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