Robert Taylor Popular Books
Robert Taylor Biography & Facts
Robert Taylor (born Spangler Arlington Brugh; August 5, 1911 – June 8, 1969) was an American film and television actor and singer who was one of the most popular leading men of cinema. Taylor began his career in films in 1934 when he signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He won his first leading role the following year in Magnificent Obsession. His popularity increased during the late 1930s and 1940s with appearances in Camille (1936), A Yank at Oxford (1938), Waterloo Bridge (1940), and Bataan (1943). During World War II, he served in the United States Naval Air Forces, where he worked as a flight instructor and appeared in instructional films. From 1959 to 1962, he starred in the television series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor. In 1966, he assumed hosting duties from his friend Ronald Reagan on the series Death Valley Days. Taylor was married to actress Barbara Stanwyck from 1939 to 1952. He married actress Ursula Thiess in 1954, and they had two children. A chain smoker, Taylor died of lung cancer at the age of 57. Early life Taylor was born Spangler Arlington Brugh on August 5, 1911, in Filley, Nebraska, the only child of Ruth Adaline (née Stanhope) and Spangler Andrew Brugh, a farmer turned doctor. During his early life, the family moved several times, living in Muskogee, Oklahoma; Kirksville, Missouri; and Fremont, Nebraska. By September 1917, the Brughs had moved to Beatrice, Nebraska, where they remained for 16 years. As a teenager, Taylor was a track and field star and played the cello in his high school orchestra. Upon graduation, he enrolled at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. While at Doane, he took cello lessons from Professor Herbert E. Gray, whom he admired and idolized. After Professor Gray announced he was accepting a new position at Pomona College in Claremont, California, Taylor moved to California and enrolled at Pomona. He joined the campus theater company and was eventually spotted by an MGM talent scout in 1932 after a production of Journey's End. Career He signed a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with an initial salary of $35 per week, which rose to $2500 by 1936. The studio changed his name to Robert Taylor. He made his film debut in the 1934 comedy Handy Andy, starring Will Rogers (on loan to Fox Studios). His first leading role came by accident. In 1934 Taylor was on the MGM payroll as "the test boy," a male juvenile who would be filmed opposite various young ingenues in screen tests. In late 1934, when MGM began production of its new short-subject series Crime Does Not Pay with the dramatic short Buried Loot, the actor who had been cast fell ill and could not appear. The director sent for the test boy to substitute for the missing actor. Taylor's dramatic performance, as an embezzler who deliberately disfigures himself to avoid detection, was so memorable that Taylor immediately was signed for feature films. In 1935, Irene Dunne requested him for her leading man in Magnificent Obsession. This was followed by Camille opposite Greta Garbo. Throughout the late 1930s, Taylor appeared in films of varying genres including the musicals Broadway Melody of 1936 and Broadway Melody of 1938, and the British comedy A Yank at Oxford with Vivien Leigh. Throughout 1940 and 1941 he argued in favor of American entry into World War II, and was sharply critical of the isolationist movement. During this time he said he was "100% pro-British". In 1940, he reteamed with Leigh in Mervyn LeRoy's drama Waterloo Bridge. After being given the nickname "The Man with the Perfect Profile", Taylor began breaking away from his perfect leading man image and began appearing in darker roles beginning in 1941. That year he played the title role in Billy the Kid, followed by the same the next year in the film noir Johnny Eager with Lana Turner. After playing a tough sergeant in Bataan in 1943, Taylor contributed to the war effort by becoming a flying instructor in the U.S. Naval Air Corps. During this time, he also starred in instructional films and narrated the 1944 documentary The Fighting Lady. After the war he appeared in a series of edgy roles, including the neo-noir Undercurrent (1946) and drama High Wall (1947). In 1949 he co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor in the suspense Conspirator, which Hedda Hopper described as "another one of Taylor's pro-British films". Taylor responded to this by saying "And it won't be the last!" However, both Hopper and Taylor were members of the anticommunist organization the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, as were Taylor's friends John Wayne, Walt Disney and Gary Cooper. For this reason Hopper always spoke favorably of Taylor, despite him disagreeing with her over what she saw as his "Anglophilia" and what he saw as her "Anglophobia". In 1950, Taylor landed the role of General Marcus Vinicius in Quo Vadis with Deborah Kerr. The epic film was a hit, grossing US$11 million in its first run. The following year, he starred in the film version of Walter Scott's classic Ivanhoe, followed by 1953's Knights of the Round Table and The Adventures of Quentin Durward, all filmed in England. Of the three only Ivanhoe was a critical and financial success. Taylor also filmed Valley of the Kings in Egypt in 1954. Robert Taylor received the 1953 World Film Favorite–Male, award at the Golden Globes (tied with Alan Ladd). By the mid-1950s, Taylor began to concentrate on westerns, his preferred genre. He starred in a comedy western Many Rivers to Cross in 1955 co-starring Eleanor Parker. Taylor shared the lead with Richard Widmark in the edgy John Sturges western The Law and Jake Wade (1958). Taylor's long tenure at MGM ended in 1959; he was the last remaining major star under contract from the studio's heyday. The studio still held an option for Taylor's services, which it exercised for the western Cattle King, released in 1963. Taylor formed his own company, Robert Taylor Productions, starring in the television series The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor (1959–1962). Following the end of the series in 1962, Taylor continued to appear in films and television shows, including A House Is Not a Home and two episodes of Hondo. In 1964, Taylor co-starred with his former wife Barbara Stanwyck in William Castle's psychological horror film The Night Walker. In 1965, after filming Johnny Tiger in Florida, Taylor took over the role of narrator in the television series Death Valley Days when Ronald Reagan left to pursue a career in politics. Taylor would remain with the series until his death in 1969. Taylor traveled to Europe to film Savage Pampas (1966), The Glass Sphinx (1967) and The Day the Hot Line Got Hot (1968). Personal life Marriages and children After dating her for three years, Taylor married Barbara Stanwyck on May 14, 1939, in San Diego, California. Zeppo Marx's wife, Marion, was Stanwyck's matron of honor. Stanwyck's surrogate father—he was her sister Millie's husband—and personal assistant, vau.... Discover the Robert Taylor popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Robert Taylor books.
