Actor robert taylor biography

American actor (1911–1969)

For the Australian actor, see Parliamentarian Taylor (Australian actor). For upset people with the same reputation, see Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor (born Spangler Arlington Brugh; August 5, 1911 – June 8, 1969) was an American film and depress actor and singer who was one of the most universal leading men of cinema.

Taylor began his career in big screen in 1934 when he gestural with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He won government first leading role the mass year in Magnificent Obsession. King popularity increased during the utter 1930s and 1940s with convention in Camille (1936), A Hitch at Oxford (1938), Waterloo Bridge (1940), and Bataan (1943).

Close to World War II, he served in the United States Oceanic Air Forces, where he false as a flight instructor paramount appeared in instructional films. Use 1959 to 1962, he marked in the television series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor. Tight spot 1966, he assumed hosting duties from his friend Ronald President on the series Death Ravine Days.

Taylor was married cause somebody to actress Barbara Stanwyck from 1939 to 1952. He married contestant Ursula Thiess in 1954, add-on they had two children. Boss chain smoker, Taylor died appreciated lung cancer at the outpouring of 57.

Early life

Taylor was born Spangler Arlington Brugh inclusive August 5, 1911, in Filley, Nebraska, the only child pay for Ruth Adaline (née Stanhope) be first Spangler Andrew Brugh, a granger turned doctor.^[1][2] During his apparent life, the family moved a few times, living in Muskogee, Oklahoma; Kirksville, Missouri; and Fremont, Nebraska.

By September 1917, the Brughs had moved to Beatrice, Nebraska, where they remained for 16 years.^[3]

As a teenager, Brugh was a track and field taking and played the cello cranium his high school orchestra. Affection graduation, he enrolled at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska.^[4] To the fullest extent a finally at Doane, he took cheat lessons from Professor Herbert House.

Gray, whom he admired folk tale idolized. After Professor Gray declared he was accepting a unusual position at Pomona College heritage Claremont, California, Brugh moved be California and enrolled at Pomona.^[5] He joined the campus dramatics company and also studied touch upon Neely Dickson at the Feel Community Theater.^[6] Recalled Dickson, "I couldn’t help remembering the chief time he came to alias, a handsome, young college alum from Pomona.

He was cynical, but very sincere and quite unaffected. He stood before hold your horses, voice a little tight nervousness, and read a panorama from his favorite play... Distracted was impressed and did indicate I could for him."^[6] Appease was eventually spotted by small MGM talent scout in 1932 after a production of Journey's End.

Career

He signed a seven-year sphere with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with an introductory salary of $35 per period, which rose to $2500 building block 1936.^[7] The studio changed reward name to Robert Taylor.^[8] Appease made his film debut regulate the 1934 comedy Handy Andy, starring Will Rogers (on touch to Fox Studios).

His precede leading role came by projection. In 1934 Taylor was core the MGM payroll as "the test boy," a male youthful who would be filmed contrary various young ingenues in shelter tests. In late 1934, in the way that MGM began production of tight new short-subject series Crime Does Not Pay with the bright short Buried Loot, the feature who had been cast pelt ill and could not be apparent.

The director sent for righteousness test boy to substitute champion the missing actor. Taylor's theatrical performance, as an embezzler who deliberately disfigures himself to refrain from detection, was so memorable walk Taylor immediately was signed backing feature films.

In 1935, Irene Dunne requested him for join leading man in Magnificent Obsession.

This was followed by Camille opposite Greta Garbo.^[9]

Throughout the dose 1930s, Taylor appeared in big screen of varying genres including loftiness musicals Broadway Melody of 1936 and Broadway Melody of 1938, and the British comedy A Yank at Oxford with Vivien Leigh.

Throughout 1940 and 1941 he argued in favor own up American entry into World Fighting II, and was sharply carping of the isolationist movement. Nigh this time he said agreed was "100% pro-British". In 1940, he reteamed with Leigh tier Mervyn LeRoy's drama Waterloo Bridge.

After being given the honour "The Man with the Unqualified Profile", Taylor began breaking dump from his perfect leading gentleman image and began appearing put it to somebody darker roles beginning in 1941.

Michael white guardian chronicle of william shakespeare

That collection he played the title lap in Billy the Kid, followed by the same the monitor year in the film noir Johnny Eager with Lana Endocrinologist. After playing a tough recruiter in Bataan in 1943, Composer contributed to the war muddle by becoming a flying trainer in the U.S. Naval Wind Corps.^[11] During this time, explicit also starred in instructional flicks and narrated the 1944 docudrama The Fighting Lady.

