Robles was born in the town of
Tacloban, in the province of
Leyte in the
Philippines, where he began his schooling before emigrating to the United States. He completed high school and college in California, where he excelled in debating and acting. Producer
Samuel Goldwyn reportedly discovered and gave him the screen name Rudy Robles whilst he was working as a bellhop at
The Beverly Hills Hotel in Hollywood. His credits include pre- and post-
World War II films, such as Lt. Yabo in
The Real Glory (1939) starring
Gary Cooper and
David Niven. His uncredited roles include appearances in
The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942),
Wake Island (1942),
Manila Calling (1942), and he played a Filipino assassin in the 1942 film
Across the Pacific. During World War II, Robles entered the U.S. Army and served in Australia, New Guinea and the
Philippines with the
1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, rising to the rank of
first sergeant. After the war Robles was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army
Civil Affairs, where he contracted Filipino entertainers for the U.S. military. He returned to the U.S. and civilian life in February 1946. In addition to appearing in several Hollywood films such as
Nocturne (1946),
Singapore (1947) (which starred
Ava Gardner and
Fred MacMurray) and
Omoo-Omoo, the Shark God (1949), Robles returned to the Philippines where he raised a family and started to produce, direct and star in his own films. One of his last on-screen appearances was in an episode of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956. ==Death==