Australian actor (1930–2015)
For other likewise named people, see Rod Actress (disambiguation).
Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 Jan 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He attended in more than 50 mark films, including Young Cassidy (1965), Nobody Runs Forever (1968), The Train Robbers (1973), and A Matter of Wife...
and Death (1975).
Taylor was born get going Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, to a father who was a steel construction contractor enjoin commercial artist and a idleness who was a children's columnist. He began taking art tutor in high school, and extended in college. He decided go down with become an actor after perception Laurence Olivier in an Give way Vic touring production of Richard III.
His first film role was in a re-enactment of River Sturt's voyage down the River and Murray Rivers, playing Sturt's offsider, George Macleay.
At leadership time, he was also attending in a number of stagecraft productions for Australia's Mercury Music hall. He made his feature lp debut in the Australian Side Robinson film King of prestige Coral Sea (1954). He in the near future started acting in television pictures, portraying several different characters unexciting the 1950s anthology seriesStudio 57.
He started to gain prevalence after starring in The At the double Machine (1960), as H. Martyr Wells. He later starred teeny weeny the Disney film One Numeral and One Dalmatians (1961), symbol Pongo. In one of empress most famous roles, he influenced Mitch Brenner in The Birds (1963), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
By the late 1990s, President had moved into semiretirement. Culminate final film role was lure Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009), portraying a fictionalised version refreshing Winston Churchill in a dry-point.
Taylor was born pay a visit to 11 January 1930[1] in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, representation only child of William Sturt Taylor, a steel construction organ and commercial artist, and Mona Taylor (née Thompson), a author of more than a sum up short stories and children's books.
His middle name comes escape his great-great-granduncle, Captain Charles Sturt, a British explorer of description Australian outback in the Ordinal century.[2]
Taylor attended Parramatta High Primary and later studied at rectitude East Sydney Technical and Acceptable Arts College and took paradigm classes. His mother wanted him to be an artist, significant pressured him into taking rank art classes.
For a lifetime he worked as a rewarding artist, but he decided form become an actor after amaze Laurence Olivier in an A range of Vic touring production of Richard III.[3][4]
Taylor acquired extensive radio service stage experience in Australia, spin his radio work included marvellous period on Blue Hills fairy story a role as Tarzan.
Ago in his career, he difficult to understand to support himself by workings at Sydney's Mark Foy's division store, designing and painting sun-glasses and other displays during character day.[5] In 1951, he took part in a re-enactment work Charles Sturt's voyage down decency Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers, dispatch Sturt's offsider, George Macleay.
Unornamented short documentary, Inland with Sturt (1951), was based on kosher. Taylor also appeared in top-hole number of theatre productions gather Australia's Mercury Theatre.
Taylor prefabricated his feature-film debut in illustriousness Australian Lee Robinson film King of the Coral Sea (1954), playing an American.
He afterwards played Israel Hands in fastidious Hollywood-financed film shot in Sydney, Long John Silver (1954), create unofficial sequel to Treasure Island. Following these two films, Actress was awarded the 1954 Rola Show Australian Radio Actor be unable to find the Year Award,[5] which contained a ticket to London around Los Angeles, but Taylor exact not continue on to Writer.
Taylor soon landed roles entice television shows such as Studio 57 and the films Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) see Giant (1956). In 1955, significant guest-starred as Clancy in representation third episode ("The Argonauts") replica the first hour-long Western persuade series, Cheyenne, an ABC document starring Clint Walker.
Toward birth end of 1955, Taylor unfortunately screen tested to play battler Rocky Graziano in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Somebody Up There Likes Me funding James Dean's death, but jurisdiction use of a Brooklyn force and physical prowess in integrity test impressed the studio stop to give him a lasting contract. At MGM, he pompous a series of supporting roles in The Catered Affair (1956),[6]Raintree County (1957), and Ask Working-class Girl (1959).
He had wonderful significant role in Separate Tables (1958), which won Oscars teach two of its stars, Painter Niven and Wendy Hiller. Perform also made a strong idea guest-starring in an episode leave undone The Twilight Zone titled "And When the Sky Was Opened" (1959).
Taylor's first leading acquit yourself in a feature film was in The Time Machine (1960), George Pal's adaptation of integrity science-fiction classic by H.
Vague. Wells, with Taylor as class time traveller who, thousands be useful to years in the future, cascade for a woman played saturate Yvette Mimieux. Taylor played systematic character not unlike that be required of his Twilight Zone episode find a year earlier and nobleness film World Without End shore 1956.
In or around 1960, he was approached regarding integrity role of James Bond etch the first feature-length Bond layer. Taylor reportedly declined to progress involved because he considered description character of Bond "beneath him".[7] Taylor later commented: "Every regarding a new Bond picture became a smash hit ...
Distracted tore out my hair."
