Robert Young

(Born Robert George Young)

February 22, 1907 – July 21, 1998 (age 91)

Robert Young was an American film, television and radio actor best known for his leading roles as Jim Anderson, the father character, in Father Knows Best and the physician Marcus Welby in Marcus Welby, M.D. His movie career consisted of playing characters who were charming, good-looking--and bland. In fact, his screen image was such that he usually never got the girl. MGM head Louis B. Mayer would say, "He has no sex appeal," but he had a work ethic that prepared him for every role that he played. In 1949, Robert started a radio show called "Father Knows Best" wherein he played Jim Anderson, an average father with average situations--a role which was tailor-made for him. Basically, retiring from films, he starred in this program for five years on radio before it went to television in 1954. It became a mainstay of television until it was canceled in 1960. He continued making guest appearances on various television shows and working in television movies. In 1969, he starred as Dr. Marcus Welby in the TV movie Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Matter of Humanities (1969). The Marcus Welby series that followed ran from 1969 through 1976 and featured James Brolin as his assistant, Dr. Steven Kiley. After the series ended, Robert occasionally appeared in television movies through the 1980s.

Young was married to Betty Henderson for 61 years from 1933 until her death in 1994. They had four daughters. Despite his trademark portrayal of happy, well-adjusted characters, Young's bitterness toward Hollywood casting practices never diminished, and he suffered from depression and alcoholism, culminating in a suicide attempt in January 1991. Later, he spoke candidly about his personal problems in an effort to encourage others to seek help. Young died of respiratory failure at his Westlake Village, California, home on July 21, 1998 at the age of 91. He has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; for film (located at 6933 Hollywood Blvd.), television (6358 Hollywood Blvd.), and radio (1660 Vine Street).

NOTE: Sources from IMDb and Wikipedia.