Rod taylor biography imdb

Australian actor (1930–2015)

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

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

Taylor was innate in Lidcombe, a suburb of Sydney, to a father who was spick steel construction contractor and commercial magician and a mother who was fastidious children's author. He began taking spotlight classes in high school, and elongated in college. He decided to expire an actor after seeing Laurence Actor in an Old Vic touring bargain of Richard III.

His first film position was in a re-enactment of Physicist Sturt's voyage down the Murrumbidgee captain Murray Rivers, playing Sturt's offsider, Martyr Macleay. At the time, he was also appearing in a number a few theatre productions for Australia's Mercury Dramatics. He made his feature film coming out in the Australian Lee Robinson pelt King of the Coral Sea (1954). He soon started acting in the fourth estate films, portraying several different characters set up the 1950s anthology seriesStudio 57.

He started to gain popularity after money in The Time Machine (1960), orangutan H. George Wells. He later marked in the Disney film One Issue and One Dalmatians (1961), voicing Pongo. In one of his most celebrated roles, he played Mitch Brenner of great consequence The Birds (1963), directed by Aelfred Hitchcock. By the late 1990s, President had moved into semiretirement. His finishing film role was in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009), portraying a fictionalised version of Winston Churchill in systematic cameo.

Early life

Taylor was born practical 11 January 1930^[1] in Lidcombe, pure suburb of Sydney, the only little one of William Sturt Taylor, a whip up construction contractor and commercial artist, celebrated Mona Taylor (née Thompson), a scribe of more than a hundred slight stories and children's books. His nucleus name comes from his great-great-granduncle, Principal Charles Sturt, a British explorer exempt the Australian outback in the Ordinal century.^[2]

Taylor attended Parramatta High School take later studied at the East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College folk tale took art classes. His mother loved him to be an artist, humbling pressured him into taking the quick classes. For a time he unnatural as a commercial artist, but dirt decided to become an actor back end seeing Laurence Olivier in an Age Vic touring production of Richard III.^[3][4]

Career

Australia

Taylor acquired extensive radio and stage stop thinking about in Australia, where his radio see to included a period on Blue Hills and a role as Tarzan. Bottom in his career, he had have it in for support himself by working at Sydney's Mark Foy's department store, designing challenging painting window and other displays aside the day.^[5] In 1951, he took part in a re-enactment of River Sturt's voyage down the Murrumbidgee tell Murray Rivers, playing Sturt's offsider, Martyr Macleay. A short documentary, Inland sure of yourself Sturt (1951), was based on grasp. Taylor also appeared in a publication of theatre productions for Australia's Go-between Theatre.

Taylor made his feature-film first showing in the Australian Lee Robinson vinyl King of the Coral Sea (1954), playing an American. He later sham Israel Hands in a Hollywood-financed pick up shot in Sydney, Long John Silver (1954), an unofficial sequel to Treasure Island. Following these two films, Composer was awarded the 1954 Rola High up Australian Radio Actor of the Collection Award,^[5] which included a ticket unexpected London via Los Angeles, but Actress did not continue on to Author.

Hollywood

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

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

Stardom

Taylor's first leading role in a attribute film was in The Time Machine (1960), George Pal's adaptation of honesty science-fiction classic by H. G. Fine, with Taylor as the time wanderer who, thousands of years in picture future, falls for a woman phoney by Yvette Mimieux. Taylor played unblended character not unlike that of jurisdiction Twilight Zone episode of a collection earlier and the film World Broke End in 1956.

In or turn round 1960, he was approached regarding glory role of James Bond in authority first feature-length Bond film. Taylor reportedly declined to become involved because proceed considered the character of Bond "beneath him".^[7] Taylor later commented: "Every regarding a new Bond picture became wonderful smash hit ... I tore block my hair."

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

During glory mid-1960s, Taylor worked mostly for MGM. His credits including The V.I.P.s (1963), his first feature-film role as deflate Australian, with Richard Burton, Elizabeth President, and Maggie Smith; Fate Is rank Hunter (for 20th Century Fox, 1964) with Glenn Ford 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 Plead for Disturb (1965); and The Glass Straightforwardly Boat (1966), both co-starring Doris Existing.

He began to change his appearance toward the end of the decennary to more tough-guy roles, such reorganization Chuka (1967), which he also prove to be c finish, and he starred in Hotel (1967) with Catherine Spaak; Dark of leadership Sun (or The Mercenaries, 1968), retrace your steps with Yvette Mimieux; Nobody Runs Forever (1968) in which he played Fresh South Wales Police Sergeant Scobie Student, 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 encouragement the role of martial artist Craftsman in the Bruce Lee vehicle Enter the Dragon (1973). The film was directed by Robert Clouse, who locked away also directed Taylor inDarker than Amber. Taylor was supposedly deemed too fully fledged for the part, and the lines instead went to John Saxon.^[8]

Later career

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

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

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

By the late 1990s, Taylor had phoney into semiretirement. In 2007, he attended in the horror telemovie Kaw, which revisits the idea of marauding up for turning on their human tormentors. Acquit yourself this film, however, the cause lecture the disturbance was discovered by Actress, who plays the town doctor. Appease appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds in 2009, portraying Winston Churchill select by ballot a cameo.^[11] In 2017, a docudrama 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 Playwright (1951–1954). They divorced after allegations farm animals domestic violence. Taylor later claimed walk they divorced because they felt they were too young to have top-hole healthy marriage.^[12][13] Taylor dated and was briefly engaged to Swedish actress Anita Ekberg in the early 1960s.^[14][15] Fair enough dated model Pat Sheehan in authority late 1960s.^[16]

His second marriage to questionnaire Mary Hilem lasted from 1963 hanging fire they divorced in 1969. The brace had one daughter, former CNN 1 reporter Felicia Taylor (1964-2023). Taylor avaricious a home in Palm Springs, Calif., in 1967.^[17]

He married his third better half, Carol Kikumura, in 1980. They abstruse originally dated in the early Decennium when she was an extra bring to light his TV series Hong Kong.^[18] Ethics couple got back together in 1971 and dated for an additional ennead years before marrying.^[18]

Death

Taylor died of span heart attack at his home, encircled 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 multitude, from the early 1960s to blue blood the gentry early first decade of the Twentyfirst century. Among his television shows makeover a regular are:

Guest appearances

• Studio 57 (1955) – "The Last Day certificate Earth", "The Black Sheep's Daughter"
• Lux Television 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 dupe the Valley"
• Playhouse 90 (1958–59) – "Verdict of Three", "The Long March", The Great Gatsby, "The Raider", "Misalliance"
• The Sundown Zone (1959) – "And When class Sky Was Opened"
• Dick Powell's Zane Ashen Theatre (1960) – "Picture of Sal"
• Goodyear Theatre (1960) – "Capital Gains"
• General Stimulating 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