Best Seller Robert Taylor Books of 2024
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Path of the Assassin
Brad ThorThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Scot Harvath series and “heir to Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum” (Chicago Tribune) returns with this unputdownable, whiteknuckled thri...
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American Assassin
Vince FlynnIn #1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn’s explosive and “captivating” (Glenn Beck) thriller, witness the young Mitch Rapp as he takes on his first assignment.Mitch Rapp...
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The Last Patriot
Brad ThorBrad Thor, master of suspense and #1 New York Times bestselling author is back with his highestvoltage thriller to date in which Navy SEAL turned covert Homeland Security operative...
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Lethal Agent
Vince Flynn & Kyle MillsAn unprecedented and terrifying bioterrorism plot threatens to kill millions in the midst of a divisive presidential election in this “gut punch of a tale that exploits our greates...
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Full Black
Brad Thor#1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor brings his darkest and most intriguing thriller yeta terrifying story of espionage and betrayalbrilliantly...
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The Other Sister
Elle Croft'WOW, just WOW, The Other Sister is a mesmerising, mind blowing psychological thriller that has so many twists and turns.' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars'It's a great plot line and you a...
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The Athens Solution
Brad ThorFrom Brad Thor, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code of Conduct, comes a lightningpaced short story, pitting Scot Harvath against a threat unlike any he’s faced before…...
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Near Dark
Brad ThorINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER“Fastpaced...pulsepounding...supremely entertaining…His best ever.” The Washington Times“This might be the single greate...
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The Last Man
Vince Flynn#1 New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn “has never been better” (The Providence Journal) in this highoctane thriller following Mitch Rapp as he searches for a missing CIA ...
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Blowback
Brad ThorFrom #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes Blowback.Scot Harvath’s counterterrorism career has just crashed and b...
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Free Fall
Brad ThorThe prelude to Hidden Order, Brad Thor's riveting and pulsepounding Scot Harvath thriller.Experience the suspense and thrills only Brad Thor can write in Free Fall, the shocking pr...
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Order to Kill
Vince Flynn & Kyle MillsIn the next thrilling novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series, the antiterrorism operative heads to Pakistan to confront a mortal threat he may not be prepared...
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Find Your Hero Chapter Sampler
Kevin Sands, James Riley, J. D. Rinehart, Jonathan Maberry, Kevin Sylvester & Robert VendittiWith six exciting reads to choose from, young readers can seek action and adventure alongside the hero of their choice. Featuring excerpts from: The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands S...
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Executive Power
Vince FlynnThe New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series returns with this “fastpaced spy thriller” (People) following the country’s best assassin as he finds himself in the crossfire of A...
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Foreign Agent
Brad Thor“The best thriller of the year...an exciting and entertaining read.” The Washington Times“A topnotch thriller.” Bill O’ReillyFrom #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bests...
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The Lions of Lucerne
Brad ThorIn his daring and chilling first novel, #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor draws us into a sinister labyrinth of political intrigue and international terrorism, serving...
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Epilogue II
Brad ThorIf you read and loved the #1 New York Times bestseller Hidden Order, enjoy this free bonus chapter.Experience the suspense and thrills only Brad Thor can write in Epilogue II, a sh...
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Hidden Order
Brad Thor#1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his hottest and most actionpacked thriller yet!The most secretive organization in America ope...
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Dead Fall
Brad ThorLethal operative Scot Harvath is dispatched to avenge the killing of American citizens abroad in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor’s new pul...
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Oath of Loyalty
Vince Flynn & Kyle MillsNamed the Best Thriller of 2022 by The Real Book SpyMitch Rapp confronts a very different kind of killer in this explosive “and entertaining from the first page to the last” (The P...
