---
name: "Robert Milton Young"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/robert-m-young"
fi1m_id: "robert-m-young"
imdb_id: "nm0950001"
tmdb_id: 86293
wikidata_id: "Q1748118"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "22 November 1924"
died: "6 February 2024"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T23:04:49.629765+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Robert Milton Young

## Identity

Robert Milton Young

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/robert-m-young
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** robert-m-young
- **IMDb ID:** nm0950001
- **TMDB ID:** 86293
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1748118
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Young_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1748118, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0950001/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/86293

Director. Born 22 November 1924 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 6 February 2024.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 22 November 1924, New York City, New York, USA
- **Died:** 6 February 2024
- **Also known as:** Robert M. Young, Robert Young
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_M._Young_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1748118, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0950001/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/86293

## Streaming the US now

- **Paramount+:** [*Battlestar Galactica*](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md) (83)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Robert Milton Young

> Robert M. Young brought documentary habits to fiction, favouring real places and actors who could make difficult lives believable. We value his grounded approach, particularly his trust in performers when the material grows emotionally demanding.

Young favours real locations and performances that seem to belong there. His recurring subjects include immigrants and people pushed to the margins, with the surroundings helping to make their circumstances credible. The documentary work began in the 1950s, before the move into narrative features with *Short Eyes* (1977). His background as a cinematographer matters here: looking carefully at where people live is part of the storytelling. We value that grounded approach, particularly when the material asks a great deal of the performers.

Edward James Olmos starred in Young’s historical drama *The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez* (1982), one of eight films they made together. Olmos is the collaborator to follow through the features. Farrah Fawcett in *Extremities* (1986), and Tom Hulce and Ray Liotta in the twins’ drama *Dominick and Eugene* (1988), point to another strength: getting credible performances from actors handling emotionally intense material. Young’s preference for naturalism suits those demands. The interest is in what the characters are experiencing, and the acting needs to keep us close to them.

His later television work puts that approach into a different setting. Young directed five episodes of *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), including *Final Cut*, bringing his documentary experience into science fiction. We were gripped by the series because its tense storytelling and the ensemble led by Olmos and Mary McDonnell make its seriousness feel earned. It is an appealing match for a director drawn to people in difficult circumstances, though this remains a collective achievement. Five episodes are a contribution, and the distinction matters.

There is also a reservation worth keeping. *Battlestar Galactica* sustains its gloom long enough to become wearing, even with that ensemble and that narrative tension. We recommend it, but would not mistake the persistence of its sombre mood for an additional virtue. Start there if science fiction is yours; for a closer look at Young’s work with Olmos, turn to *The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez*.

## Biography

Robert M. Young was an American film and television director, cinematographer, screenwriter and producer. Born in New York City on 22 November 1924, he graduated from Harvard University in 1949. He began his career making educational films and documentaries before moving into features.

Young directed *Alambrista!* (1977), *The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez* (1982), *Extremities* (1986), *Dominick and Eugene* (1988) and *Triumph of the Spirit* (1989). He worked repeatedly with Edward James Olmos and produced Olmos’s directorial debut *American Me* (1992). He also directed five episodes of the series *Battlestar Galactica* (2004–2009).

Young died in Los Angeles on 6 February 2024.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodreporter.com, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)

## Complete filmography (45)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *At the End of the Santa Fe Trail* (2025), Writer
- *The Maze* (2011), Director
- *Berkeley* (2005), Additional Director of Photography
- *Battlestar Galactica* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/battlestar-galactica.md)
- *Human Error* (2004), Director
- *China: The Panda Adventure* (2001), Director
- *Caught* (1996), Director
- *Slave of Dreams* (1995), Director
- *Solomon & Sheba* (1995), Director
- *Children of Fate: Life and Death in a Sicilian Family* (1993), Director of Photography, Editor
- *Roosters* (1993), Director
- *American Me* (1992), Producer, Camera Operator
- *Talent for the Game* (1991), Director
- *Triumph of the Spirit* (1989), Director
- *Dominick and Eugene* (1988), Director
- *We Are the Children* (1987), Director
- *Extremities* (1986), Director
- *Saving Grace* (1986), Director
- *The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez* (1983), Director, Screenplay
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, Director, Writer
- *One Trick Pony* (1980), Director
- *Rich Kids* (1979), Director
- *Alambrista!* (1977), Writer, Director, Director of Photography
- *Short Eyes* (1977), Director
- *To Fly!* (1976), Writer
- *Children of the Fields* (1973), Director
- *J.T.* (1971), Director
- *The Plot Against Harry* (1971), Producer, Director of Photography
- *The Eskimo: Fight for Life* (1970), Director, Writer, Director of Photography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, V: At the Winter Sea Ice Camp* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, VI: Building a Kayak* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, VII: Fishing at the Stone Weir* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, IV: Group Hunting on the Spring Ice* (1967), Director, Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, VIII: Jigging for Lake Trout* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, IX: Stalking Seal on the Spring Ice* (1967), Cinematography
- *Faces of Israel 1966* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Netsilik Eskimo, III: At the Spring Sea Ice Camp* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimo, II: At the Caribou Crossing Place* (1967), Cinematography
- *Netsilik Eskimos, I: At the Autumn River Camp* (1967), Cinematography
- *Abstraction* (1967), Director, Producer
- *Nothing But a Man* (1964), Producer, Director of Photography, Writer
- *Cortile Cascino* (1962), Editor, Director of Photography, Director, Writer
- *NBC White Paper: Angola – Journey to a War* (1961), Director, Writer, Camera Operator
- *Sit-In* (1960), Director
- *Secrets of the Reef* (1956), Writer, Director, Director of Photography

## Awards

### Other awards — 2 won

- George Polk Award 1961: George Polk Award (won)
- George Polk Award 1960: George Polk Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/robert-m-young