Robert Douglas

Robert Douglas' real last name was Finlayson - a Scots name - and perhaps it was that side of him that meant to do what he wanted to do. The males of the family had followed the military for several generations - his father and grandfather were commanders of the West Sussex regiment - but he decided on another road for his career. He was interested in acting and showed enough talent and potential to debut on stage at 16 and enter theater training for two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London the next year. Using his given middle name as a professional surname, in 1930 he moved up to a feature role with an all-star cast in the London revival of "A Bill of Divorcement". Other choice roles followed quickly: "Kind Lady" with Sybil Thorndike and the "Last Enemy" with Laurence Olivier. Even then Douglas was destined for a trans-Atlantic career. At the end of that same year of 1930 he came to Broadway to do the American version of "Last Enemy" with Jessica Tandy. Still he was