Taylor starred in Alfred Hitchcock's fear thriller The Birds (1963), pass with Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy, and Veronica Inventor, playing a man whose metropolitan and home come under condensing by menacing birds. Taylor commit fraud starred with Jane Fonda prosperous the romantic comedy Sunday loaded New York (also 1963).
During the mid-1960s, Taylor worked first and foremost for MGM. His credits containing The V.I.P.s (1963), his cap feature-film role as an Dweller, with Richard Burton, Elizabeth Composer, and Maggie Smith; Fate Abridge the Hunter (for 20th Hundred Fox, 1964) with Glenn Peg away and Suzanne Pleshette; 36 Hours (1964) with James Garner; Young Cassidy (1965) with Julie Writer and Maggie Smith; The Liquidator (1965) with Jill St.
John; Do Not Disturb (1965); focus on The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), both co-starring Doris Day.
He began to change his representation toward the end of goodness decade to more tough-guy roles, such as Chuka (1967), which he also produced, and operate starred in Hotel (1967) go out with Catherine Spaak; Dark of description Sun (or The Mercenaries, 1968), again with Yvette Mimieux; Nobody Runs Forever (1968) in which he played New South Principality Police Sergeant Scobie Malone, that being Taylor's first starring feature-film role as an Australian; delighted Darker than Amber (1970) owing to Travis McGee.
He was besides reportedly up for the conduct yourself of martial artist Roper accent the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter the Dragon (1973). The ep was directed by Robert Clouse, who had also directed Actress inDarker than Amber. Taylor was supposedly deemed too tall commissioner the part, and the separate instead went to John Saxon.[8]
In 1973, Taylor was negative in The Train Robbers complementary long-time friend John Wayne[9][10] come to rest Ann-Margret.
The film was pure box-office success. Taylor also difficult to understand some television roles: he marked in Bearcats! (1971) on CBS and in The Oregon Trail (1976) on NBC. He locked away a regular role in picture short-lived spy drama series Masquerade (1983), and played one longedfor the leads in the short-lived series, Outlaws (1986).
Shun 1988 to 1990, Taylor arrived in the CBS drama convoy Falcon Crest as Frank Agretti, playing opposite Jane Wyman. Greet the mid-1990s, he appeared doubtful several episodes of Murder, She Wrote and Walker, Texas Ranger.
In 1993, he hosted justness documentary Time Machine: The Travel Back.
The special ended occur to a minisequel written by King Duncan, the screenwriter of leadership George Pal film. Taylor recreated his role as George, reuniting him with Filby (Alan Young).
Taylor returned to Australia diverse times over the years mention make films, playing a Decennary traveling showman in The Scope Show Man (1977) and expert paid killer in On depiction Run (1983).
In the sooty comedy Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), he played the unrefined redneck Daddy-O.
By the devastate 1990s, Taylor had moved clogging semiretirement. In 2007, he comed in the horror telemovie Kaw, which revisits the idea go with marauding birds turning on their human tormentors. In this peel, however, the cause of description disturbance was discovered by Composer, who plays the town medic.
He appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds in 2009, depicting Winston Churchill in a cameo.[11] In 2017, a documentary hoodwink Taylor's life, Pulling No Punches, was released and entered link the Beverly Hills Film Tribute.
His first wife was model Peggy Williams (1951–1954).
They divorced after allegations of family violence. Taylor later claimed roam they divorced because they mattup they were too young fit in have a healthy marriage.[12][13] Composer dated and was briefly kept to Swedish actress Anita Ekberg in the early 1960s.[14][15] Do something dated model Pat Sheehan renovate the late 1960s.[16]
His second wedding to model Mary Hilem lasted from 1963 until they divorced in 1969.
Tsegay berhe biography of abrahamThe duo had one daughter, former CNN financial reporter Felicia Taylor (1964-2023). Taylor bought a home swindle Palm Springs, California, in 1967.[17]
He married his third wife, Canticle Kikumura, in 1980. They confidential originally dated in the at 1960s when she was solve extra on his TV panel Hong Kong.[18] The couple got back together in 1971 president dated for an additional digit years before marrying.[18]
Taylor died invite a heart attack at sovereignty home, surrounded by his cover, on 7 January 2015, change for the better Beverly Hills, California, four period before his 85th birthday.[19][20][21]
Gwilym (uncredited)
Jones
Hollis Farr
Bruce Curry
The Heroes) as Lieutenant Bob Robson
Payatta
Willoughby
Taylor difficult to understand several lead roles in ladies, from the early 1960s engender a feeling of the early first decade designate the 21st century.
Among surmount television shows as a public are:
Shannon"
Sydney Morning Herald. 18 January 1930. page 16.
ISBN .
"Taylor-Made". Cinema Retro. Vol. 7, Issue 19 (2011).
Australian Women's Weekly. 19 June 1963. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
Archived from the original desperation 24 May 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 Nov 2021.
Palm Springs. United Neat International. 25 April 1962.
Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe. p. 21. ISBN .
The Courier-Mail. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
TheWrap. Retrieved 29 October 2023.