Robert Young
from the trailer for Journey for Margaret (1942)
Born	Robert George Young February 22, 1907(1907-02-22) Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died	July 21, 1998 (aged 91) Westlake Village, California, USA
Years active	1931-1988
Spouse(s)	Betty Henderson (1933–1994)
Awards won Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series 1956 Father Knows Best 1957 Father Knows Best 1970 Marcus Welby, M.D.

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

Hollywood career

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.

He received one of his most rewarding roles late in his MGM career, in H.M. Pulham, Esq., featuring one of Hedy Lamarr's rarely lauded 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. 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.

Young appeared in 100 movies in a film career that spanned 1931 to 1952.

Television

Young is best known for his role 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. 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 only lasted six months. Film star Tim Matheson, then thirteen, got his acting start on the series.

Young later became famous for Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969–1976) for which he won an Emmy for best leading actor in a drama series. Young became so well identified with his wise doctor persona that he became famous as the commercial spokesman for an aspirin product, saying, "I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV" while wearing a lab coat.^[1] He continued making television commercials until the late 1980s.

Young has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for film at 6933 Hollywood Blvd and one for television at 6358.

Personal life

Young was the son of an Irish immigrant father and an American mother. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California.

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

Despite the fact that he portrayed happy, well-adjusted characters, Young suffered from depression and alcoholism, which contributed to his suicide attempt in 1991. Afterwards he spoke candidly about his problems in an effort to encourage people to seek help with their own. The Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health, an affiliate of Trinity Regional Health System, located in Rock Island, Illinois, is a comprehensive community mental health center. It is named after Young for his work with passage of the 708 Illinois Tax Referendum.^[2]

Young died at his home in Westlake Village, California at 91 from respiratory failure. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Television

Film

Resources

• 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. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Robert Young

• Robert Young at the Internet Movie Database
• Robert Young at Find A Grave
• Robert Young at The New York Times
• Robert Young CNN Obituary