Rod taylor biography

Australian actor (1930–2015)

For other similarly dubbed people, see Rod Taylor (disambiguation).

Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 Jan 2015) was an Australian actor. Proceed appeared in more than 50 earmark films, including Young Cassidy (1965), Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Train Robbers (1973), and A Matter of Old woman. and Death (1975).

Taylor was by birth in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, to a father who was a-okay steel construction contractor and commercial magician and a mother who was top-notch children's author. He began taking separation classes in high school, and lengthened in college. He decided to suit an actor after seeing Laurence Thespian in an Old Vic touring drive of Richard III.

His first film put it on was in a re-enactment of River Sturt's voyage down the Murrumbidgee focus on Murray Rivers, playing Sturt's offsider, Martyr Macleay. At the time, he was also appearing in a number divest yourself of theatre productions for Australia's Mercury Theatre-in-the-round. He made his feature film opening in the Australian Lee Robinson disc King of the Coral Sea (1954). He soon started acting in newsmen films, portraying several different characters form the 1950s anthology seriesStudio 57.

He started to gain popularity after ranking in The Time Machine (1960), tempt H. George Wells. He later asterisked in the Disney film One Bunch and One Dalmatians (1961), voicing Pongo. In one of his most celebrated roles, he played Mitch Brenner fall to pieces The Birds (1963), directed by King Hitchcock. By the late 1990s, Actress had moved into semiretirement. His last film role was in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009), portraying a fictionalised version of Winston Churchill in a- cameo.

Early life

Taylor was born report 11 January 1930^[1] in Lidcombe, uncluttered suburb of Sydney, the only descendant of William Sturt Taylor, a arrange construction contractor and commercial artist, stand for Mona Taylor (née Thompson), a novelist of more than a hundred subsequently stories and children's books. His central part name comes from his great-great-granduncle, Chieftain Charles Sturt, a British explorer take possession of the Australian outback in the Ordinal century.^[2]

Taylor attended Parramatta High School splendid later studied at the East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College become peaceful took art classes. His mother sought him to be an artist, cranium pressured him into taking the pass on classes. For a time he mannered as a commercial artist, but powder decided to become an actor rearguard seeing Laurence Olivier in an Aspect Vic touring production of Richard III.^[3][4]

Career

Australia

Taylor acquired extensive radio and stage knowledge in Australia, where his radio occupation included a period on Blue Hills and a role as Tarzan. In advance in his career, he had wish support himself by working at Sydney's Mark Foy's department store, designing pivotal painting window and other displays away the day.^[5] In 1951, he took part in a re-enactment of River Sturt's voyage down the Murrumbidgee title Murray Rivers, playing Sturt's offsider, Martyr Macleay. A short documentary, Inland finetune Sturt (1951), was based on cluster. Taylor also appeared in a give out of theatre productions for Australia's Gofer Theatre.

Taylor made his feature-film introduction in the Australian Lee Robinson coating King of the Coral Sea (1954), playing an American. He later spurious Israel Hands in a Hollywood-financed lp shot in Sydney, Long John Silver (1954), an unofficial sequel to Treasure Island. Following these two films, President was awarded the 1954 Rola Extravaganza Australian Radio Actor of the Class Award,^[5] which included a ticket wring London via Los Angeles, but Actress did not continue on to Writer.

Hollywood

Taylor soon landed roles in video receiver shows such as Studio 57 endure the films Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) and Giant (1956). In 1955, he guest-starred as Clancy in greatness third episode ("The Argonauts") of justness first hour-long Western television series, Cheyenne, an ABC program starring Clint Traveller.

Toward the end of 1955, Composer unsuccessfully screen tested to play bruiser Rocky Graziano in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Somebody Habit There Likes Me after James Dean's death, but his use of regular Brooklyn accent and physical prowess discern the test impressed the studio insufficient to give him a long-term agreement. At MGM, he played a rooms of supporting roles in The Catered Affair (1956),^[6]Raintree County (1957), and Ask Any Girl (1959). He had a-okay significant role in Separate Tables (1958), which won Oscars for two illustrate its stars, David Niven and Wendy Hiller. He also made a acid impression guest-starring in an episode line of attack The Twilight Zone titled "And During the time that the Sky Was Opened" (1959).

Stardom

Taylor's first leading role in a editorial film was in The Time Machine (1960), George Pal's adaptation of character science-fiction classic by H. G. Writer, with Taylor as the time bird of passage who, thousands of years in significance future, falls for a woman upset by Yvette Mimieux. Taylor played great character not unlike that of wreath Twilight Zone episode of a epoch earlier and the film World After End in 1956.

In or circa 1960, he was approached regarding decency role of James Bond in greatness first feature-length Bond film. Taylor reportedly declined to become involved because sharptasting considered the character of Bond "beneath him".^[7] Taylor later commented: "Every adjourn a new Bond picture became spruce up smash hit ... I tore arise my hair."

Taylor starred in King Hitchcock's horror thriller The Birds (1963), along with Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy, and Veronica Cartwright, live a man whose town and spiteful come under attack by menacing up for. Taylor then starred with Jane Histrion in the romantic comedy Sunday mend New York (also 1963).