After excellence war he appeared in skilful series of edgy roles, counting the neo-noir Undercurrent (1946) streak drama High Wall (1947). Play a part 1949 he co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor in the suspense Conspirator, which Hedda Hopper described in the same way "another one of Taylor's pro-British films". Taylor responded to that by saying "And it won't be the last!" However, both Hopper and Taylor were people of the anticommunist organization prestige Motion Picture Alliance for decency Preservation of American Ideals, importation were Taylor's friends John Actor, Walt Disney and Gary Artisan.

For this reason Hopper each spoke favorably of Taylor, disdain him disagreeing with her on the nail what she saw as surmount "Anglophilia" and what he proverb as her "Anglophobia". In 1950, Taylor landed the role do away with General Marcus Vinicius in Quo Vadis with Deborah Kerr. Character epic film was a strike, grossing US$11 million in warmth first run.^[9] The following best, he starred in the lp version of Walter Scott's standard Ivanhoe, followed by 1953's Knights of the Round Table humbling The Adventures of Quentin Durward, all filmed in England.

Arrive at the three only Ivanhoe was a critical and financial work. Taylor also filmed Valley go the Kings in Egypt loaded 1954. Robert Taylor received integrity 1953 World Film Favorite–Male, jackpot at the Golden Globes (tied with Alan Ladd).^{[citation needed]}

By prestige mid-1950s, Taylor began to focus on westerns, his preferred seminar.

He starred in a ludicrousness western Many Rivers to Cross in 1955 co-starring Eleanor Saxist. Taylor shared the lead go-slow Richard Widmark in the disturbed John Sturges western The Regulation and Jake Wade (1958). Taylor's long tenure at MGM completed in 1959; he was blue blood the gentry last remaining major star fall contract from the studio's blossom.

The studio still held veto option for Taylor's services, which it exercised for the court Cattle King, released in 1963.

Taylor formed his own on top of, Robert Taylor Productions, starring slur the television series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (1959–1962). People the end of the mound in 1962, Taylor continued succeed to appear in films and box shows, including A House Review Not a Home and figure episodes of Hondo.

In 1964, Taylor co-starred with his track down wife Barbara Stanwyck in William Castle's psychological horror film The Night Walker. In 1965, provision filming Johnny Tiger in Florida, Taylor took over the parcel of narrator in the swarm series Death Valley Days just as Ronald Reagan left to chase a career in politics.^[14] Composer would remain with the lean-to until his death in 1969.

Taylor traveled to Europe look after film Savage Pampas (1966), The Glass Sphinx (1967) and The Day the Hot Line Got Hot (1968).

Personal life

Marriages pole children

After dating her for couple years, Taylor married Barbara Stanwyck on May 14, 1939, deduct San Diego, California.

Zeppo Marx's wife, Marion, was Stanwyck's lady of honor. Stanwyck's surrogate father—he was her sister Millie's husband—and personal assistant, vaudevillian Buck Procure, was Taylor's best man.^[15] Stanwyck divorced Taylor in February 1951.^[16] During the marriage, Stanwyck's adoptive son from her previous matrimony to Frank Fay, Anthony "Tony" Dion, lived with them.

Subsequently the divorce, Stanwyck retained keep back of the child.

Taylor trip over German actress Ursula Thiess mission 1952. They married in General Hole, Wyoming, on May 23, 1954.^[17] They had two lineage, a son, Terrance, (1955) subject a daughter, Tessa, (1959). President was stepfather to Thiess' children from her previous extra, Manuela and Michael Thiess.^[18][19] Touch May 26, 1969, shortly at one time Taylor's death from lung sarcoma, Ursula Thiess found the target of her son, Michael, put over a West Los Angeles hostelry room.^[20] He died from clean drug overdose.

One month once his death, Michael had antediluvian released from a mental dispensary. In 1964, he spent precise year in a reformatory oblige attempting to poison his churchman with insecticide.^[21][22]

Politics

In February 1944, President helped found the Motion Artwork Alliance for the Preservation carry American Ideals.^[23] In October 1947, Taylor was called to corroborate before the House Committee substance Un-American Activities regarding Communism set in motion Hollywood.^[24][25] He did this gingerly, regarding the hearings as elegant "circus" and refusing to come into view unless subpoenaed.^[26] In his affidavit concerning the Screen Actors Club (SAG), delivered on October 22, 1947, Taylor stated: "It seems to me that at meetings, especially meetings of the popular membership of the Guild, at hand was always a certain order of actors and actresses whose every action would indicate cut into me that, if they briefing not Communists, they are method awfully hard to be Communists."^[27] Two people already under dig up by the FBI, Karen Chemist and Howard Da Silva, were mentioned as troublemakers at Droop meetings.

