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Robbie Rist's claim to fame will always be as the chubby-faced, bespectacled Cousin Oliver on the Brady Bunch. Born on April 4, 1964, in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, Cousin Oliver was not his first role. His first shot at acting came in 1972 on Love American Style. Over the years, he has broadened his horizons to include not only acting, but also being a singer, musician, producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. 

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Cousin Oliver

In the early 1970s, having a child on a series was the best way to keep the younger crowd interested in watching. As all of the Brady kids were quickly growing up and leaving the nest, the show's creators were scrambling to come up with a storyline to introduce a new character onto the show. The result was Cousin Oliver. Robbie Rist auditioned and got the part, making his first appearance in 1974. Although bringing Cousin Oliver on board wasn't much more than a Band-Aid, it did give Rist an opportunity to showcase his talents and get his name out there for future projects. The attempt to add life to a dying show by introducing a child is now referred to as the Cousin Oliver Syndrome. To this day, the Cousin Oliver Syndrome is commonly used as a last-ditch effort to add life to a show that no longer has its former appeal.

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Acting and Other Endeavors

After The Brady Bunch series ended, Rist soon found himself playing Martin on the Sandford & Son spin-off Grady. He also made appearances on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bionic Woman, and Galactica 1980. As Rist matured, he began to take on more work behind the camera as a voice over artist. One of his first voice over roles was that of Michaelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle films. For three years he did the voice for Kidd Video on Saturday mornings. In 1995, he added his voice talents to Star, a husky in the film Balto. Currently, Rist appears on Doc McStuffins as everyone's favorite stuffed dragon.

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Music and Bands

One of Rist's strongest passions is his music. As a musician and a producer, he has been involved in the music industry for most of his adult life. He is extremely versatile and has been a lead singer, drummer, bassist, and guitar player for numerous rock bands based out of Los Angeles. This includes Cockeyed Ghost, Oblivion Click, Wonderboy, Nice Guy Eddie, and The Andersons. Over the span of his career, Rist has played with hundreds of different west coast pop and mainstream pop bands.

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Rist also has a comprehensive list of production credits in both the music and film industries. He has appeared with KingsizeMaybe, an alt-country band based out of Los Angeles as well as Jeff Caudill & the Goodtimes Band, also out of Los Angeles. His production credits include Backline, Suzy & Los Quatro, and Steve Barton and the Oblivion Click. He performed dual roles on the album Automatic Toaster by The Rubinoos, taking on the production aspect of the process as well as playing the drums. His latest full-time musical endeavor is Your Favorite Trainwreck as the drummer.

What's Next?

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While few acting roles are coming his way that have him in front of the camera, Rist seems to be just as happy behind the camera. From voice-overs to music/film production, Rist has his hands full. Throw his music and bands into the mix and h has a full schedule to keep him busy. To this day, he remains in the Woodland Hills/Los Angeles area where he was born. Not much is known about his personal life, although he seems to be fairly active in various circles in the entertainment industry.