta Fleischer, and his brothers and cousins were
editors and production managers in their own right. He was also the nephew, by marriage, of directors
William Beaudine and
James Flood, both of whom were married to Anderson's mother's sisters. ==Career==