Spangler Arlington Brugh was born on August 4, 1911, in Filley, Nebraska. The son of a country doctor, he came to California in the early 1930s and studied medicine briefly at Pomona College. The handsome, wavy-haired actor, who for a time during his peak rivaled Clark Gable as the screen’s top romantic lead, made his film debut in a bit part in “Handy Andy.” Dubbed “the man with the perfect profile,” MGM couldn’t help but notice him. They soon offered him a contract and groomed him for stardom. At first, he made film shorts including the long-running “Crime Does Not Pay” series, but then he moved his way up into the popular “B” pictures of the day such as “Times Square Lady” And “Murder in the Fleet’ (both 1935).
But it was not destined to be MGM Studios that would give Robert Taylor his big break. Loaned out to Universal Studios, he appeared opposite Irene Dunne in “The Magnificent Obsession” (1935) and won the hearts of countless adoring fans (all female, of course). He married Barbara Stanwyck in 1939 and continued to be immensely popular among female moviegoers. He went on to make other significant films. Some of these included: “Waterloo Bridge” opposite Vivien Leigh (1940), “Billy The Kid” (1941), “Song of Russia” (1943) and “Johnny Eager” (1941).
In 1947 he testified before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, providing evidence against Howard Da Silva. He continued playing leading roles well into the 1950s including “Ivanhoe” (1952), “Knights of The Round Table” (1953) and “Return of The Gunfighter” (1966).
After a twenty-five year run as a movie star, he tried his hand at television with some success. Robert Taylor died of lung cancer on June 8, 1969, leaving a rich legacy of film and television appearances.
Which are some of YOUR favorite Robert Taylor films?