Robert Taylor & Barbara Stanwyck

  Barbara Stanwyck was wary when her friends Zeppo Marx (of Marx Brothers fame) and his wife Marion wanted to set her up on a blind date in 1936. Having just gotten out of a traumatic marriage, she was content living with her adopted son Tony on her ranch. Still, she decided to go. There, she met the handsome Robert Taylor. He was four years younger than her and studio MGM’s latest asset. He had barely begun in Hollywood, while Barbara was already a star with movies like Night Nurse and Baby Face. But they turned out to have a lot in common: they loved the outdoors, hated pretentiousness and were both politically conservative. The pair became friends and this friendship quickly turned into a comfortable romance.Robert even bought a ranch adjacent to Barbara’s.

Barbara mentored Robert in his bourgeoning Hollywood career. The actor was known as ‘the man with the perfect profile’ and Barbara helped him bring more depth to his career. He looked up to her and trusted her guidance. At the same time, he was an old-fashioned gentleman who knew how to treat a woman well. This was something Barbara longed for after her abusive marriage.

In 1939 Photoplay Magazine ran an article titled ‘Hollywood’s Unmarried Husband’s and Wives’, about Hollywood couples who were basically living as a married couple without an actual marriage license. This would not matter today, but in 1939 this was not proper behavior. So their studio MGM arranged a wedding for the pair, which they reluctantly agreed to. Robert took marriage very seriously and Barbara was wary of marriage after her disastrous first try.The first few years were blissful: they lived together in their big ranch and loved to ride horses and be outdoors.

In 1943 Robert joined the Navy for the war effort. The pair did not see much of each other during this time, though they were avid letter writers. Their time apart only exacerbated their problems.Robert completely changed after the war, he was not Barbara's pupil anymore.After 12 years of marriage, they divorced in 1951.Barbara was incredibly upset over their divorce.Nonetheless, the pair remained friendly after going their separate ways. It is even said that they were still intimate.

Over the years, they spoke to each other less and less. But in 1964 Barbara and Robert starred together in The Night Walker, which they both thoroughly enjoyed.Their bond was so strong, that when Robert became ill with lung cancer and was deteriorating, his wife invited Barbara over to the hospital. When Robert passed away in 1969, Barbara was heartbroken. A lifelong workaholic, she took some time off to grieve. As part of their divorce settlement, she collected royalties from his estate until her death.

Robert would never be far from her mind. During their marriage the two had placed their hand- and footprints in cement in front of Grauman’s theatre on The Walk of Fame. Years after Robert’s death, the theatre offered Barbara a chance to replace it with a new one, since the old one had cracked. She refused because Robert wasn’t alive to join her and his hand- and footprints would be lost. She would never remarry and privately referred to Robert as the love of her life.

Some of movies they filmed together : Her Brother's Wife (1936), This is My Affair (1937) , The Night Walker (1964)