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Term Limits
Vince FlynnPolitics and riveting suspense collide in this whiteknuckled thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of American Assassinsoon to be a major motion picture.In one blo...
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The First Commandment
Brad ThorFrom #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor, the explosive international thriller featuring Navy SEAL turned Homeland Security operative Scot Har...
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The Castle on Sunset
Shawn LevyThe definitiveand salacioushistory of the iconic hotel that Hollywood stars have called a home away from home for almost a century.“Fascinating, dishy, and glimmering with insight....
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The Apostle
Brad ThorFrom #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes the whiteknuckled thriller The Apostle.A new administration and a new approach to dealing wit...
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Shadow of Doubt
Brad ThorAmerica’s top spy Scot Harvath returns in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor’s new pulsepounding thriller. A shadowy Russian defector. A beau...
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Kill Shot
Vince Flynn#1 internationally bestselling author Vince Flynn delivers the young, hungry, and lethal Mitch Rapp at the onset of his career as a CIA superagent.In the year since the CIA trained...
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Takedown
Brad ThorFrom #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author, Brad Thor, comes Takedown.July 4th weekend, New York City: As thousands of holiday trav...
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Act of War
Brad ThorThe #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor delivers his most frightening and pulsepounding thriller ever!After a CIA agent mysteriously dies over...
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Spymaster
Brad ThorScot Harvath must do whatever it takes to prevent the United States from being dragged into a deadly war in this heartpounding thriller that is “timely, raw, and filled with enough...
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The Athena Project
Brad ThorFrom #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor, four deadly women from the topsecret Athena Project join Delta Force as they undertake one of the na...
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Black Ice
Brad ThorINSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“[A]nother instant classic.” The Real Book Spy “The undisputed master of blending geopolitics with spycraft…a thriller aficionado’s dream.” The ...
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Pursuit of Honor
Vince FlynnMitch Rappthe “mainstay of the modern technothriller” (New York Journal of Books)returns in this exhilarating political thriller as he fights for the sake of his country and the pu...
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State of the Union
Brad Thor“The perfect allAmerican hero” (Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Scot Harvath is on the hunt for a dangerous killer bent on world domination in this whiteknuck...
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Troublemakers
Leslie BerlinAcclaimed historian Leslie Berlin’s “deeply researched and dramatic narrative of Silicon Valley’s early years…is a meticulously told…compelling history” (The New York Times) of the...
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A Breath of Hope
Robert E. TaylorThe Humals. Humanoid Aliens. They dominated the spiral arm millennia ago then vanished without trace. Man had found traces of their presence, reverseengineered their technology and...
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Transfer of Power
Vince FlynnThis “rollercoaster, edgeofyourseat thriller” (StarTribune, Minneapolis) in the #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series follows the CIA’s top operative as he must stop a ma...
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Memorial Day
Vince FlynnWhen the CIA receives word about an upcoming terrorist attack, they immediately look towards their superagent Mitch Rapp to do whatever it takes to protect American lives in this “...
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Blowback
Miles TaylorINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe author behind the “eyepopping” (CNN) #1 New York Times bestseller A Warning presents an urgent look at how our deeply divided nation is setting...
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Separation of Power
Vince FlynnThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Mitch Rapp series “knows how deliver action in his novels” (St. Paul Pioneer Press) and does so again with this thrilli...
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Rising Tiger
Brad ThorINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERDeadly operative Scot Harvath faces down democracy’s most powerful enemy in #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street ...
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Backlash
Brad Thor“Raw emotion, nonstop action, and relentless pacing makes Backlash another onenight read from Brad Thor.” The Real Book Spy#1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling ...
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Restraining Order
Alex DeanAlexis Fields is in the prime of her life, has just finished medical school and is celebrating her dream of becoming a doctor. But things go terribly wrong when she ends a volatile...
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The Vince Flynn Encyclopedia
Emily Bestler BooksEverything you need to know about Vince Flynn's #1 New York Times bestselling Mitch Rapp series!Hailed as “the king of highconcept political intrigue” (Dan Brown, #1 New York Times...
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Extreme Measures
Vince Flynn#1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Vince Flynn delivers a whiteknuckled rollercoaster ride of a novel featuring “the best hero the thriller genre has to offer” (The Real Book...
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The Survivor
Vince Flynn & Kyle MillsThe #1 New York Times bestselling novel that picks up where the “tight, right, and dynamite” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) The Last Man left off, The Survivor is a noholdsbarred race...
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Foreign Influence
Brad ThorNavy SEAL turned covert operative Scot Harvath is called to action once again in this pulsepounding political thriller from #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling...
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Code of Conduct
Brad Thor“Thor tops himself again and again.” Bookreporter “Feels like the TV show 24 on the page.” Associated Press #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor presents his greatest thr...
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The American Story
David M. RubensteinCofounder of The Carlyle Group and patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein takes readers on a sweeping journey across the grand arc of the American story through revealing con...
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Black List
Brad Thor#1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his most explosive thriller ever. Somewhere deep inside the United States government is a clo...