}} Shields was born in
Los Angeles and graduated from Ulyses S Grant High School. At the age of 18, while working as a street mime and performing at the
Hollywood Wax Museum, he was discovered by
Marcel Marceau, who offered him a full scholarship to his
school of mime in
Paris. His apprenticeship was short-lived, however, as he felt the need to develop his own style. Shields soon returned to California, working in
Union Square, San Francisco. Shields is credited with being the originator of the hip-hop dance form known as "
The Robot", with his street performances and talk show appearances bringing his moves to a wider audience and inspiring young dancers to set it to music. The style was further popularized by
Michael Jackson whom Shields claims learned it directly from him in person. In 1974, Shields appeared in
Francis Ford Coppola's film
The Conversation. In 1998, Shields was recruited by the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to serve as their Director of Clowning. In 2024 a documentary
Robert Shields: My Life As A Robot chronicling his career and influence as a mime and entertainer was released. Currently he makes his living as an artist specializing in painting, collages and metal sculpture in a southwestern style in
Verde Valley Arizona. Lorene Yarnell and Robert Shields met when they worked on
Fol-de-Rol, a 1972
Sid and Marty Krofft TV special that was Shields' first TV appearance. ==Lorene Yarnell==