Robert Young (actor)

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

Robert Young
from Journey for Margaret (1942)
Born	Robert George Young February 22, 1907(1907-02-22) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1998(1998-07-21) (aged 91) Westlake Village, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1988
Spouse	Betty Henderson (1933–1994) (her death) 4 children

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

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father (Thomas E. Young) and an American mother (Margaret Fife). When Young was a child, the family moved to Seattle and then to Los Angeles where he attended 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 production of The Ship, Young was discovered by an MGM talent scout and signed to a contract. He 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. After appearing on stage, Young was signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)—the studio that had more stars than in the heavens—and in spite of having a "tier B" status, he co-starred with some of the studio's most illustrious actresses such as Margaret Sullavan, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Helen Hayes, Luise Rainer, and Helen Twelvetrees, among many, many others. Yet most of his assignments comprised B-movies, also known as programmers, which required a mere two to three weeks of shooting. Actors who were relegated to such a hectic schedule appeared, as Young did, in some six to eight movies per year.

As an MGM contract player, Young was resigned to the fate of most of his colleagues—to accept any film assigned to him or risk being placed on suspension—and many actors 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 for two films; the first was directed by Alfred Hitchcock with the other co-starring the luminous Jessie Matthews, and while there he surmised that his employers 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., featuring one of Hedy Lamarr's most effective performances, and once remarked that he was assigned only those roles which Robert Montgomery and other A-list actors had rejected.

After his contract at MGM ended, Young starred in light comedies as well as in trenchant dramas for studios such as 20th Century Fox, United Artists, and RKO Radio Pictures. From 1943, Young assayed 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 latter films — which seldom occurred in his MGM pictures — was applauded by numerous reviewers.

Not surprisingly and in spite of a propitious beginning as a freelance actor without the nurturing of a major studio, Young's career began an incremental and imperceptible decline. Still starring as a leading man in the late 1940s and early 1950s but in mediocre films, 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 ("Princess"), Billy Gray ("Bud"), and Lauren Chapin ("Kitten") played the Anderson children.

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

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

He also made numerous television commercials, in which he persuaded edgy people to drink Sanka coffee, until the late 1980s.

Personal life

Young was married to Betty Henderson from 1933 until her death in 1994. They had four daughters.

Despite his trademark portrayal of happy, well-adjusted characters, Young's bitterness towards Hollywood casting practices never diminished, and he suffered from depression and alcoholism, culminating in a suicide attempt in the early 1990s. Later he spoke candidly about his personal problems in an effort to encourage others to seek help. The Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health, in Rock Island, Illinois, is named for 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.

Death

Young died at his home in Westlake Village, California on July 21, 1998 from respiratory failure. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.

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

Selected filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1931	Black Camel, TheThe Black Camel	Jimmy	Film debut; a Warner Oland / Charlie Chan film
1931	Sin of Madelon Claudet, TheThe Sin of Madelon Claudet	Dr. Lawrence Claudet	Alternative title: The Lullaby
1931	Guilty Generation, TheThe Guilty Generation	Marco Ricca - aka John Smith
1932	Strange Interlude	Gordon Evans as a Young Man	Alternative title: Strange Interval
1933	Today We Live	Claude
1933	Hell Below	Lieutenant (JG) Ed "Brick" Walters
1933	Tugboat Annie	Alexander "Alec" Brennan
1934	House of Rothschild, TheThe House of Rothschild	Captain Fitzroy
1934	Spitfire	John Stafford
1934	Lazy River
1935	West Point of the Air	Little Mike Stone
1935	Red Salute
1936	Secret Agent	Robert Marvin
1936	Stowaway	Tommy Randall
1937	I Met Him in Paris	Gene Anders
1937	Emperor's Candlesticks, TheThe Emperor's Candlesticks	Grand Duke Peter
1937	Bride Wore Red, TheThe Bride Wore Red	Rudi Pal
1937	Navy Blue and Gold	Roger "Rog" Ash
1938	Paradise for Three	Fritz Hagedorn	Alternative title: Romance for Three
1938	Three Comrades	Gottfried Lenz
1938	Toy Wife, TheThe Toy Wife	Andre Vallaire
1938	Shining Hour, TheThe Shining Hour	David Linden
1939	Honolulu	Brooks Mason/George Smith
1939	Maisie	Charles "Slim" Martin
1939	Miracles for Sale	Michael "Mike" Morgan
1940	Northwest Passage	Langdon Towne
1940	Florian	Anton Erban
1940	Mortal Storm, TheThe Mortal Storm	Fritz Marberg
1941	Western Union	Douglas "Doug" Lamont
1941	Lady Be Good	Edward "Eddie" Crane
1941	Journey for Margaret	John Davis
1943	Slightly Dangerous	Bob Stuart
1943	Sweet Rosie O'Grady	Sam MacKeever
1944	Canterville Ghost, TheThe Canterville Ghost	Cuffy Williams
1945	Enchanted Cottage, TheThe Enchanted Cottage	Oliver Bradford
1945	Those Endearing Young Charms	Hank Travers
1946	Lady Luck	Larry Scott
1947	Crossfire	Finlay
1948	Sitting Pretty	Harry King
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
1951	Goodbye, My Fancy	Doctor James Merrill
1954	Secret of the Incas	Stanley Moorehead

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	The Ford Television Theatre	Tom Warren	1 episode
1954–60	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
1968	Name of the Game, TheThe Name of the Game	Herman Allison	1 episode
1969–76	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Dr. Marcus Welby	170 episodes
1977	Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas	Jim Anderson	Television film
1978	Little Women	Grandpa James Lawrence	Television film
1984	Return of Marcus Welby, M.D., TheThe 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	Conspiracy of Love, AA Conspiracy of Love	Joe Woldarski	Television film
1988	Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair	Dr. Marcus Welby	Television film

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 0517523892. 
• 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 at the Internet Movie Database
• Robert Young at the TCM Movie Database
• Robert Young at The New York Times
• Robert Young at Find a Grave