Robert Hudson Walker

Robert Walker (October 13, 1918 - August 28, 1951) was an American actor.

Related Topics:
October 13 - 1918 - August 28 - 1951

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Born Robert Hudson Walker in Salt Lake City, Utah to Horace and Zella Walker, he was the youngest of four sons. An interest in acting led him to enroll at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1937 where he met fellow aspiring actor Phylis Isley (better known as Jennifer Jones). After a brief courtship, the two were married in 1939 and moved to Hollywood to find work in films but their prospects were meager and they soon returned to New York. Walker soon found work in radio while Phylis stayed home and gave birth to two sons in succession, Robert Walker, Jr., born April 15,1940 and Michael Walker, born March 13, 1941. Phylis soon returned to auditioning where her luck changed when she was discovered by producer David O. Selznick. He changed her name to Jennifer Jones and groomed her for stardom. She eventually landed the plum role of Bernadette Soubirous in the Twentieth Century Fox production The Song of Bernadette (1943).

Related Topics:
Utah - Jennifer Jones - Hollywood - Radio - Robert Walker, Jr. - Michael Walker - David O. Selznick - Bernadette Soubirous - Twentieth Century Fox - The Song of Bernadette

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The couple returned to Hollywood and Selznick's connections helped Walker secure a contract with MGM where he started work on the war drama Bataan (1943). Walker's charming demeanor and boyish good looks caught on with audiences and he worked steadily playing "boy-next-door" roles in films such as See Here, Private Hargrove (1944) and Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945). He also appeared in Selznick's Since You Went Away (1944) in which he and his wife Jones gave poignant performances as doomed young lovers.

Related Topics:
MGM - Since You Went Away

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Walker and Jones separated during the filming of Since You Went Away and divorced after filming completed. Although Walker continued to work steadily in Hollywood, he was distraught over the divorce and was soon prone to drinking, emotional outbursts and eventually, a nervous breakdown. He spent time at the Menninger Clinic in 1949 where he was treated for a psychiatric disorder. He married Barbara Ford, daughter of director John Ford, in 1948 but the marriage only lasted six weeks.

Related Topics:
Menninger - John Ford

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Following his dismissal from the Menninger Clinic, he was hired by director Alfred Hitchcock for Strangers on a Train (1951). His performance as the evil but oddly sympathetic Bruno Anthony was highly lauded and considered his greatest performance.

Related Topics:
Alfred Hitchcock - Strangers on a Train

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While filming My Son John in 1951, Walker died suddenly after being administered sodium amytal by his doctor following another emotional outburst.

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