Robert Taylor (actor)

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Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor in Quo Vadis?
Born 5 August 1911
Filley, Nebraska, USA
Died 8 June 1969, age 57
Santa Monica, California, USA

Robert Taylor (August 5, 1911, Filley, Nebraska - June 8, 1969, Santa Monica, California), was an American actor.

Born Spangler Arlington Brugh (homonym of "brew") he made his first film appearance in 1934. Early in his career, he was known as "the man with the perfect profile." One of his first major films was Camille (1936), playing opposite Greta Garbo. Clean cut and strikingly handsome with wavy dark hair and blue eyes and with a classic profile, he was an instant heart-throb from his first film appearance. In later life, he made many television appearances, notably in the 1959 series, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.

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[edit] Early Life

Spangler Arlington Brugh was born on the plains of Nebraska on August 5, 1911 to a country doctor and his invalid wife. Young Spangler had an impressive number of accomplishments to match his rather impressive name. As a teenager he was a talented track star and showed a flair for public speaking. His real love, however, was music. He played the cello in his high school orchestra and upon graduation he enrolled at Doane College in Nebraska to study music.

Inspired by his father, who had become a doctor with the intent of curing his invalid wife, the younger Brugh subsequently changed tracks and moved west to study medicine at Pomona College in Los Angeles. While at Pomona he joined the campus theater group and, aided by his remarkable good looks, found yet another calling. He considered continuing on to drama school upon his graduation from Pomona in 1933, but before he could follow through on the plan an MGM talent scout spotted him and gave him both a contract and a new name.

[edit] Acting career

By his own admission, he was hardly the greatest actor of his generation, but his many directors and famous co-stars always found him a most professional actor, always on time and willing to work hard to get the film to be the best. Many actors and actresses later claimed that he was underrated as an actor, especially in films in his later years. Although he was known for his classic features, Taylor always strived for different films where he could play more rugged and challenging roles, not wanting to be known as just a "pretty face."

By the early 1950’s his handsome face was already beginning to show signs of age, and the roles were harder to come by. Still, he managed to make his mark in what would become one of his best known roles, as General Marcus Vinicius in Quo Vadis (1951), opposite Deborah Kerr. The following year, he starred opposite a much younger Elizabeth Taylor in the film version of Walter Scott’s classic Ivanhoe. The movie proved to be a smash hit and MGM quickly followed it up with 1953’s Knights of the Round Table.

[edit] McCarthy era controversy

In 1947, Taylor testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as a "friendly witness", claiming that he had appeared in the film Song of Russia against his better judgment. He went on to claim that the script by Richard Collins and Paul Jarrico, and a song in the movie written by Yip Harburg, were pro-Communist.

Taylor also provided evidence against actor Howard Da Silva. He is quoted as saying: "I can name a few who seem to sort of disrupt things once in a while. Whether or not they are Communists I don't know. One chap we have currently, I think is Howard Da Silva. He always seems to have something to say at the wrong time."

[edit] Personal life

His first wife was the actress Barbara Stanwyck. Taylor and Stanwyck were one of the Hollywood's "golden couples" and were good friends with another star couple, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The marriage had its ups and downs, lasting from 1939 to 1951.

Taylor considered remarrying Stanwyck several times after their 1951 divorce. He also had a serious romance with Eleanor Parker, but ultimately he chose as his second wife German-born actress Ursula Thiess, with whom he had two children. They owned a large ranch and home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, California, which to this day is still referred to by locals as the old "Robert Taylor ranch." He was ultimately happy and well-suited to Thiess, who gave up her acting carrier when she became his wife, although she did a few spots on his later televison series, Robert Taylor's Detectives. She has written an autobiography "...but I have promises to keep: My Life Before, With & After Robert Taylor."

[edit] Death and post-mortem

Robert Taylor died of lung cancer (he was a chain smoker) at the age of 57, and he was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California. The crème de la crème of Hollywood celebrities went to his funeral, and his best friend Ronald Reagan gave the eulogy.

In 1970, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] Trivia

  • The Italian comics fictional character Diabolik was graphically inspired by Taylor.
  • Taylor became known as a dramatic actor. When he appeared in the movie musical, Broadway Melody of 1936, he surprised everyone with his pleasant singing voice when he sang I've Got A Feelin' You're Foolin' with June Knight.

[edit] External links

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