Robert Young (actor)

For other people named Robert Young, see Robert Young (disambiguation).

Robert Young
Young in a publicity photo (1957)
Born	Robert George Young (1907-02-22)February 22, 1907 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1998(1998-07-21) (aged 91) Westlake Village, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1988
Spouse(s)	Betty Henderson (1910-1994) (1933–1994; her death; 4 children)

Robert George Young (February 22, 1907 – July 21, 1998) was an American film, television, and radio actor, best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father character in Father Knows Best (CBS, then NBC, then CBS again), and the physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. (ABC).

Early life

Born in Chicago, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father, Thomas E. Young, and an American mother, Margaret Fyfe. While Young was a child, the family moved to various locations within the U.S., including Seattle as well as Los Angeles, where Young was a student at Abraham Lincoln High School. After graduation, he studied and performed at the Pasadena Playhouse while working odd jobs and appearing in bit parts in silent films. While touring with a stock company producing "The Ship", Young was discovered by a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scout who signed the fledgling actor to a contract. Young made his sound-film debut for MGM in the 1931 Charlie Chan film Black Camel.

Film career

Young appeared in over 100 films between 1931 and 1952. In spite of having a "tier B" status, he co-starred with some of the studio's most illustrious actresses, such as Katharine Hepburn, Margaret Sullavan, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Helen Hayes, Luise Rainer, Hedy Lamarr, and Helen Twelvetrees. Yet most of his assignments consisted of short B movies, also known as "programmers," which required brief two- to three-week shooting schedules. Actors who were relegated to such hectic routines appeared, as Young did, in some six to eight movies per year.

As an MGM contract player, Young was obligated to accept any film assigned to him or risk being placed on suspension—and many actors who were placed on suspension were prohibited from earning a salary from any endeavor at all, even those unrelated to the film industry. In 1936, MGM summarily loaned Young to Gaumont British in the U.K. for two films; the first, Secret Agent, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, while the other, It's Love Again, co-starred Jessie Matthews. While in England, he was convinced that MGM intended to terminate his contract, but he was mistaken.

He unexpectedly received one of his most rewarding roles late in his MGM career, in H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941), which also benefited from one of Hedy Lamarr's most effective performances. He once remarked that he was assigned only those roles which Robert Montgomery and other A-list actors had rejected.

After his contract expired with MGM, Young starred in light comedies as well as trenchant dramas for studios such as 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and RKO Radio Pictures. From 1943, Young had more challenging roles in films like Claudia, The Enchanted Cottage, They Won't Believe Me, The Second Woman, and Crossfire. His portrayal of unsympathetic characters in several of these later films—which was seldom the case in his MGM pictures—was applauded by numerous reviewers. In 1949. he returned to MGM briefly to appear in That Forsyte Woman with Errol Flynn and Greer Garson.

Afterwards, Young's career began an incremental and imperceptible decline, despite a propitious beginning as a freelance actor without the nurturing of a major studio. He continued starring as a leading man in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but only in mediocre films. Then, he subsequently disappeared from the silver screen—only to reappear several years later on a much smaller one.

Television career

Today, Young is most remembered as the affable insurance salesman in Father Knows Best (1949–1954 on radio, 1954–1960 on television), for which he and his co-star Jane Wyatt won several Emmy Awards. Elinor Donahue ("Betty"), Billy Gray ("Bud"), and Lauren Chapin ("Kathy") played the Anderson children in the television version.

Young then created, produced, and starred with Ford Rainey and Constance Moore in the nostalgic CBS comedy series Window on Main Street (1961–1962), which lasted barely six months.

Young's final television series was Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976), co-starring a young James Brolin. This show earned Young an Emmy for best leading actor in a drama series.

He shared the stage on The Dick Cavett Show with Jimi Hendrix in September 1969.

Until the late 1980s, he also made numerous television commercials for Sanka coffee.

Personal life and death

Young was married to Betty Henderson for 61 years from 1933 until her death in 1994. They had four daughters, Carol Proffitt, Barbara Beebe, Kathy Young, and Betty Lou Gleason. They also had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Despite his trademark portrayal of happy, well-adjusted characters, Young's bitterness toward Hollywood casting practices never diminished, and he suffered from depression and alcoholism, culminating in a suicide attempt in January 1991. Later, he spoke candidly about his personal problems in an effort to encourage others to seek help. The Robert Young Community Mental Health Center is named after Young in honor of his work toward passage of the 708 Illinois Tax Referendum, which established a property tax to support mental health programs in his home state. The Center started in Rock Island, Illinois and now has sites in both Iowa and Illinois, as part of the Quad-City Metro Area

Young died of respiratory failure at his Westlake Village, California home on July 21, 1998, and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.

He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the stars are in the categories of film (located at 6933 Hollywood Blvd.), television (6358 Hollywood Blvd.), and radio (1660 Vine Street).

