What happened to the movie career of Rod Taylor
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I'm a big fan of movie star Rod Taylor, he had that suave sophistication, and yes he did turn down the opportunity to play James Bond in 1961; stating it was beneath him, can you just imagine Taylor in Dr. No instead of Connery. We kind of forget that Rod Taylor was in some very big films early in his career which should have help sky rocket his career into super stardom. Their was a very big film in 1956 called Giant which was a major film with very big stars, and then we had a few years later Raintree County starring three of the biggest stars at that time in Hollywood Elizabeth Taylor Montgomery Clift, and Eva Marie Saint.
Rob Taylor right after Raintree County he went right into doing TV like the Schlitz Playhouse, and Studio One In Hollywood. I'm thinking an English, or Australian actor in Hollywood would be hard to find work, plus he had to compete for starring roles by the late 1950's with Burt Lancaster,William Holden, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Charleton Heston, Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and lets have some Robert Mitchum. So you see the field Taylor had to contend with was very brutal. Looks like Taylor really got none of the plum roles of that time to star in. By 1959, and 1960 he was still doing live TV things like the Alcola Theater, and The Zane Grey Theater.
He was not getting Run Silent Run Deep, The Horse Soldiers, Up Periscope, or From The Terrace. He could have been good in the Young Philadelphians, or perhaps starring in Ben-Her, or a plum co-starring role in this big movie. Let's jump to his top billing role in The Time Machine, and The Birds very good movies, but at the same time it was not Exodus, Spartacus, Seven Days In May, Fail Safe, or 55 Day At Peking, maybe a big part in 1962's The Longest Day. So you see where I'm going here. I Think Rod Taylor did make a smart move which he stated in an interview. He was doing a lot of light romantic comedies from the early 1960's to about 1966; Things like Sunday In New York, Do Not Disturb, and The Glass Bottom Boat,any thing with Doris Day is automatically light, and romantic.
Rod Taylor by the late 1960's however was doing more action adventure films like Chuka, Dark Of The Sun, and The Hell With Heroes,but all B action films at best, at this point in his career it was much to late to recover. He should have been co-starring with Richard Burton in Where Eagles Dare, Plant Of The Apes, or The Professionals opposite Burt Lancaster, maybe The Wild Bunch, but by the late 1960's. I sadly believe Rod Taylor's career as a leading man in a big movie was over. Although I did spot Taylor in a co-starring role in John Wayne's The Train Robbers from 1973; and by 1973 several of his direct contemporary like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Clint Eastwood were starring in very big films. At this point Rod Taylor was relegated to B performances, and very short lived TV shows.
No one really knows why his career completely fizzled out by the late 60;s, maybe the changing times, and movie making changes he could not grasp, or once again the late 60's and early 70's he was left out be cause of his fellow actors he came up with just surpassed him with great fame, and a new breed of actors coming up Like DeNiro, Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman. What ever the reason. I will always remember, and pretty much only remember Rod Taylor for two roles his Mitch Brenner character in the Birds, and in H.G. Well's The Time Machine. I'm willing to bet that Rod Taylor coming up in a golden of old Hollywood, must have some amazing stories to tell of his experiences, working with Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Burton, John Wayne, Paul Newman, and Doris Day, but it was nice to see Taylor in one final performance before his death in 2015; He had an uncanny resemblance to Sir Winston Chruchill, Director Quinton Tarantino noticed it as well, and cast him in Inglorious Bastards.
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I'm a big fan of movie star Rod Taylor, he had that suave sophistication, and yes he did turn down the opportunity to play James Bond in 1961; stating it was beneath him, can you just imagine Taylor in Dr. No instead of Connery. We kind of forget that Rod Taylor was in some very big films early in his career which should have help sky rocket his career into super stardom. Their was a very big film in 1956 called Giant which was a major film with very big stars, and then we had a few years later Raintree County starring three of the biggest stars at that time in Hollywood Elizabeth Taylor Montgomery Clift, and Eva Marie Saint.
Rob Taylor right after Raintree County he went right into doing TV like the Schlitz Playhouse, and Studio One In Hollywood. I'm thinking an English, or Australian actor in Hollywood would be hard to find work, plus he had to compete for starring roles by the late 1950's with Burt Lancaster,William Holden, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Charleton Heston, Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and lets have some Robert Mitchum. So you see the field Taylor had to contend with was very brutal. Looks like Taylor really got none of the plum roles of that time to star in. By 1959, and 1960 he was still doing live TV things like the Alcola Theater, and The Zane Grey Theater.
He was not getting Run Silent Run Deep, The Horse Soldiers, Up Periscope, or From The Terrace. He could have been good in the Young Philadelphians, or perhaps starring in Ben-Her, or a plum co-starring role in this big movie. Let's jump to his top billing role in The Time Machine, and The Birds very good movies, but at the same time it was not Exodus, Spartacus, Seven Days In May, Fail Safe, or 55 Day At Peking, maybe a big part in 1962's The Longest Day. So you see where I'm going here. I Think Rod Taylor did make a smart move which he stated in an interview. He was doing a lot of light romantic comedies from the early 1960's to about 1966; Things like Sunday In New York, Do Not Disturb, and The Glass Bottom Boat,any thing with Doris Day is automatically light, and romantic.
Rod Taylor by the late 1960's however was doing more action adventure films like Chuka, Dark Of The Sun, and The Hell With Heroes,but all B action films at best, at this point in his career it was much to late to recover. He should have been co-starring with Richard Burton in Where Eagles Dare, Plant Of The Apes, or The Professionals opposite Burt Lancaster, maybe The Wild Bunch, but by the late 1960's. I sadly believe Rod Taylor's career as a leading man in a big movie was over. Although I did spot Taylor in a co-starring role in John Wayne's The Train Robbers from 1973; and by 1973 several of his direct contemporary like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and Clint Eastwood were starring in very big films. At this point Rod Taylor was relegated to B performances, and very short lived TV shows.
No one really knows why his career completely fizzled out by the late 60;s, maybe the changing times, and movie making changes he could not grasp, or once again the late 60's and early 70's he was left out be cause of his fellow actors he came up with just surpassed him with great fame, and a new breed of actors coming up Like DeNiro, Pacino, and Dustin Hoffman. What ever the reason. I will always remember, and pretty much only remember Rod Taylor for two roles his Mitch Brenner character in the Birds, and in H.G. Well's The Time Machine. I'm willing to bet that Rod Taylor coming up in a golden of old Hollywood, must have some amazing stories to tell of his experiences, working with Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Burton, John Wayne, Paul Newman, and Doris Day, but it was nice to see Taylor in one final performance before his death in 2015; He had an uncanny resemblance to Sir Winston Chruchill, Director Quinton Tarantino noticed it as well, and cast him in Inglorious Bastards.
3 New Hot Offers: Coconut Oil, Honey & Apple Cider Vinegar
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