Robert Hudson Walker
| Robert Walker | |
|---|---|
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from the trailer for Strangers on a Train (1951)
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| Born |
Robert Hudson Walker October 13, 1918 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | August 28, 1951 (aged 32) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | adverse reaction to prescription drugs |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1939–1951 |
| Spouse(s) |
Jennifer Jones (m. 1939–45) (divorced) Barbara Ford (m. 1948) (divorced) |
| Children |
Robert Walker, Jr. Michael Walker |
Robert Hudson Walker (October 13, 1918 – August 28, 1951) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 thriller Strangers on a Train, which was released shortly before his death.
He started in youthful boy-next-door roles, often as a World War II soldier. One of these roles was opposite his first wife, Jennifer Jones, in Since You Went Away. He also played Jerome Kern in Till the Clouds Roll By. Twice divorced by 30, he suffered from alcoholism and mental illness, which were exacerbated by his painful separation and divorce from Jones.
Walker was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the youngest of four sons of Zella (née McQuarrie) and Horace Hudson Walker. He was of English and Scottish descent. Emotionally scarred by his parents' divorce when he was still a child, he subsequently developed an interest in acting, which led his maternal aunt, Hortense (McQuarrie) Odlum (then the president of Bonwit Teller), to offer to pay for his enrollment at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City in 1937. Walker lived in her home during his first year in the city.
While attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Walker met fellow aspiring actress Phylis Isley, who later took the stage name Jennifer Jones. After a brief courtship, the couple were married in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 2, 1939.
Walker found work in radio while Phylis stayed home and gave birth to two sons in quick succession - actor Robert Walker, Jr. (born April 15, 1940) and Michael Walker (March 13, 1941 – December 27, 2007). Walker co-starred in the weekly show "Maudie's Diary" from August 1941 to September 1942. Phylis (Jennifer) then returned to auditioning where her luck changed when she was discovered in 1941 by producer David O. Selznick, who changed her name to Jennifer Jones and groomed her for stardom.
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