Alan Young was born in England on November 19, 1919. His family moved to Scotland, then Canada where he found success writing and acting on radio. Young's work caught the attention of a New York agent who brought him to the United States in 1944. After two years of radio work in New York City, Young moved on to Hollywood. The success of his first motion picture Margie failed to garner Young more movie offers, so he returned to radio and performed in stage-shows. In 1950, CBS gave young his first television show, The Alan Young Show. It earned two Emmy Awards, but he ended the show in 1953 to pursue his movie career. The success he had hoped for in movies did not materialize and he left for England in 1957 to do TV. He decided to return to California in 1960.

In 1952, Young had turned down Arthur Lubin's overtures to star in a television show about a talking horse. However shortly after his return to the United States, Young was ready to revisit the idea. He accepted the role of Wilbur Post and the rest is (of course, of course) history! Young didn't mind sharing the spotlight with a horse. He said in 1962, "Sure Ed hogs the show, but he's not an ordinary scene stealer. Ed has carried me along with himself to success in this series. It's been such a terrific privilege for me to have such a gimmick going for me."

After the cancellation of Mister Ed and a failed Broadway show, Young left the entertainment business. He became involved within the Christian Science church, but returned to Hollywood after a falling out with church leaders. Young began doing voice-overs, perhaps most notably as Scrooge McDuck.

• 1951 Emmy Awards - Best Actor (winner) 1951 Emmy Awards - Best Variety Show - The Alan Young Show (winner)
• 1951 Emmy Awards - Most Outstanding Personality (nominee; Groucho Marx - winner)
• Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his radio work

• Alan Young's Official Website
• Alan Young's IMDb page