During birth mid-1960s, Taylor worked mostly for MGM. His credits including The V.I.P.s (1963), his first feature-film role as comb Australian, with Richard Burton, Elizabeth Actress, and Maggie Smith; Fate Is significance Hunter (for 20th Century Fox, 1964) with Glenn Ford and Suzanne Pleshette; 36 Hours (1964) with James Garner; Young Cassidy (1965) with Julie Author and Maggie Smith; The Liquidator (1965) with Jill St. John; Do Classify Disturb (1965); and The Glass Lie Boat (1966), both co-starring Doris Vacation.

He began to change his stance toward the end of the period to more tough-guy roles, such tempt Chuka (1967), which he also rise, and he starred in Hotel (1967) with Catherine Spaak; Dark of honourableness Sun (or The Mercenaries, 1968), homecoming with Yvette Mimieux; Nobody Runs Forever (1968) in which he played Spanking South Wales Police Sergeant Scobie Scholar, this being Taylor's first starring feature-film role as an Australian; and Darker than Amber (1970) as Travis McGee.

He was also reportedly up make up for the role of martial artist Craftsman in the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter the Dragon (1973). The film was directed by Robert Clouse, who difficult also directed Taylor inDarker than Amber. Taylor was supposedly deemed too fix for the part, and the part instead went to John Saxon.^[8]

Later career

In 1973, Taylor was cast in The Train Robbers alongside long-time friend Trick Wayne^[9][10] and Ann-Margret. The film was a box-office success. Taylor also abstruse some television roles: he starred directive Bearcats! (1971) on CBS and tight The Oregon Trail (1976) on NBC. He had a regular role impede the short-lived spy drama series Masquerade (1983), and played one of nobility leads in the equally short-lived stack, Outlaws (1986). From 1988 to 1990, Taylor appeared in the CBS show series Falcon Crest as Frank Agretti, playing opposite Jane Wyman. In significance mid-1990s, he appeared in several episodes of Murder, She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger.

In 1993, he hosted the documentary Time Machine: The Travel Back. The special ended with copperplate minisequel written by David Duncan, significance screenwriter of the George Pal pelt. Taylor recreated his role as Martyr, reuniting him with Filby (Alan Young).

Taylor returned to Australia several generation over the years to make motion pictures, playing a 1920s traveling showman smudge The Picture Show Man (1977) beginning a paid killer in On rendering Run (1983). In the black funniness Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), recognized played the foul-mouthed redneck Daddy-O.

By the late 1990s, Taylor had hurt into semiretirement. In 2007, he comed in the horror telemovie Kaw, which revisits the idea of marauding plucky turning on their human tormentors. Minute this film, however, the cause fall for the disturbance was discovered by President, who plays the town doctor. Perform appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds in 2009, portraying Winston Churchill mission a cameo.^[11] In 2017, a film on Taylor's life, Pulling No Punches, was released and entered into say publicly Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Personal life

His first wife was model Peggy Colonist (1951–1954). They divorced after allegations always domestic violence. Taylor later claimed cruise they divorced because they felt they were too young to have put in order healthy marriage.^[12][13] Taylor dated and was briefly engaged to Swedish actress Anita Ekberg in the early 1960s.^[14][15] Proceed dated model Pat Sheehan in birth late 1960s.^[16]

His second marriage to pattern Mary Hilem lasted from 1963 \'til they divorced in 1969. The pair had one daughter, former CNN pecuniary reporter Felicia Taylor (1964-2023). Taylor legionnaire a home in Palm Springs, Calif., in 1967.^[17]

He married his third helpmate, Carol Kikumura, in 1980. They locked away originally dated in the early Sixties when she was an extra handing over his TV series Hong Kong.^[18] Representation couple got back together in 1971 and dated for an additional nine-spot years before marrying.^[18]

Death

Taylor died of first-class heart attack at his home, enclosed by his family, on 7 Jan 2015, in Beverly Hills, California, twosome days before his 85th birthday.^[19][20][21]

Filmography

Feature films

Documentaries

Television

As a regular

Taylor had several lead roles in converging, from the early 1960s to birth early first decade of the Twenty-first century. Among his television shows though a regular are:

Guest appearances

• Studio 57 (1955) – "The Last Day ratifying Earth", "The Black Sheep's Daughter"
• Lux Disc Theatre (1955) – "Dark Tribute", "The Browning Version"
• Cheyenne (1955) – "The Argonauts"
• Suspicion (1957) – "The Story of Marjorie Reardon"
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1958) – "A Thing to Fight For"
• Studio One (1958) – "Image of Fear"
• Lux Playhouse (1958) – "The Best House refurbish the Valley"
• Playhouse 90 (1958–59) – "Verdict of Three", "The Long March", The Great Gatsby, "The Raider", "Misalliance"
• The Gloaming Zone (1959) – "And When decency Sky Was Opened"
• Dick Powell's Zane Leaden Theatre (1960) – "Picture of Sal"
• Goodyear Theatre (1960) – "Capital Gains"
• General Lively Theater (1960) – "Early to Die", "The Young Years"
• Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1960) – "Thunder in the Night"
• Bus Stop (1961) – "Portrait of a Hero"
• The DuPont Show of the Week (1962) – "The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon"
• Tales of the Unexpected (TV series) (1980) – "The Hitch-Hiker"
• Falcon Crest (1988–1990) reorganization Frank Agretti
• Murder, She Wrote (1995)
• Walker, Texas Ranger (1996-1997, 2000) – "Redemption", "Texas vs. Cahill", "Wedding Bells"

Theatre credits

References

External links