He possessed the same special brand of rebel/misfit sensitivity and charm that made superstars out of 'John Garfield when, on the night of August 28, 1951, his housekeeper found him in an extremely agitated state. Failing to calm him down, she panicked and called his psychiatrist, who, upon arrival, administered a dose of sodium amytal, a sedative, which Walker had taken in the past. Unfortunately, he had been drinking as well and suffered an acute allergic reaction to the drug. Robert stopped breathing, and all efforts to resuscitate him failed. His death cut short the career of a man destined to become one of the most charismatic actors in film. As for life imitating art, perhaps Robert's agonies are what brought out the magnificence of his acting.
Father of actors Robert Walker Jr. and Michael Walker.
Following his untimely death, he was interred at Washington Heights Memorial Park in Ogden, Utah.
Married Jennifer Jones (then Phyllis Isley), on the one-year anniversary of the day they met. They separated on November 7, 1943, and she filed for divorce on April 21, 1945.
Was the original choice for the male lead in Meet Me in St. Louis . It eventually went to Tom Drake , despite protests from Judy Garland.
He was born in Salt Lake City the night the "Big Fire" swept through the city. His father was the city editor of the "Deseret News"; and after a weary night of reporting on the blaze, he finally had the chance to put in a call to the hospital to learn of his sons birth. The next morning when he told his three other sons about their new brother, they were unimpressed. They had been up all night watching the fire, and another brother seemed much less interesting.
His performance as Bruno Anthony in Strangers on a Train is ranked #86 on Premiere magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
In December 1948, he made national news when he fled from a Topeka, Kansas, psychiatric clinic and smashed up the local police station after being arrested for public drunkenness.
Walker died before his death scene in My Son John (1952) , his last scene in the picture, could be completed. The scene was completed utilizing a double and some outtakes from Strangers on a Train .
He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Robert Walker passed away on August 28, 1951, less than two months away from what would have been his 33rd birthday on October 13.
Entered the film industry with British Instructional at Welwyn in 1931.
Educated Kings School, Peterborough and Dauntseys School, Wiltshire.
Father of actor Che Walker (b. June 1968) with ex-wife Ann Mitchell.
I found myself up against mental walls. The maladjustments of that age,grew and branched out all over the place. I was always trying to make,an escape from life. .
