Robert Taylor (actor)
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Robert Taylor (August 5 1911-June 8 1969), was an American actor.
Born Spanger Arlington Brough in Filley, Nebraska, he made his first film appearance in 1934. In his early career, he was known as "the man with the perfect profile". One of his first major films was Camille (1936), in which he played opposite Greta Garbo. In later life, he made many television appearances, notably in the 1959 series, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor.
In 1947 Taylor testified before the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) as a "friendly witness", claiming that he had appeared in the film Song of Russia against his better judgement. 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."
In 1970, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
His first wife was the actress Barbara Stanwyck; their marriage lasted from 1939 to 1951. Stanwyck and Taylor owned a large ranch and home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA, that is to this day still referred to by locals as the "old Robert Taylor ranch." His second wife was Ursula Thiess. He married her in 1954. They had 2 children.
Robert Taylor died of lung cancer (he was a chain smoker) and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.
Other films
- A Yank at Oxford (1938)
- Waterloo Bridge (1940)
- Billy the Kid (1941)
- Quo Vadis (1951)
- Knights of the Round Table (1953)
- The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955)de:Robert Taylor (Schauspieler)