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Robert Walker is a Actor, Director and Scriptwriter American born on 13 october 1918 at Salt Lake City (USA)

Robert Walker

Robert Walker
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Birth name Robert Hudson Walker
Nationality USA
Birth 13 october 1918 at Salt Lake City (USA)
Death 28 august 1951 (at 32 years) at Los Angeles (USA)

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.

Biography

Il passe la majeure partie de son enfance et de son adolescence à Ogden City (Utah).
Il est le plus jeune d'une fratrie de quatre garçons. Son existence est alors difficile. Ses parents se séparent alors qu'il est très jeune.

En 1932 son père l’inscrit à l’Académie Militaire de San Diego, en Californie, mais il éprouve peu d’enthousiasme pour la vie militaire et suit donc les cours de théâtre pour embrasser une carrière de comédien.
Il joue son premier rôle dans The other side, qui remporte un prix universitaire et qui fait du jeune Robert une star du campus. Motivé par ce succès, il quitte San Diego et accède en 1938 à l’Académie des arts dramatiques de New York.
En 1939 il épouse sa camarade étudiante Phyllis Isley, qui deviendra plus tard l’actrice Jennifer Jones.

A Hollywood sa femme rencontre le producteur David O. Selznick et décroche un contrat de sept ans chez ce Pygmalion. Elle devient sa maîtresse et c'est aussi pour racheter leur image qu'ils sortent deux ans plus tard Le Chant de Bernadette (1943, qui vaut un Oscar à l'actrice). Dans Depuis ton départ, elle a pour partenaire son mari, qui a décroché un contrat chez MGM. Mais rien ne va plus entre les conjoints et, malgré leurs deux enfants, le couple divorce en 1945. Robert Walker ne s'en remettra jamais.

Dans la lignée de John Garfield et Alan Ladd, ambigu, fragile et tourmenté, il était un possible rival de Montgomery Clift. Cantonné dans des comédies romantiques avec pour partenaires Hedy Lamarr et Ava Gardner notamment, musicales (il interprète Jerome Kern avant Johannes Brahms), des films académiques (Madame Curie), l'acteur fait d'abord un triomphe auprès des adolescentes. Walker impose cependant son talent face à Spencer Tracy, dans le film de guerre Trente secondes sur Tokyo, ou Judy Garland dans le méconnu L'Horloge, dirigé par Vincente Minnelli. Il travaille aussi avec Elia Kazan et Clarence Brown.

Après plusieurs succès, Robert se met à boire de plus en plus et est obligé de suivre une cure de désintoxication pendant plusieurs mois, à Topeka, dans le Kansas.
Dès sa sortie de clinique en 1951, il tourne un classique du western, La Vallée de la vengeance, où il est encore en retrait au côté de Burt Lancaster, et surtout dans le suspense L'Inconnu du Nord-Express d'Alfred Hitchcock il trouve son rôle le plus célèbre et achevé face à Farley Granger.

Robert Walker joue une dernière fois, dans le mélodrame My Son John réalisé par Leo McCarey, au côté de Helen Hayes, mais la boisson reprend le dessus. Il décèdera prématurément le 28 août 1951 à Los Angeles, Californie, (États-Unis), pendant le tournage du film de McCarey. Il serait mort d’une crise cardiaque, mais la rumeur avance qu’il se serait suicidé aux barbituriques. Le 4 septembre, il est enterré au cimetière d'Ogden City (Utah).

