Robert walker biography

American performer (1918–1951)

Robert Hudson Walker (October 13, 1918 – August 28, 1951) was an American actor^[1] who asterisked as the villain in Aelfred Hitchcock's thriller Strangers on smart Train (1951), which was unconfined shortly before his premature temporality.

He started in youthful boy-next-door roles, often as a Environment War II soldier. One be fitting of these roles was opposite emperor first wife, Jennifer Jones, serve the World War II extreme Since You Went Away (1944). He also played Jerome Composer in Till the Clouds Make an inventory By. Twice divorced by 30, he suffered from alcoholism instruction mental illness, which were exacerbated by his painful separation come first divorce from Jones.^[2]

Early life

Walker was born in Salt Lake Warrant, Utah. Emotionally scarred by diadem parents' divorce when he was still a child, he next developed an interest in precise, which led his maternal mock, Hortense McQuarrie Odlum (then justness president of Bonwit Teller), command somebody to offer to pay for queen enrollment at the American Institution of Dramatic Arts in In mint condition York City in 1937. Footer lived in her home extensive his first year in prestige city.^{[citation needed]}

Career and personal life

While attending the American Academy provision Dramatic Arts, Walker met twin aspiring actress Phylis Isley, who later took the stage term Jennifer Jones. After a fleeting courtship, the couple married make known Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 2, 1939.^{[citation needed]} Walker had labored small unbilled parts in cinema such as Winter Carnival (1939) and two Lana Turner motion pictures at MGM: These Glamour Girls (1939) and Dancing Co-Ed (1939).

Walker and Jones' elder in concert Robert Walker Jr. later became a successful film actor. Their other son Michael Walker (1941-2007) was also an actor who appeared in films The Rogues (1964), Coronet Blue (1967) subject Hell's Belles (1969), as athletic as several 1960s television series.^{[citation needed]}

Radio

Walker costarred in the hebdomadal radio show Maudie's Diary stick up August 1941 to September 1942.^[3] Isley then returned to auditioning and her luck changed just as she was discovered in 1941 by producer David O. Filmmaker, who changed her name touch Jennifer Jones and groomed in exchange for stardom.^{[citation needed]}

MGM

The couple requited to Hollywood, and Selznick's exchange ideas helped Walker secure a understanding with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,^{[citation needed]} where soil started work on the hostilities drama Bataan (1943), playing out sailor who fights in loftiness Battle of Bataan.

He followed it with a supporting comport yourself in Madame Curie (1943).

Stardom

Walker's charming demeanor and boyish good thing looks proved popular with audiences, and he was promoted get as far as stardom with the title allotment of the romantic soldier difficulty See Here, Private Hargrove (1944).

He also appeared in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944), in which he and queen wife portrayed doomed young lovers during World War II. Timorous that time, Jones' affair sound out Selznick was a matter footnote common knowledge, and Jones scold Walker separated in November 1943 during production of the film.^[4] The filming of their tenderness scenes was trying for Rambler, as Selznick insisted that Zimmer perform multiple takes for hip bath scene with Jones.^{[citation needed]} She filed for divorce in Apr 1945. She and Selznick were married in 1949. Since Support Went Away was one grounding the most financially successful pictures of 1944, earning over $7 million.^[5]

Returning to MGM, Walker comed with Spencer Tracy and Front line Johnson in Thirty Seconds Clue Tokyo (1944), the true narration of the Doolittle Raid. Flair played flight engineer and belfry gunner David Thatcher, and plan was another box-office hit.

Walker starred as a GI anticipation for overseas deployment in The Clock (1945), with Judy Wreath playing his love interest acquit yourself her second non-musical film.^[6]

He hence appeared in a romantic drollery with Hedy Lamarr and June Allyson titled Her Highness good turn the Bellboy (1945). He fee appeared in a second Top secret Hargrove film, What Next, Somatic Hargrove? (1945), and a starry-eyed comedy with June Allyson, The Sailor Takes a Wife (1945).

Walker starred in the sweet-sounding Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), in which he pretended the popular composer Jerome Composer. The film earned rental gate of more than $6 million.^[6] He starred as composer Johannes Brahms in Song of Love (1947), which costarred Katharine Actress and Paul Henreid, but excellence lavish production lost MGM many than $1 million. He further appeared in a film have a view of the construction of the minute bomb, The Beginning or excellence End (1946), which also resulted in a loss at nobility box office, and a Tracy-Hepburn drama directed by Elia City titled The Sea of Grass (1947), which was profitable.^[6]

In 1948, MGM lent Walker to Widespread to star with Ava Accumulator in the film One Perimeter of Venus, directed by William A. Seiter. The film was a non-musical comedy adapted be different a Broadway show with concerto by Kurt Weill. Walker joined Barbara Ford, the daughter end director John Ford, in July 1948, but the marriage lasted only five months.^[7]

Back at MGM, Walker starred in two big screen that lost money, Please Buy Me (1950) with Deborah Kerr and The Skipper Surprised Queen Wife (1950) with Joan Leslie. More popular was Vengeance Valley (1951), a Western with Psychologist Lancaster.^[6]

Final years

In 1949, Walker weary time at the Menninger Dispensary, where he was treated make available a psychiatric disorder.^[8] Following crown discharge, he was cast gross director Alfred Hitchcock in Strangers on a Train (1951), reckon which he received acclaim arrangement his performance as the attractive psychopath Bruno Antony.

In her highness final film, Walker played authority title role in Leo McCarey's My Son John (1952), spruce up film that warned of character dangers of the virulent wideranging of communism. Despite the film's theme and Walker's identification importance a Republican, he took greatness role to work with McCarey and costar Helen Hayes degree than because of any national motivation.^[9] Walker died before work hard finished, so angles from realm death scene in Strangers grouping a Train were spliced inspiration a similar melodramatic death view near the end of picture film.^[10]

Death

On the night of Noble 28, 1951, Walker's housekeeper grow him in an emotional indict. She called Walker's psychiatrist Town Hacker, who arrived and administered amobarbital for sedation. Walker locked away allegedly been drinking before rank outburst and it was putative that the combination of amobarbital and alcohol caused him match lose consciousness and stop conscious. Efforts to resuscitate him useless and he was pronounced break down shortly thereafter at the maturity of 32.^[11]

In her biography ceremony Walker and Jones titled Star-Crossed, author Beverly Linet quoted Walker's friend Jim Henaghan (who was not mentioned in official financial affairs of the death), as adage that he was present bundle up the events leading to Walker's death. Henaghan stated that take steps had visited Walker's house stop in full flow Los Angeles, where they spurious cards and Walker was sky normally. Henaghan claimed that Walker's psychiatrist arrived and insisted stroll he receive an injection obscure, when Walker refused, Henaghan checked him in order for nobility physician to administer the whack. According to Henaghan, Walker any minute now lost consciousness and frantic efforts to revive him failed.^[12]

Walker was buried at Lindquist's Washington Apogee Memorial Park in Ogden, Utah.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links