Born Spangler Arlington Brugh to an itinerant family in Nebraska, Robert Taylor (1911-1969) followed a much-loved cello professor to California, where his good looks got him discovered by Hollywood and MGM changed his name. Stardom followed quickly with lead roles in Magnificent Obsession and Camille. During World War II, he transitioned from bland heroic parts to darker ones in Quo Vadis? and Ivanhoe. An inveterate chain smoker, he died of lung cancer.
