Robert Taylor Biography – From Romantic Lead to Iconic Film Legend

After signing a contract with MGM, Robert Taylor was loaned to Fox, where he made his film debut in Handy Andy (1934). With his striking good looks, Taylor quickly rose to stardom, seeing his weekly salary soar from $34 to $450 in a short period. By the mid-1930s, he was considered one of the most desirable leading men in Hollywood. His performance in Magnificent Obsession (1935), opposite Irene Dunne, captivated fans, who flooded the studio with fan mail.

Taylor shared the screen with many of the era’s greatest actresses, including Janet Gaynor, Loretta Young, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner. One of his most notable roles was alongside Greta Garbo in Camille (1936), a film adaptation of La Dame aux Camélias. The movie became one of the decade’s biggest hits, earning Garbo an Academy Award nomination.

His success continued into the 1940s with celebrated films such as Waterloo Bridge (1940), A Yank at Oxford (1938), Billy the Kid (1941), and Johnny Eager (1941), in which he once again starred with Lana Turner.

During World War II, Taylor enlisted in the Navy. Although rejected from combat due to his age (32), he served as a flight instructor. After the war, he resumed his acting career and later transitioned to television, starring in the anthology series Death Valley Days from 1966 until 1969.

Taylor was married to actresses Barbara Stanwyck and Ursula Thiess. He passed away on June 8, 1969, leaving behind a legacy as one of Hollywood’s most enduring romantic leads.

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Carla Marinho Leal

Writer, traveler and above all, curious about many subjects. She has studied cinema since 2002 and is a Specialist in Cinematographic Studies from UNICAP. Founder of the blog Purviance and the website Cinemaclássico. She loves Charles Chaplin, Raj Kapoor and constantly browses films from all over the world.

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