Robert Young
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 22, 1907
- Died
- July 21, 1998 (aged 91)
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Biography
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). Young appeared in over 100 films between 1931 and 1952. After appearing on stage, Young was signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and, 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 B movies, also known as "programmers," which required two to three weeks of shooting (considered very brief shooting periods at the time). 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 Jessie Matthews. 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. He once remarked that he was assigned only those roles which Robert Montgomery and other A-list actors had rejected. After his contract ended at MGM, 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 later films—which was seldom the case in his MGM pictures—was applauded by numerous reviewers. 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Young (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Photos
Filmography
That's Entertainment! III
Movie · as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
Movie · as (archive footage)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
Movie · as Self
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
Movie · as Dr. Marcus Welby
A Conspiracy of Love
Movie · as Joe Woldarski
Mercy or Murder?
Movie · as Roswell Gilbert
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Movie · as Dr. Marcus Welby
Hollywood’s Children
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Little Women
TV · as Mr. Laurence · 2 eps
The Father Knows Best Reunion
Movie · as James Anderson
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas
Movie · as Jim Anderson
That's Entertainment, Part II
Movie · as (archive footage)
Donny & Marie
TV · as Self · 2 eps
That's Entertainment!
Movie · as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dinah!
TV · as Self · 1 ep
My Darling Daughters' Anniversary
Movie · as Judge Charles Raleigh
All My Darling Daughters
Movie · as Judge Charles Raleigh
Vanished
TV · as Sen. Earl Gannon · 2 eps
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
TV · as Dr. Marcus Welby · 2 eps
The Partridge Family
TV · 1 ep
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
Movie · as Marcus Welby
Marcus Welby, M.D.
TV · as Dr. Marcus Welby · 171 eps
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Name of the Game
TV · as Herman Allison · 1 ep
The Dick Cavett Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
ABC Stage 67
TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep
Highball Highway
Movie · as Himself
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
TV · as Nick Holloway · 1 ep
The Merv Griffin Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Window on Main Street
TV · 16 eps
Dr. Kildare
TV · as Dr. Gilbert Winfield · 1 ep
The Steve Allen Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Secret of the Incas
Movie · as Stanley Moorehead
The Big Moment
Movie · as Narrator
Father Knows Best
TV · as Jim Anderson · 203 eps
Climax!
TV · as Lieutenant Commander Knowles · 1 ep
The Half-Breed
Movie · as Dan Craig
This Is Your Life
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Goodbye, My Fancy
Movie · as Doctor James Merrill
The Second Woman
Movie · as Jeff Cohalan
What's My Line?
TV · as Self · 4 eps
That Forsyte Woman
Movie · as Philip Bosinney
And Baby Makes Three
Movie · as Vernon 'Vern' Walsh
Adventure in Baltimore
Movie · as Dr. Andrew Sheldon
Bride for Sale
Movie · as Steve Adams
Sitting Pretty
Movie · as Harry King
Relentless
Movie · as Nick Buckley
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
They Won't Believe Me
Movie · as Larry Ballentine
Crossfire
Movie · as Finlay
Claudia and David
Movie · as David Naughton
Lady Luck
Movie · as Larry Scott
The Searching Wind
Movie · as Alex Hazen
The Enchanted Cottage
Movie · as Oliver Bradford
Those Endearing Young Charms
Movie · as Lt. Hurley 'Hank' Travers
The Canterville Ghost
Movie · as Cuffy Williams
Twenty Years After
Movie · as (archive footage)
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Nominee · 1 ep
Slightly Dangerous
Movie · as Bob Stuart
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
Movie · as Samuel Magee
Claudia
Movie · as David Naughton
Cairo
Movie · as Homer Smith
Journey for Margaret
Movie · as John Davis
Joe Smith, American
Movie · as Joe Smith
Lady Be Good
Movie · as Edward 'Eddie' Crane
Western Union
Movie · as Richard Blake
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
Movie · as Harry Moulton Pulham
Married Bachelor
Movie · as Randolph Haven
The Trial of Mary Dugan
Movie · as Jimmy Blake
The Mortal Storm
Movie · as Fritz Marberg
Northwest Passage
Movie · as Langdon Towne
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
Movie · as Douglas Lamont
Florian
Movie · as Anton Erban
Sporting Blood
Movie · as Myles Vanders
Northward, Ho!
Movie · as Himself
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
Movie · as Self
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Movie · as Self
Honolulu
Movie · as Brooks Mason / George Smith
Maisie
Movie · as Charles 'Slim' Martin
Miracles for Sale
Movie · as Michael Morgan
Hollywood Hobbies
Movie · as Self (uncredited)
Bridal Suite
Movie · as Neil McGill
Three Comrades
Movie · as Gottfried Lenz
The Shining Hour
Movie · as David Linden
The Toy Wife
Movie · as Andre Vallaire
Rich Man, Poor Girl
Movie · as Bill Harrison
Paradise for Three
Movie · as Fritz Hagedorn
Josette
Movie · as Pierre Brassard
Hollywood Goes to Town
Movie · as Self
The Emperor's Candlesticks
Movie · as Grand Duke Peter
The Bride Wore Red
Movie · as Rudolph 'Rudi' Pal
I Met Him in Paris
Movie · as Gene Anders
Navy Blue and Gold
Movie · as Roger 'Rog' Ash
Married Before Breakfast
Movie · as Tom Wakefield
Dangerous Number
Movie · as Hank
The Romance of Celluloid
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Secret Agent
Movie · as Robert Marvin
Stowaway
Movie · as Tommy Randall
It's Love Again
Movie · as Peter Carlton
The Bride Walks Out
Movie · as Hugh McKenzie
The Longest Night
Movie · as Charley Phelps
Sworn Enemy
Movie · as Henry 'Hank' Sherman
The Three Wise Guys
Movie · as Joe Hatcher
Remember Last Night?
Movie · as Tony Milburn
West Point of the Air
Movie · as Little Mike Stone
Red Salute
Movie · as Jeff
The Bride Comes Home
Movie · as Jack Bristow
Calm Yourself
Movie · as Preston Patton
Vagabond Lady
Movie · as Tony Spear
Spitfire
Movie · as John Stafford
Death on the Diamond
Movie · as Larry Kelly
Lazy River
Movie · as William 'Bill' Drexel
The House of Rothschild
Movie · as Capt. Fitzroy
Carolina
Movie · as Will Connelly
The Band Plays On
Movie · as Tony Ferrera
Paris Interlude
Movie · as Pat
Whom the Gods Destroy
Movie · as Jack Forrester
Hollywood Party
Movie · as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Tugboat Annie
Movie · as Alec (Son)
Today We Live
Movie · as Claude William Hope
Men Must Fight
Movie · as Geoffrey Aiken
The Right To Romance
Movie · as Bobby Preble
Hell Below
Movie · as Lieut. (JG) 'Brick' Walters
Saturday's Millions
Movie · as Jim Fowler
The Kid from Spain
Movie · as Ricardo
Strange Interlude
Movie · as Gordon Evans as a young man
The Wet Parade
Movie · as Kip Tarleton
New Morals for Old
Movie · as Ralph Thomas
Unashamed
Movie · as Dick Ogden
Hell Divers
Movie · as Graham - Pilot Reporting Missing Airplanes (uncredited)
The Black Camel
Movie · as Jimmy Bradshaw
The Guilty Generation
Movie · as Marco Ricca, also known as Marco Smith
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
Movie · as Dr.Claudet
Calling Hubby's Bluff
Movie · as Party Guest (uncredited)
The Campus Vamp
Movie · as Student at Dance / at Beach (uncredited)