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Name: Rod Taylor
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Date of Birth:
January 11, 1930
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Place of Birth:
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mini-bio:
Just as British-born James Stewart found it necessary to change his name to Stewart Granger upon embarking on an acting career, so too was Australian Robert Taylor compelled to choose another cognomen... read more upon entering show business. He tried Rodney Taylor at first, then shortened it to the more "macho" Rod Taylor. A trained painter, Taylor switched to acting in his early twenties, toting up Australian stage credits before making his first Aussie film, The Stuart Exposition, in 1951. A villainous stint as Israel Hand in the 1954 Australian/U.S. production Long John Silver gave evidence that Taylor might be able to handle leading roles. However, he was still among the supporting ranks in his first American film, The Virgin Queen (1955). Signed to a nonexclusive contract by MGM in 1957, Taylor was cast in predominantly American roles, and accordingly managed to submerge his Australian accent in favor of a neutral "mid-Atlantic" cadence; even when playing an Englishman in 1960's The Time Machine, he spoke with barely a trace of a discernable accent. His film career peaked in the early to mid 1960s; during the same period he starred in the TV series Hong Kong (1961), the first of several weekly television stints (other series included Bearcats, The Oregon Trail, Masquerade and Outlaws). He was so long associated with Hollywood that, upon returning to Australia to appear in the 1977 film The Picture Show Man, Taylor was cast as an American. Gaining a bit of avoirdupois in recent years, Rod Taylor has retained his rugged, robust features and has thrived in character roles as ageing, but still virile, outdoorsmen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Rod Taylor mini-bio: Suave and handsome Australian actor who came to Hollywood in the 1950s, and built himself up from a supporting actor into taking the lead in several well remembered movies. Arguably his most fondly remembered role was that as George the inventor in George Pal's spectacular The Time Machine (1960). As the movie finished with George, and his best friend Filby Alan Young seemingly parting forever, both actors were brought back together in 1993 to film a 30 minute epilogue to the original movie! Taylor's virile, matinée idol looks also assisted him in scoring the lead of Mitch Brenner in Alfred Hitchcock creepy thriller The Birds (1963), the lead role of Mike Mitchell in the romantic tale of Sunday in New York (1963), and another romantic lead opposite Doris Day in The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). Taylor also appeared in many westerns and action movies during the 1960s; however, none of them were much better than "B pictures" and failed to push his star to the next level. Aditionally, Taylor was cast as the lead in several TV series including "Bearcats!" (1971), "Masquerade" (1983), and "Outlaws" (1986); however, none of them truly ignited viewer interest, and they were canceled after only one or two seasons. Most fans would agree that Rod Taylor's last great role was in the wonderful Australian film The Picture Show Man (1977), about a traveling side show bringing "moving pictures" to remote towns in the Australian outback.
