William Leslie Chisholm was born on 18 April 1894 in Melbourne, Victoria. He was one of six children born to parents Annie (nee Absalom) and Robert Chisholm, a boot-maker. The Chisholms lived in the suburbs of Carlton and Moonee Ponds, and Chisholm worked as a clerk. He served in Senior Cadets for twelve months, but was discharged on medical grounds. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 23 November 1915, and was assigned to the Australian Army Service Corps Reinforcements, with the rank of driver. He spent the next year with the unit in Australia, before embarking from Melbourne on board HMAT Persic on 22 December 1916.
Upon arrival in France in 1917, Chisholm was attached to the 2nd Australian Division Supply Column. In 1918, he was attached to the 4th Australian Divisional Train, and later the 4th Australian Divisional Headquarters. In early 1918, Chisholm joined the 4th Australian Division Concert Party the ‘Smart Set’. The Smart Set performed a number of concerts for Allied forces throughout France and Belgium. Chisholm was a baritone, and he performed as a female impersonator in a number of performances.
In 1919, he received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London. After a year’s study, Chisholm returned to Australia and was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force. He adopted the stage name Robert Chisholm, and maintained an expansive career on stage and screen in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Chisholm died in his South Yarra home on 4 November 1960, aged sixty-six.