Robert Walker

  • Robert Walker
  • Robert Walker
  • Robert Walker
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Biography (Print)

Star-Crossed: The Story of Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones (Beverly Linet) [1986] (ISBN: 399131949)
 

Robert Walker Biography

He possessed the same special brand of rebel/misfit sensitivity and charm that made superstars out of John Garfield and (later) James Dean and Montgomery Clift. In the war-torn 1940s, Robert Walker represented MGM`s fresh, instinctive breed of up-and-coming talent. His boyish good looks combined with an attractive vulnerability came across the screen with such beauty, power and naturalness. He went quite far in his short life; however, the many tortured souls he played so brilliantly closely mirrored the actor himself and the demons that haunted his own being wasted no time in taking him down a self-destructive path for which there was no return.

He was born Robert Hudson Walker, the youngest of four sons, in Salt Lake City in 1918 (some references list 1914). His father, Horace Walker, was a news editor for the local paper. His parents separated while he was quite young and the anxiety and depression built up over this loss marred his early school years, which were marked by acts of belligerent aggression and temper tantrums, resulting in his being expelled from school several times. To control his behavioral problems, a positive activity was sought that could help him develop confidence and on which he could focus his energies. It came in the form of acting. Following a lead in a school play at the San Diego Army and Navy Academy at Carlsbad-by-the-Sea, California, Walker entered an acting contest at the Pasadena Playhouse and won a top performance prize. A well-to-do aunt paid for his tuition at the American Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA) in 1938, and he was on his way.

Things started off quite promisingly. While there he met fellow student Phyllis Isley who went on to play Elizabeth Barrett Browning to his Robert Browning in a production of "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" (Phyllis was later renamed Jennifer Jones). The couple fell in love and both quit the academy in order to save money and marry, but they found little work other than some small parts at a Greenwich Village theater. They eventually found a radio job together in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and married on January 2, 1939, honeymooning in Hollywood in order to secure more acting parts. Other than some radio jobs and bit parts in films, the move didn`t pan out. The couple returned to New York and started a family. Sons Robert Walker Jr. (born 1940) and Michael Walker (born 1941) would both become actors in their own right. Following their births Jennifer returned to auditioning and caught the eye of producer David O. Selznick, who took an immediate interest in her and signed her to a contract. Selznick was also instrumental in securing a contract for Robert over at MGM. Stardom would be theirs as a result of this Selznick association, but at quite a cost to Robert.

Robert gained immediate attention in his first important MGM role as a shy, ill-fated sailor in Bataan (1943), but was miscast as a scientist in the Greer Garson biopic Madame Curie (1943). Hollywood notice would come in the form of his sweet, sad-sack title role in the service comedy See Here, Private Hargrove (1944), the story of a cub reporter who is drafted into the army. The role brought out all the touching, fascinating qualities of Robert. In the meantime, Jennifer became so caught up in her obsessive relationship with mentor Selznick that she broke off with Robert. The actor was devastated and abruptly turned to heavy drinking. He would never completely recover from this loss. The first of

Biography Credit: www.imdb.com/name/nm0908153/bio
 

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Snapshot

    Name Robert Walker
    (Robert Hudson Walker)
    Height 6'  (183 cm)
    Build Slim
    Eye Color Blue
    Hair Color Brown - Light
    Date of Birth October 131918
    Birthplace Salt Lake City, UT
    Star Sign Libra
    Died August 281951 (Aged 33)
    Location of Death Los Angeles, CA
    Cause of Death adverse reaction to prescription drugs
    Nationality American
    Ethnicity White
    Religion Mormon
    University American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York City
    Occupation Actor
    Celebrity Index Ro
    Claim to Fame Strangers on a Train
    Favourite Links www.robertwalkertrib

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Friends and Family
Michael Walker [Father] (Son) :: Robert Walker, Jr. [Father] (Son) :: Anne McQuarrie Hatch (Aunt) :: Hortense McQuarrie Odlum (Aunt) :: Jim Henaghan [Friend] :: Peter Lawford [Friend] :: Keenan Wynn [Friend]
Pets
Brooke Dog

Trivia and Quotes

Quotes
  • We disagree with the FDA`s conclusion about our drug. But we understand they made a scientific decision, and courts tend to defer back to the agency.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • [Oddsmakers know] squares, ... We`ll make the line as high as we can without the professional players coming back on us.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • We disagree with the FDA`s conclusion about our drug, ... But we understand they made a scientific decision, and courts tend to defer back to the agency. ... It seemed like the chances that we would be successful in court were small.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • It`s funny; the two teams we`ve got the most exposure on are the Vikings and the Raiders,
    (thinkexist.com)
  • The days of true oddsmakers are gone. There aren`t many guys in town like that anymore,
    (thinkexist.com)
  • I think the Caribbean would be gone tomorrow, ... I still think people would rather bet with the MGM Mirage than offshore. Would I like to book to everyone in the U.S.? The answer would be a resounding yes.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • We disagree with the FDA`s conclusion about our drug. But we understand they made a scientific decision, and courts tend to defer back to the agency. ... It seemed like the chances that we would be successful in court were small.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • That`s revenue, not handle, and that`s what`s scary,
    (thinkexist.com)
  • That should tell you how we really feel about the preseason.
    (thinkexist.com)
  • Those numbers are staggering, and I can`t believe the U.S. government can see those kind of figures. Why make criminals out of honest people?
    (thinkexist.com)
  • "I found myself up against mental walls. The maladjustments of that age grew and branched out all over the place. I was always trying to make an escape from life."
  • When I remember how stubborn I was, how certain my parents didn`t understand me, it scares me a little. You see, I have two boys myself, Michael and Bobbie, Jr., and I wonder how I`ll ever get it across to them, how I`ll ever put it into words when they`re fourteen that I DO understand them. Because my parents are wonderful people, really, and they did understand me; only the connection was lost somewhere along the line, and they couldn`t get it across to me how they felt.
  • About Jennifer Jones: "I was only nineteen but even then I knew there could never be anyone else. I didn`t consider myself `good enough` for her. She made me want to be somebody. We were happy. Or at least I thought we were."
  • "My personal life has been completely wrecked by David Selznick`s obsession for my wife. What can you do to fight such a powerful man?"
    Trivia
  • In December of 1948, he made national news when he fled from a Topeka, Kansas, psychiatric clinic and smashed up the local police station after being arrested for public drunkenness.
    (imdb.com)
  • His performance as Bruno Anthony in Strangers on a Train (1951) is ranked #86 on Premiere Magazine`s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
    (imdb.com)
  • He was born in Salt Lake City the night the "Big Fire" swept through the city. His father was the city editor of the "Deseret News"; and after a weary night of reporting on the blaze, he finally had the chance to put in a call to the hospital to learn of his son`s birth. The next morning when he told his three other sons about their new brother, they were unimpressed. They had been up all night watching the fire, and another brother seemed much less interesting.
    (imdb.com)
  • Was the original choice for the male lead in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). It eventually went to Tom Drake, despite protests from Judy Garland.
    (imdb.com)
  • Married Jennifer Jones (then Phyllis Isley), on the one-year anniversary of the day they met. They separated on 7 November 1943, and she filed for divorce on 21 April 1945.
    (imdb.com)
  • Interred at Washington Heights Memorial Park in Ogden, UT.
    (imdb.com)
  • Father of actors Robert Walker Jr. and Michael Walker.
    (imdb.com)
  • Spouse: Barbara Ford (8 July 1948 - 16 December 1948) (divorced); Jennifer Jones (2 January 1939 - 20 June 1945) (divorced) 2 children
    (imdb.com)
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