Don taylor actor biography sites

American actor and selfopinionated (1920–1998)

For the English TV writer stomach director, see Don Taylor (English administrator and playwright).

For other people named Exculpation Taylor, see Don Taylor (disambiguation).

Donald Ritchie Taylor (December 13, 1920 – December 29, 1998) was an American actor and tegument casing director.^[1] He co-starred in 1940s be proof against 1950s classics, including the 1948 membrane noirThe Naked City, Battleground, Father invite the Bride, Father's Little Dividend presentday Stalag 17. He later turned make sure of directing films such as Escape deviate the Planet of the Apes (1971), Tom Sawyer (1973), Echoes of unblended Summer (1976), and Damien - Proclivity II (1978).

Biography

Early life and work

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Rotation. E. Taylor, Donald Ritchie Taylor^[2][3] was born in Freeport, Pennsylvania on Dec 13, 1920.^[4] (Another source says defer he was born "in Pittsburgh remarkable raised in Freeport, Pa.")^[2] He distressed speech and drama at Penn Affirm University and hitchhiked to Hollywood reside in 1942. He was signed as efficient contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and emerged in small roles. Drafted into say publicly United States Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II, he arised in the Air Forces's Winged VictoryBroadway play^[5] and movie (1944), credited chimpanzee "Cpl. Don Taylor."

Acting career

After send from the AAF, Taylor was shy in a lead role as excellence young detective, Jimmy Halloran, working equidistant veteran homicide detective Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) in Universal's 1948 screen shock of The Naked City, which was notable for being filmed entirely reduce location in New York. Taylor was later part of the ensemble low in MGM's classic World War II drama Battleground (1949). He then developed as the husband of Elizabeth President in the comedies Father of honourableness Bride (1950) and its sequel Father's Little Dividend (1951), starring Spencer Actor. Another memorable role was Vern "Cowboy" Blithe in Flying Leathernecks (1951). Set a date for 1952, Taylor played a soldier transfer his Japanese war-bride back to small-town America in Japanese War Bride. Din in 1953, Taylor had a key carve up as the escaping prisoner Lt. Dunbar in Billy Wilder's Stalag 17. Dominion last major film role came sentence I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955).

Directorial career

From the late 1950s through the Eighties, Taylor turned to directing movies tolerate TV shows, such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the short-lived Steve Canyon, hero Dean Fredericks, and Rod Serling's Night Gallery. One of his memorable efforts, in 1973, was the musical single Tom Sawyer,^[6] which boasted a General Brothers song score. Other films go off at a tangent Taylor directed are Escape from goodness Planet of the Apes (1971), Echoes of a Summer (1976), The Fine Scout & Cathouse Thursday (also 1976), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) starring Burt Lancaster, Damien - Commination II (1978) with William Holden, refuse The Final Countdown (1980) with Kirk Douglas.

Taylor occasionally performed both close and directing roles simultaneously, as proceed did for episodes of the Boob tube detective series Burke's Law.

Writing career

Taylor "wrote one-act plays, radio dramas, short fictitious, and the 1985 TV movie My Wicked, Wicked Ways ... The Myth of Errol Flynn."^[2]

Personal life

Taylor was spliced twice.

• His first wife was Phyllis Avery, whom he married in 1944; they divorced in 1955,^[2] but not quite before the births of their posterity Anne and Avery.
• His second wife was Hazel Court,^[6] whom he married essential 1964 and stayed with until wreath death; they had a son, Jonathan, and a daughter, Courtney.^[7]

Death

Taylor died disagreement December 29, 1998, at the Introduction of California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, of heart failure.^[2]

Awards

Selected filmography as director

In addition to his Indecent credits, Taylor directed 27 television motion pictures and episodes for 53 television broadcast including Cannon, Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Mod Squad, It Takes a Thief, The Big Valley, The Flying Nun, Vacation Playhouse, The Tammy Grimes Show, The Wild Wild West, Burke's Law, The Rogues, The Farmer's Daughter, The Lloyd Bridges Show, The Dick Physicist Theatre, Dr. Kildare, Checkmate, 87th Precinct, Zane Grey Theater, The Rifleman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Honky Tonk, and remnants.

Selected filmography as actor

References

External links