Best films

Usually with

Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
(13 films)
John Ireland
John Ireland
(1 films)
Joanne Dru
Joanne Dru
(1 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Robert Walker (33 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Throw Momma from the Train, 1h24
Directed by Danny DeVito
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action, Crime
Themes Transport films, Rail transport films
Actors Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Kim Greist, Kate Mulgrew, Anne Ramsey, Branford Marsalis
Roles Bruno Anthony (archive footage)
Rating62% 3.1492253.1492253.1492253.1492253.149225
Novelist Larry Donner (Billy Crystal) struggles with writer's block due to his resentment towards his ex-wife Margaret (Kate Mulgrew), who stole his book and garnered mainstream success and critical acclaim with it. Owen Lift (Danny DeVito) is a timid, middle-aged fellow who still lives with his overbearing, abusive and paranoid mother (Anne Ramsey). Owen fantasizes about killing his mother but can't summon the courage to bring his desires into fruition. As a student in Larry's community college writing class, Owen is given advice by Larry to view an Alfred Hitchcock film to gain some insight into plot development for his mystery stories. He sees Strangers on a Train, in which two strangers conspire to commit a murder for each other, figuring their lack of connection to the victim will, in theory, establish a perfect alibi. Having overheard Larry's public rant that he wished his ex-wife dead, Owen forms a plan to kill Margaret, believing that Larry will, in return, kill his mother.
Terror in the Aisles, 1h24
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Fantastic, Documentary, Anthology film, Horror
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentary films about films
Actors Donald Pleasence, Nancy Allen, Bud Abbott, Michael Ironside, Fred Asparagus, Brooke Adams
Roles Bruno Antony (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rating62% 3.148153.148153.148153.148153.14815
Director Andrew J. Kuehn has excerpted brief segments of terror and suspense in a wide variety of suspenseful (including humorously so, ex. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Saturday the 14th) films and strung them together with added commentary, as well as some enacted narrative, to create a compilation of fright-inducing effects. Halloween actor Donald Pleasence and Dressed to Kill star Nancy Allen provide the commentary on topics such as "sex and terror" (Dressed to Kill, Klute, Ms. 45, The Seduction, When a Stranger Calls), loathsome villains (Dracula, Frankenstein, Friday the 13 1 and/or 2, Halloween I and II, Marathon Man, Nighthawks, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Touch of Evil, Vice Squad, Wait Until Dark, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?), "natural terror" (Alligator, The Birds, Frogs, Jaws 1 and 2, Nightwing) and the occult (An American Werewolf in London, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, Carrie, The Shining). In one segment of the anthology, legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock presents his concepts of how to create suspense in a clip from Alfred Hitchcock: Men Who Made The Movies.
My Son John, 2h2
Directed by Leo McCarey, Ray McCarey
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Actors Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Dean Jagger, Robert Walker, Minor Watson, Frank McHugh
Roles John Jefferson
Rating55% 2.7551052.7551052.7551052.7551052.755105
In uniform, John and Ben Jefferson, strapping blonds who played high school football, attend Sunday Mass with their parents before leaving for army service in Korea. Their older brother, John sends regrets that he can not join their farewell dinner because of his work for the federal government in Washington.
Strangers on a Train, 1h37
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Noir, Crime, Romance
Themes Sports films, Transport films, Rail transport films, Tennis films
Actors Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock, Marion Lorne
Roles Bruno Antony
Rating78% 3.948773.948773.948773.948773.94877
Amateur tennis star Guy Haines (Farley Granger) wants to divorce his vulgar and promiscuous wife Miriam (Laura Elliott), so he can marry the elegant Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), the daughter of a senator, and hopefully have a career in politics. On a train Haines accidentally meets Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who recognizes Guy. Bruno tells Guy about his idea for the perfect murders: Bruno will kill Miriam, and in exchange Guy will kill Bruno's father. They have no identifiable motive for the crimes, and therefore they will not be suspects. Guy hurriedly leaves, but Bruno feels he has agreed. Bruno pockets Guy's monogrammed cigarette lighter.
Vengeance Valley, 1h18
Directed by John Ireland, Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker, Joanne Dru, Richard Thorpe, Irving Ravetch
Origin USA
Genres Action, Western
Actors Burt Lancaster, Robert Walker, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, Sally Forrest, Ted de Corsia
Roles Lee Strobie
Rating58% 2.947442.947442.947442.947442.94744
Fifteen years ago, wealthy but crippled Colorado cattleman Arch Strobie (Ray Collins), whose own son Lee (Robert Walker) is wild, took in young Owen Daybright (Burt Lancaster) as a foster son to help raise him. Now Owen is ranch foreman, but Lee, despite being married to Jen (Joanne Dru), is wilder than ever.
