Robert Taylor (5 August 1911-8 June 1969) was an American actor from Beatrice, Nebraska. Born in Filley, Nebraska, he was raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma and Kirksville, Missouri before moving to Beatrice in 1917, spending the next 16 years of his life there. He became a Hollywood actor during the 1930s and served as a US Navy flight instructor during World War II before resuming his successful film career. He became the host of Death Valley Days in 1966, taking over from his friend Ronald Reagan. Taylor was a prominent Republican, co-founding the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals in 1944, testifying before HUAC, endorsing Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election, and endorsing Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. He died in Santa Monica, California in 1969.