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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
February 22, 1907
Died
July 21, 1998
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Also Known As
- Robert George Young
Robert Young
0.7 Popularity
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
7.0
(archive footage)
That's Entertainment! III
1994
9.0
(archive footage)
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
1990
8.3
Self
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
1990
0.0
Dr. Marcus Welby
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
1988
0.0
Joe Woldarski
A Conspiracy of Love
1987
0.0
Roswell Gilbert
Mercy or Murder?
1987
0.0
Dr. Marcus Welby
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
1984
0.0
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood’s Children
1982
5.2
Mr. Laurence
Little Women
1978
7.3
Jim Anderson
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas
1977
Credits
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
1994
7.0
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
as (archive footage)
1990
9.0
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic
as Self
1990
8.3
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair
as Dr. Marcus Welby
1988
0.0
A Conspiracy of Love
as Joe Woldarski
1987
0.0
Mercy or Murder?
as Roswell Gilbert
1987
0.0
The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.
as Dr. Marcus Welby
1984
0.0
Hollywood’s Children
as Self (archive footage)
1982
0.0
Little Women
as Mr. Laurence
1978
5.2
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas
as Jim Anderson
1977
7.3
The Father Knows Best Reunion
as James Anderson
1977
5.5
That's Entertainment, Part II
as (archive footage)
1976
6.9
Donny & Marie
as Self
1976
6.5
Dinah!
as Self
1974
6.7
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1974
7.3
My Darling Daughters' Anniversary
as Judge Charles Raleigh
1973
6.0
All My Darling Daughters
as Judge Charles Raleigh
1972
6.0
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
as Dr. Marcus Welby
1971
6.3
Vanished
as Sen. Earl Gannon
1971
5.0
Marcus Welby, M.D.
as Dr. Marcus Welby
1969
6.5
Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities
as Marcus Welby
1969
0.0
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
as Self
1969
5.8
The Name of the Game
as Herman Allison
1968
6.8
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest
1968
6.7
ABC Stage 67
as Self - Host
1966
6.2
🎬
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
as Nick Holloway
1963
5.7
Highball Highway
as Himself
1963
4.7
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self
1962
5.8
🎬
Window on Main Street
1961
5.0
Dr. Kildare
as Dr. Gilbert Winfield
1961
5.5
The Steve Allen Show
as Self - Guest
1956
5.6
The Steve Allen Show
as Self - Recipient
1956
5.6
Climax!
as Lieutenant Commander Knowles
1954
3.3
Father Knows Best
as Jim Anderson
1954
6.5
Secret of the Incas
as Stanley Moorehead
1954
5.8
The Big Moment
as Narrator
1954
0.0
This Is Your Life
as Self
1952
6.5
The Half-Breed
as Dan Craig
1952
5.0
Goodbye, My Fancy
as Doctor James Merrill
1951
5.9
The Second Woman
as Jeff Cohalan
1950
5.5
What's My Line?
as Self - Mystery Guest
1950
6.9
What's My Line?
as Self - Panelist
1950
6.9
And Baby Makes Three
as Vernon 'Vern' Walsh
1949
4.9
Bride for Sale
as Stephen Tracy Adams
1949
6.0
That Forsyte Woman
as Philip Bosinney
1949
5.9
Adventure in Baltimore
as Dr. Andrew Sheldon
1949
4.9
The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self
1948
6.8
Relentless
as Nick Buckley
1948
6.2
Sitting Pretty
as Harry King
1948
7.2
Crossfire
as Finlay
1947
6.6
They Won't Believe Me
as Larry Ballentine
1947
6.6
Lady Luck
as Larry Scott
1946
5.4
The Searching Wind
as Alex Hazen
1946
0.0
Claudia and David
as David Naughton
1946
6.0
Those Endearing Young Charms
as Lt. Hurley 'Hank' Travers
1945
0.0
The Enchanted Cottage
as Oliver Bradford
1945
7.4
The Canterville Ghost
as Cuffy Williams
1944
6.7
Twenty Years After
as (archive footage)
1944
6.0
Claudia
as David Naughton
1943
6.5
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Samuel Magee
1943
6.0
Slightly Dangerous
as Bob Stuart
1943
5.8
Journey for Margaret
as John Davis
1942
6.6
Cairo
as Homer Smith, aka Juniper Jones
1942
5.8
Joe Smith, American
as Joe Smith
1942
5.8
H.M. Pulham, Esq.