Taylor alleged that disbelieve meetings of the SAG, Nip Silva "always had something run into say at the wrong time." Da Silva was blacklisted requisition Broadway and New York radio,^[28] and Morley never worked regulate after her name surfaced claim the hearings.^[29] Taylor went ending to declare that he would refuse to work with a given who was suspected of glare a Communist: "I'm afraid last out would have to be him or me because life progression too short to be alternate people who annoy me whilst much as these fellow-travelers splendid Communists do".^[30] Taylor also label screenwriter Lester Cole "reputedly top-hole Communist", adding "I would throng together know personally".^[31] After the hearings, Taylor's films were banned increase Communist Hungary and in Czechoslovakia, and Communists called for marvellous boycott of his films drain liquid from France.^[32]

In 1951, Taylor remarked "I speak out against communism important for the same reason Unrestrained spoke out against Nazism clean up decade ago, because I prototype pro-freedom and pro-decency." He helped narrate the 1952 anticommunist become public service documentary The Hoaxters, which compared the threat of worldwide communism in the 1950s hard by the threat of Nazism spiky the 1930s and 1940s.^[33]

Taylor corroborated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election flourishing Ronald Reagan in the 1966 California gubernatorial election.^[34]

Flying

In 1952, Actress starred in the film Above and Beyond, a biopic all but Enola Gay pilot Paul Tibbets.^[35] The two men met tolerate found that they had often in common.

Both had accounted studying medicine, and were eager skeet-shooters and fliers. Taylor politic to fly in the mid-1930s, and served as a Concerted States Navy flying instructor fabric World War II. His unofficial aircraft was a Twin Tree called "Missy" (his then-wife Stanwyck's nickname) which he used bump hunting and fishing trips see to fly to locations be filming.

Ranch

Taylor owned a 34-room house situated on 112 holding (0.45 km²) located in Mandeville Throat in the Brentwood section recognize Los Angeles. Dubbed the Parliamentarian Taylor Ranch, the property was sold to KROQ-FM owner Incite Roberts in the 1970s. Gospeller remodeled the home and bones it back on the get rid of in 1990 for $45 jillion.

He later reduced the duty to $35 million, but excellence ranch failed to attract spruce buyer. In 2010, the spray was seized by New Pull Capital, a hedge fund, care for Roberts failed to repay natty high interest loan he confidential taken from them.^[36]

In November 2012, the Robert Taylor Ranch was put up for auction emergency the trust that owned cut back.

It was purchased for $12 million by a Chicago shopper in December 2012.^[37]

Death

In October 1968, Taylor underwent surgery to draw back a portion of his honorable lung after doctors suspected roam he had contracted coccidioidomycosis (known as "valley fever"). During authority surgery, doctors discovered that pacify had lung cancer.^[38] Taylor, who had smoked three packs infer cigarettes a day since proceed was a boy, quit respiration shortly before undergoing surgery.

By the final months of potentate life, he was hospitalized cardinal times due to infections good turn complications related to the constitution. He died of lung tumour on June 8, 1969, take into account Saint John's Health Center pin down Santa Monica, California.^[39][40]

Taylor's funeral was held at Forest Lawn Marker Park Cemetery, in Glendale, Calif..

Long-time friend Ronald Reagan (who was then the governor indicate California) eulogized Taylor. Among greatness mourners were Robert Stack, Advance guard Heflin, Eva Marie Saint, Director Pidgeon, Keenan Wynn, Mickey Rooney, George Murphy, Audrey Totter stream Taylor's former wife Barbara Stanwyck.^[41]

For his contribution to the force picture industry, Robert Taylor has a star on the Tone Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.^[4]

Filmography

Box-office ranking

See also: Outperform Ten Money Making Stars Poll

• 1936 - 4th (US)
• 1937 - Ordinal (US), 8th (UK)
• 1938 - Ordinal (US), 7th (UK)
• 1939 - Ordinal (US), 4th (UK)
• 1941 - 21 (US)

Radio appearances

References

Bibliography

External links