Robert George Young

Robert George Young (February 22, 1907 – July 21, 1998)

He was best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson in Father Knows Best, and the physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. Early in his career with MGM, Young was relegated to "B" movies. He 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). 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. However, his film career was fading as the 1950s approached, when he entered the new medium of television. His most famous shows were Father Knows Best, and Marcus Welby M.D., but Young also created, produced, and starred with Ford Rainey and Constance Moore in the nostalgic comedy series Window on Main Street (1961–1962), Young died of respiratory failure at his home on July 21, 1998, and is interred at Forest Lawn-Glendale.