Carleton Young(1905-1994)
- Actor
American character actor noted for his deep, rich voice. Young made his
Broadway debut in the early 1930s, appearing in such plays as "Page
Pygmalion", "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head", "Late Wisdom" and
"Yesterday's Orchids". Moving to Hollywood in 1936, he began getting
small film roles and soon graduated to frequent appearances in
B-Westerns and serials, occasionally as a supporting lead, but most
often as a heavy. He was Dick Tracy's brother in Dick Tracy (1937) and was a
familiar face in many oaters and serials at Republic, where he was a
contract player, occasionally working under the stage name Gordon
Robert. In 1941, Young returned to Broadway to star in "Cuckoos On the
Hearth" by Parker Fennelly. Back in Hollywood, he made Westerns throughout the
Forties, then began appearing in better roles in better films, becoming
a late favorite of John Ford. His line in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), "This is the West,
sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend", has become
synonymous with Ford. Young retired in 1970 and died in 1994, at the
age of 89. He is often confused with Carleton G. Young, a radio performer who
made a few films and who was the father of actor Tony Young.