as Harry Moulton Pulham
1941
6.9
Married Bachelor
as Randolph Haven
1941
5.8
Lady Be Good
as Edward 'Eddie' Crane
1941
5.4
Western Union
as Richard Blake
1941
6.0
The Trial of Mary Dugan
as Jimmy Blake
1941
5.0
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
as Douglas Lamont
1940
6.0
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
as Self
1940
6.7
Sporting Blood
as Myles Vanders
1940
4.3
The Mortal Storm
as Fritz Marberg
1940
7.2
Florian
as Anton Erban
1940
1.0
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Self
1940
5.5
Northwest Passage
as Langdon Towne
1940
6.4
Northward, Ho!
as Himself
1940
5.0
Miracles for Sale
as Michael Morgan
1939
6.4
Maisie
as Charles 'Slim' Martin
1939
4.7
Bridal Suite
as Neil McGill
1939
5.1
Hollywood Hobbies
as Self (uncredited)
1939
5.6
Honolulu
as Brooks Mason / George Smith
1939
6.1
The Shining Hour
as David Linden
1938
6.6
Rich Man, Poor Girl
as Bill Harrison
1938
5.9
Hollywood Goes to Town
as Self
1938
7.0
The Toy Wife
as Andre Vallaire
1938
4.8
Paradise for Three
as Fritz Hagedorn
1938
6.8
Josette
as Pierre Brassard
1938
6.5
Three Comrades
as Gottfried Lenz
1938
7.1
Navy Blue and Gold
as Roger 'Rog' Ash
1937
5.9
The Bride Wore Red
as Rudolph 'Rudi' Pal
1937
6.7
The Romance of Celluloid
as Self (archive footage)
1937
7.0
The Emperor's Candlesticks
as Grand Duke Peter
1937
5.2
Married Before Breakfast
as Tom Wakefield
1937
5.0
I Met Him in Paris
as Gene Anders
1937
5.3
Dangerous Number
as Hank
1937
5.0
Stowaway
as Tommy Randall
1936
6.7
The Longest Night
as Charley Phelps
1936
5.7
Sworn Enemy
as Henry 'Hank' Sherman
1936
5.3
The Bride Walks Out
as Hugh McKenzie
1936
5.3
Secret Agent
as Robert Marvin
1936
6.1
The Three Wise Guys
as Joe Hatcher
1936
0.0
It's Love Again
as Peter Carlton
1936
5.9
The Bride Comes Home
as Jack Bristow
1935
4.8
Remember Last Night?
as Tony Milburn
1935
4.6
Red Salute
as Jeff
1935
5.6
Calm Yourself
as Preston Patton
1935
4.5
Vagabond Lady
as Tony Spear
1935
7.2
West Point of the Air
as Little Mike Stone
1935
6.0
The Band Plays On
as Tony Ferrera
1934
8.5
Death on the Diamond
as Larry Kelly
1934
7.0
Paris Interlude
as Pat
1934
3.5
Whom the Gods Destroy
as Jack Forrester
1934
5.5
Hollywood Party
as Radio Announcer (uncredited)
1934
5.8
The House of Rothschild
as Capt. Fitzroy
1934
6.2
Lazy River
as William 'Bill' Drexel
1934
7.0
Spitfire
as John Stafford
1934
5.4
Carolina
as Will Connelly
1934
6.0
The Right To Romance
as Bobby Preble
1933
4.6
Saturday's Millions
as Jim Fowler
1933
0.0
Tugboat Annie
as Alec (Son)
1933
7.0
Hell Below
as Lieut. (JG) 'Brick' Walters
1933
6.3
Today We Live
as Claude William Hope
1933
6.2
Men Must Fight
as Geoffrey Aiken
1933
5.7
Strange Interlude
as Gordon Evans as a young man
1932
5.7
The Kid from Spain
as Ricardo
1932
6.6
Unashamed
as Dick Ogden
1932
6.3
New Morals for Old
as Ralph Thomas
1932
4.2
The Wet Parade
as Kip Tarleton
1932
5.8
Hell Divers
as Graham - Pilot Reporting Missing Airplanes (uncredited)
1932
6.4
The Guilty Generation
as Marco Ricca, also known as Marco Smith
1931
6.1
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
as Dr.Claudet
1931
5.9
The Black Camel
as Jimmy Bradshaw
1931
6.0
The Campus Vamp
as Student at Dance / at Beach (uncredited)
1928
5.0