Born in the United States to German parents, Robison moved to Germany when he was seven years old. After studying and practicing medicine, he decided to devote himself to filmmaking in 1914. His first film as a director was, in 1916, Nächte des Grauens, where he directed Werner Krauss and Emil Jannings. Among his collaborators, the name of cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner stands out, who began working with him in 1921. Schatten – Eine nächtliche Halluzination, from 1923, was their most famous film, a classic example – with its claustrophobic atmosphere – of Weimar expressionist cinema. This was followed by two historical dramas produced by Erich Pommer, Pietro der Korsar and Manon Lescaut. Robison later worked in the United Kingdom, where he shot The Informer, and in the United States, where he was entrusted with several foreign language versions of films produced by MGM. He then returned to Germany, where he resumed working for UFA until his death in 1935 in Berlin, at the age of 52.