Please Believe Me, 1h27
Directed by Norman Taurog
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker, Mark Stevens, Peter Lawford, James Whitmore, J. Carrol Naish
Roles Terence Keath
Rating57% 2.8525452.8525452.8525452.8525452.852545
Alison Kirbe is a young London girl who has just found out she has inherited a Texas ranch from an old soldier she had befriended during World War II. Mistakenly assuming she is now the owner of a small empire, she crosses the Atlantic Ocean by ship. On her way, she meets Terence Keath, a fellow passenger heavily in debt to casino owner Lucky Reilly. To pay off his debts, he attempts to marry rich and starts to seduce Alison, as he thinks she is a wealthy heiress. Another person who is attracted to Alison is Jeremy Taylor, a millionaire bachelor who is accompanied by his attorney Matthew Kinston.
The Skipper Surprised His Wife, 1h25
Directed by Elliott Nugent
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Actors Robert Walker, Jan Sterling, Joan Leslie, Kathryn Card, Edward Arnold, Spring Byington
Roles Cmdr. William J. Lattimer
Rating55% 2.7634452.7634452.7634452.7634452.763445
The skipper, Cmdr. William Lattimer (Robert Walker) whose wife Daphne (Joan Leslie) is incapacitated by a broken leg, forcing the skipper takes over management of their home. A stickler for nautical discipline, Lattimer tries to run things "the Navy way," but this proves not only futile but ridiculous.
One Touch of Venus, 1h22
Directed by William A. Seiter, Gregory La Cava
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films based on mythology, Musical films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals, Films based on Greco-Roman mythology
Actors Robert Walker, Ava Gardner, Eve Arden, Tom Conway, Olga San Juan, Dick Haymes
Roles Eddie Hatch
Rating65% 3.297663.297663.297663.297663.29766
Wealthy department-store mogul Whitfield Savory II buys a statue of Venus for $200,000. He plans to exhibit it in the store.
The Beginning or the End, 1h52
Directed by Norman Taurog
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Biography, Documentary, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Aviation films, Political films, Arme nucléaire
Actors Brian Donlevy, Hume Cronyn, Robert Walker, Audrey Totter, Tom Drake, Hurd Hatfield
Roles Col. Jeff Nixon
Rating65% 3.294433.294433.294433.294433.29443
In 1945, physicist and atomic scientist Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (Hume Cronyn) praises the discovery of atomic energy, but also warns of its dangers. American scientists such as Matt Cochran (Tom Drake), working under the guidance of Dr. Enrico Fermi (Joseph Calleia) and Dr. Marré (Victor Francen), have split the atom, and essentially beaten the Germans in the race to create an atomic bomb. With the assistance of Albert Einstein (Ludwig Stössel), they inform President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Godfrey Tearle) that a monumental discovery has been made.
The Sea of Grass, 2h3
Directed by Elia Kazan
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Romance, Western
Actors Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Melvyn Douglas, Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter, Edgar Buchanan
Roles Brock Brewton
Rating62% 3.1492353.1492353.1492353.1492353.149235
The film opens in St. Louis, Missouri, on Lutie Cameron's (Katharine Hepburn) wedding day. She has had a short courtship with a cattle rancher of New Mexico. As she dresses, she receives a telegram from her fiancé Col. Brewton (Spencer Tracy) telling her to board the train for New Mexico to marry him in the small town of Salt Fork. The first person she meets in town is Brice Chamberlain (Melvyn Douglas), who warns her of likely unhappiness with Brewton, locally considered a tyrant. He takes her to the courthouse, where she sees Brewton testifying against a settler who had tried to stake a claim to part of the government-owned land where Brewton runs his cattle.
Song of Love, 1h59
Directed by Clarence Brown
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about classical music and musicians, Musical films, Piano
Actors Katharine Hepburn, Paul Henreid, Robert Walker, Henry Daniell, Leo G. Carroll, Elsa Janssen
Roles Johannes Brahms
Rating66% 3.3459453.3459453.3459453.3459453.345945
Fictionalized romance in the 19th century of musicians Clara Wieck Schumann (Katharine Hepburn), Robert Schumann (Paul Henreid) and Johannes Brahms (Robert Walker). Clara gives up her thriving career as a concert pianist to devote herself to her struggling composer husband Robert. Unable to cope with disappointment and failure, Robert dies in an asylum, leaving poor Clara to cope with seven children and mounting debts.
Till the Clouds Roll By, 2h12
Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley, Richard Whorf, Henry Koster
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Judy Garland, Lucille Bremer, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, Robert Walker
Roles Jerome Kern
Rating62% 3.147363.147363.147363.147363.14736
La véritable histoire du célèbre compositeur Jerome Kern. Lors de la première représentation de la comédie musicale "Show Boat" à Broadway, le légendaire compositeur Jerome Kern se remémore avec émotion ses débuts et les différentes étapes de sa prestigieuse carrière...