Don Taylor (American filmmaker)

Donald Richie Taylor (December 13, 1920 – December 29, 1998) was an American actor and film director.[1] He co-starred in 1940s and 1950s classics, including the 1948 film noir The Naked City, Battleground, Father of the Bride, Father's Little Dividend and Stalag 17. He later turned to directing films such as Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Tom Sawyer (1973), and Damien: Omen II (1978).

For the English TV writer and director, see Don Taylor (English director and playwright).
For other people named Don Taylor, see Don Taylor (disambiguation).
Don Taylor
Don Taylor in Father's Little Dividend (1951)
Born
Donald Ritchie Taylor

(1920-12-13)December 13, 1920
Freeport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 1998(1998-12-29) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor and film director
Years active1943–88
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1944; div. 1955)​

​
(m. 1964)​
Children4

Biography

Early life and work

The son of Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Taylor, Donald Ritchie Taylor[2][3] was born in Freeport, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1920.[4] (Another source says that he was born "in Pittsburgh and raised in Freeport, Pa.")[2] He studied speech and drama at Penn State University and hitchhiked to Hollywood in 1942. He was signed as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in small roles. Drafted into the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II, he appeared in the Air Forces's Winged Victory Broadway play[5] and movie (1944), credited as "Cpl. Don Taylor."

Acting career

After discharge from the AAF, Taylor was cast in a lead role as the young detective, Jimmy Halloran, working alongside veteran homicide detective Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) in Universal's 1948 screen version of The Naked City, which was notable for being filmed entirely on location in New York. Taylor was later part of the ensemble cast in MGM's classic World War II drama Battleground (1949). He then appeared as the husband of Elizabeth Taylor in the comedies Father of the Bride (1950) and its sequel Father's Little Dividend (1951), starring Spencer Tracy. Another memorable role was Vern "Cowboy" Blithe in Flying Leathernecks (1951). In 1952, Taylor played a soldier bringing his Japanese war-bride back to small-town America in Japanese War Bride. In 1953, Taylor had a key role as the escaping prisoner Lt. Dunbar in Billy Wilder's Stalag 17. His last major film role came in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955).

Directorial career

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

Taylor occasionally performed both acting and directing roles simultaneously, as he did for episodes of the TV detective series Burke's Law.

Writing career

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

Personal life
Don Taylor with Phyllis Avery, 1946

Taylor was married twice.

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

Death

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

Awards

Selected filmography as director

In addition to his Hollywood credits, Taylor directed 27 television movies and episodes for 53 television series 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 Powell Theatre, Dr. Kildare, Checkmate, 87th Precinct, Zane Grey Theater, The Rifleman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Honky Tonk, and others.

Selected filmography as actor
Year Title Role Notes
1943 The Human Comedy Soldier Uncredited
Salute to the Marines Brooks - Marine at Bridge Uncredited
Swing Shift Maisie Young Pilot Uncredited
Thousands Cheer Soldier at Train Station Uncredited
Girl Crazy Student Uncredited
1944 Winged Victory Danny 'Pinkie' Scariano
1947 Song of the Thin Man Buddy Hollis
1948 The Naked City Detective Jimmy Halloran
For the Love of Mary David Paxton
1949 Battleground Standiferd
1950 Ambush Lt. Linus Delaney
Father of the Bride Buckley Dunstan
1951 Submarine Command Lt. Peter Morris
Father's Little Dividend Buckley Dunstan
The Flying Leathernecks Lt. Vern 'Cowboy' Blithe
The Blue Veil Dr. Robert Palfrey
Submarine Command Lt. Cmdr. Peter Morris
1952 Japanese War Bride Cpt. Jim Sterling
1953 Destination Gobi Jenkins
The Girls of Pleasure Island Lt. Jimmy Gilmartin
Stalag 17 Lt. James Schuyler Dunbar
1954 Johnny Dark Duke Benson
The Men of Sherwood Forest Robin Hood
1955 I'll Cry Tomorrow Wallie
1956 The Bold and the Brave Sgt. Ewald 'Preacher' Wollaston
Ride the High Iron Sgt. Hugo Danielchik
1957 Love Slaves of the Amazons Dr. Peter Masters
1961 Savage Guns Mike Summers
1969 The Five Man Army Poker Player Uncredited, (final film role)

References
  1. Roberts, Jerry (5 June 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 584. ISBN 978-0-8108-6378-1.
  2. "Actor Don Taylor, 78, Also Directed Movies, Tv". Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Los Angeles Times. January 4, 1999. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  3. Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. 1. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 720. ISBN 978-1-5578-3551-2. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  4. "Don Taylor Expected To Visit in Freeport". Simpson's Leader-Times. Kittanning, Pennsylvania. July 10, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Don Taylor". Playbill. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  6. Kleiner, Dick (September 27, 1972). ""Tom Sawyer" family film even on set". Columbus Telegram. p. 34. Retrieved March 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Weiskind, Ron (January 1, 1999). "Longtime Hollywood actor, director raised in Freeport". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. B-7. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  8. "Awards Search: Don Taylor". Television Academy. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
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