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1928	The Godless Girl	Student	Film debut, Uncredited
1931	The Black Camel	Jimmy	A Warner Oland / Charlie Chan film
1931	The Sin of Madelon Claudet	Dr. Lawrence Claudet	Alternative title: The Lullaby
1931	The Guilty Generation	Marco Ricca—aka John Smith
1932	Hell Divers	Graham
1932	The Wet Parade	Kip Tarleton
1932	The Kid from Spain	Ricardo
1932	New Morals for Old	Ralph Thomas
1932	Strange Interlude	Gordon Evans (as a Young Man)	Alternative title: Strange Interval
1933	Men Must Fight	Lt. Geoffrey Aiken
1933	Today We Live	Claude
1933	Hell Below	Lieutenant (JG) Ed "Brick" Walters
1933	Tugboat Annie	Alexander "Alec" Brennan
1933	The Right to Romance	Bobby Preble
1934	Death on the Diamond	Larry Kelly
1934	The House of Rothschild	Captain Fitzroy
1934	Spitfire	John Stafford
1934	Lazy River	William "Bill" Drexel
1934	Hollywood Party	Himself, Radio Announcer	Uncredited
1934	Paris Interlude	Pat Wells
1935	West Point of the Air	Little Mike Stone
1935	Red Salute	Jeff
1935	The Bride Comes Home	Jack Bristow
1936	It's Love Again	Peter Carlton
1936	Secret Agent	Robert Marvin
1936	The Bride Walks Out	Hugh McKenzie
1936	Stowaway	Tommy Randall
1937	I Met Him in Paris	Gene Anders
1937	The Emperor's Candlesticks	Grand Duke Peter
1937	The Bride Wore Red	Rudi Pal
1937	Navy Blue and Gold	Roger "Rog" Ash
1937	Dangerous Number	Henry 'Hank' Medhill
1938	Paradise for Three	Fritz Hagedorn	Alternative title: Romance for Three
1938	Three Comrades	Gottfried Lenz
1938	The Toy Wife	Andre Vallaire
1938	The Shining Hour	David Linden
1938	Josette	Pierre Brassard
1938	Rich Man, Poor Girl	Bill Harrison
1939	Honolulu	Brooks Mason/George Smith
1939	Maisie	Charles "Slim" Martin
1939	Miracles for Sale	Michael "Mike" Morgan
1939	Bridal Suite	Neil McGill
1940	Dr. Kildare's Crisis	Douglas "Doug" Lamont
1940	Northwest Passage	Langdon Towne
1940	Florian	Anton Erban
1940	The Mortal Storm	Fritz Marberg
1941	Western Union	Richard Blake
1941	Lady Be Good	Edward "Eddie" Crane
1941	H. M. Pulham, Esq.	Harry Moulton Pulham
1941	Married Bachelor	Randolph Haven
1942	Cairo	Homer Smith, aka Juniper Jones
1942	Journey for Margaret	John Davis
1943	Slightly Dangerous	Bob Stuart
1943	Sweet Rosie O'Grady	Sam MacKeever
1944	The Canterville Ghost	Cuffy Williams
1945	The Enchanted Cottage	Oliver Bradford
1945	Those Endearing Young Charms	Hank Travers
1946	Lady Luck	Larry Scott
1947	They Won't Believe Me	Larry Ballentine
1947	Crossfire	Finlay
1948	Sitting Pretty	Harry King
1948	Relentless	Nick Buckley
1949	That Forsyte Woman	Philip Bosinney	Alternative title: The Forsyte Saga
1949	And Baby Makes Three	Vernon "Vern" Walsh
1949	Bride for Sale	Steve Adams
1949	Adventure in Baltimore	Dr. Andrew Sheldon
1950	The Second Woman	Jeff Cohalan
1951	Goodbye, My Fancy	Doctor James Merrill
1952	The Half-Breed	Dan Craig
1954	Secret of the Incas	Stanley Moorehead	Final film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Ford Television Theatre	Tom Warren	1 episode
1954–1960	Father Knows Best	Jim Anderson	203 episodes
1955	Climax!	Lieutenant Commander Knowles	1 episode
1961	Window on Main Street	Cameron Garrett Brooks	17 episodes
1965	Dr. Kildare	Dr. Gilbert Winfield	1 episode
1965	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre: The Admiral	Admiral Matt Callahan	1 episode
1968	The Name of the Game	Herman Allison	1 episode
1969–1976	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Dr. Marcus Welby	170 episodes
1977	Father Knows Best Reunion	Jim Anderson	Television film
1977	Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas	Jim Anderson	Television film
1978	Little Women	Grandpa James Lawrence	Television film
1984	The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.	Dr. Marcus Welby	Television film
1987	American Masters	Edward "Eddie" Crane	1 episode
1987	Mercy or Murder?	Roswell Gilbert	Television film
1987	A Conspiracy of Love	Joe Woldarski	Television film
1988	Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair	Dr. Marcus Welby	Television film

Radio

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949–1954	Father Knows Best	Jim Anderson
1943	Suspense		Episode: "A Friend to Alexander"
1946	Suspense		Episode: "The Night Reveals"
1952	Suspense		Episode: "The Frameup"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1979	BAFTA Award	Won	Best Specialised Film	Twenty Times More Likely
1956	Emmy Award	Nominated	Best Actor - Continuing Performance	Father Knows Best
1957		Won	Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series	Father Knows Best
1958		Won	Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series	Father Knows Best
1959		Nominated	Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series	Father Knows Best
1970		Won	Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1971		Nominated	Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama	Vanished
			Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1972		Nominated	Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1970	Golden Globe Award	Nominated	Best TV Actor - Drama	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1971			Best TV Actor - Drama	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1972		Won	Best TV Actor - Drama	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1973		Nominated	Best TV Actor - Drama	Marcus Welby, M.D.
1974			Best TV Actor - Drama	Marcus Welby, M.D.
2003	TV Land Award	Nominated	Classic TV Doctor of the Year	Marcus Welby, M.D.

References

• Eames, John Douglas (1986). The MGM Story. New York City: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-517-52389-2.
• Gartside, Michael (2000–2001). Robert Young's British Films. Muscatine, IA: Films of the Golden Age.
• Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. New York City: Crown Publishers.
• Katz, Ephraim (1981). The Film Encyclopedia. New York City: Harper Perennial.
• Shipman, David (1970). The Great Movie Stars: The Golden Years. New York City: Bonanza Books.

External links

• Robert Young on IMDb
• Robert Young at the TCM Movie Database
• Robert Young at The New York Times
• Robert Young at Find a Grave
• Literature on Robert Young