ROBERT TAYLOR BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Robert Taylor was born August 5th, 1911 in Filley, Nebraska, USA with the birth name, Spangler Arlington Brugh to father Spangler Andrew Brugh and Ruth Brugh. Throughout high school, Taylor played the Cello and participated on the track team. He attended Pomona College with the intentions of studying music and while there became very involved with the school theatricals. He was booking leading roles on the school campus plays and was soon spotted by a talent scout from MGM.
At the age of twenty three, Taylor was signed to a contract. His first film, however, was on a loan out to Fox Studio's in, "Handy Andy" (1934). Following this first role he then starred in the MGM, "Crime Does Not Pay" a short film and his first feature film with MGM, "A Wicked Woman" (1934). Again, he was loaned out to Universal for, "Magnificent Obsession" (1935) also starring Irene Dunne, Charles Butterworth and Betty Furness, and this film really helped increase his stardom along with his break through role in, "Society Doctor" (1935) also starring Chester Morris, Virginia Bruce and Billie Burke.
He was judged unfairly by critics who claimed his good looks were all he had though. Even when he delivered a very well done performance in, "Armand in Camille" (1936) reviews commented on how they were actually surprised he had acting capabilities.
Though, he was never really a great actor, he was a pretty decent one as shown in his roles on, "Johnny Eager" (1942) co-starring Lana Turner, Edward Arnold and Van Heflin, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and "Bataan" (1942) starring alongside George Murphy, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Walker and Lloyd Nolan. Robert Taylor also served in the military during the war as an Air force flight instructor in 1943 after enlisting in the Naval Air Corps but being deemed to old for active service.
He delivered one of his best performances ever in, "Above and Beyond" (1953) starring with Eleanor Parker and James Whitmore, as a pilot portraying Col. Paul Tibbetts who flew the Enola Gay in the Atomic Bomb blast over Hiroshima, Japan which helped bring about the end of World War II. His final film under his contract with MGM was, "Party Girl" (1958) starring Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb and John Ireland.
He also followed with a role is a popular television series, "The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor" (1959-1962). Robert Taylor was also very good friends with Ronald Reagan who opted for a career in politics in 1965. Taylor succeeded Reagan as a host of the Western anthology, "Death Valley Days".
He soon did grow out of his boyish good looks into a decent performer and made up for any lack of talent with some decent roles on, "Ivanhoe" (1951) starring with Elizabeth Taylor, George Sanders and Joan Fontaine, "Knights of the Round Table" (1953) co-starring Ava Gardner and Mel Ferrer and westerns, "The Hangman" (1959) co-starring Tina Louise, Jack Lord and Fess Parker and "Cattle King" (1963) also starring Robert Loggia, Joan Caulfield and Robert Middleton.
Robert Taylor was married twice during his lifetime. First to actress Barbara Stanwyck from 1939 to 1951 and then to Ursula Theiss with whom he had one son Terrence born in 1955 and one daughter, Theresa Taylor born in 1959. He reunited with his former wife Barbara Stanwyck to film, "The Night Walker" (1964) and his final films were, "The Glass Sphinx" (1968), "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows" (1968) starring Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens, Van Johnson and Binnie Barnes and "The Day the Hotline Got Hot" (both 1968).
Robert Taylor passed away on June 8th, 1969 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
1969 El Rublo de las dos Caras
1968 Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows
1968 Le Rouble a Deux Faces
1968 La Sfinge d'Oro
1967 The Glass Sphinx
1967 Savage Pampas
1967 Return of the Gunfighter
1967 As I Rode Down to Laredo Wyatt
1967 Hondo and the Apaches
1966 Johnny Tiger
1966 Pampa salvaje
1965 Freedom's Finest Hour
1965 Death Valley Days: No Gun Behind His Badge
1964 William Castle's The Night Walker
1964 The Night Walker
1964 A House is Not a Home
1963 Cattle King
1963 Guns of Wyoming
1962 Miracle of the White Stallions
1962 Flight of the White Stallions
1961 The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor: Season 3
1960 The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor: Season 2
1960 Killers of Kilimanjaro
1959 The House of the Seven Hawks
1959 The Hangman
1959 The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor: Season 1
1958 The Law and Jake Wade
1958 Saddle the Wind
1958 Party Girl
1957 Tip on a Dead Jockey
1957 Time for Action
1956 The Power and the Prize
1956 The Last Hunt
1956 D-Day, the Sixth of June
1956 Sixth of June
1955 Quentin Durward
1955 The Adventures of Quentin Durward
1955 Many Rivers to Cross
1954 Valley of the Kings
1954 Rogue House
1954 Rogue Cop
1953 Ride, Vaquero!
1953 Knights of the Round Table
1953 I Love Melvin
1953 All the Brothers Were Valiant
1952 Ivanhoe
1952 Above and Beyond
1951 Westward the Women
1951 Quo Vadis?
1950 Devil's Doorway
1950 Ambush
1949 The Bribe
1949 Conspirator
1948 The Secret Land
1947 The High Wall
1946 Undercurrent
1944 Fighting Lady
1943 The Youngest Profession
1943 Song of Russia
1943 Bataan
1942 Stand by for Action
1942 Her Cardboard Lover
1941 When Ladies Meet
1941 Strange Skirts
1941 Johnny Eager
1941 Billy the Kid
1940 Waterloo Bridge
1940 Flight Command
1940 Escape
1940 When the Door Opened
1939 Stand up and Fight
1939 Remember?
1939 Lucky Night
1939 Lady of the Tropics
1938 Three Comrades
1938 The Crowd Roars
1938 A Yank at Oxford
1937 This is My Affair
1937 Personal Property
1937 Broadway Melody of 1938
1936 The Gorgeous Hussy
1936 Small Town Girl
1936 Secret Interlude
1936 Private Number
1936 His Brother's Wife
1936 Camille
1935 West Point of the Air
1935 Times Square Lady
1935 Society Doctor
1935 Murder in the Fleet
1935 Magnificent Obsession
1935 Buried Loot
1935 Broadway Melody of 1936
1934 There's Always Tomorrow
1934 Handy Andy
1934 A Wicked Woman
