Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson dies at 88

Los Angeles: Actor Cliff Robertson, who won an Oscar playing a mentally disabled janitor in 'Charly' and worked in movies ranging from 'PT 109' to 'Spider-Man 2', died in New York on Saturday, the day after his 88th birthday.

A spokesman confirmed Robertson's death, citing the actor's family, but gave no further details. Media reports said he died at Stony Brook University Medical Center of natural causes.

The actor's official website carried the message "In loving memory" and noted the dates of his birth and death. Robertson's career spanned more than 60 years and included movies and television. He is remembered not only for his work but also for his courage in exposing powerful Columbia studios chief David Begelman, who had forged his name on a $10,000 check in the late 1970s.

Begelman's misappropriation of studio money caused a scandal at the time that was dubbed "Hollywoodgate" and Robertson became a hero among some industry players by risking his career to expose Begelman.

Born Clifford Parker Robertson III in La Jolla, California on Sept. 9, 1923, he first worked in community theatre in San Diego before joining the U.S. merchant marine during World War Two.

Like many actors of his generation, he performed on Broadway after the war, working in shows such as 'The Wisteris Trees' with Helen Hayes. He acted on television in New York and soon took his career to Hollywood, getting parts on shows such as 'Ben Casey' and 'The Twilight Zone'.

In 1963, he starred as Lieutenant John F. Kennedy in the naval war film 'PT 109' about the military days of the young man who would become a U.S. president. But it was the 1968 film 'Charly' that brought Robertson his greatest glory, the Oscar, playing a mentally disabled man who is transformed into a genius in an experiment, only to regress to his former self.

He also won an Emmy, U.S. television's top honor, for his work in 'The Game'. He was nominated for Emmys in 'Days of Wine and Roses' and 'The Two Worlds of Charly Gordon', which eventually became the movie 'Charly'.

Robertson worked steadily over the decades and was performing well into the 2000s. In 'Spider-Man 3' in 2007, he portrayed Ben Parker, the elderly uncle of the superhero's alter-ego, Peter Parker.