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Grant Taylor (actor)

{{Short description|Australian actor (1917–1971)}}

{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{infobox person

| name = Grant Taylor

| image = Grant Taylor, circa 1940.png

| caption = Taylor in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940)

| birth_name = Ronald Grant Taylor

| birth_place = Newcastle upon Tyne, England

| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|12|6|df=y}}

| death_date = {{death date|1971|1|26|1917|12|6|df=y}}

| death_place = London, England

| occupation = Actor

| spouse = {{plainlist|

  • {{marriage|Margaret Haslett|1941|1946|end = divorced}}
  • {{marriage|Jean Bullen|1947|1956|end = her death}}
  • {{marriage|Beth Revenna|1958|1971|end = died}}

}}

| children = Kit
Duncan

}}

Ronald Grant Taylor (6 December 1917 – 26 January 1971He is buried in the Victorian Garden of Remembrance with the gravesite giving his service details from his time in the Australian army: Service Number: VX110733 Unit: 2/3 TANK ATTACK;REGIMENT R.A.A.) was an English-Australian actor best known as the abrasive General Henderson in the Gerry Anderson science fiction series UFO and for his lead role in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940).

Early life

Taylor was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in England, but moved to Australia with his parents as a child. For a time he worked as a professional boxer in Melbourne under the name of Lance Matheson. According to a later newspaper report, he had 70 bouts, lost eight and drew 11.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25814370 |title=The LIGHTHORSE Rides Again. |newspaper=The Mercury |location=Hobart, Tasmania |date=18 July 1940 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/good-sports-australian-athletes-act/|title=Good Sports: Australian Athletes Who Act|date=12 July 2019}} He reportedly also served in the Merchant Marine.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84600231 |title=Eureka Stockade star holidaying here |newspaper=Singleton Argus |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=11 August 1954 |accessdate=29 July 2019 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}

=Acting debut=

Cinesound Productions were looking for someone with wrestling skills to play the part of a gorilla in Gone to the Dogs (1939), so Taylor auditioned. He did not get the part but met Alec Kellaway who persuaded him to join Cinesound's Talent School.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17671857?searchTerm=%22dad%20rudd%20mp%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'New Romantic Lead', The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 15 February 1940, p24]

Ken G. Hall said that one of the problems of the Australian industry of this time was they "were consistently short of trained juveniles and ingenues".Ken G. Hall, Directed by Ken G. Hall, Lansdowne Press, 1977p 157 Cinesound in particular had a great deal of trouble finding male romantic leads. They either left to work in radio (Dick Fair), returned overseas (John Longden, Billy Rayes), left for overseas (Frank Leighton), or died (Brian Abbot). Cinesound Talent School was partly founded with an intention to rectify this.'Australians Seek Fame, 200 in Starlet School' Sunday Times (Perth), Sunday 30 June 1940 p6

Taylor's physique, good looks and charm saw Ken G. Hall cast him as the juvenile lead in Dad Rudd, M.P. (1940) opposite Yvonne East. The Sydney Truth later wrote:

Taylor... scored in the scenes of the flood, where, clad in oilskins, he shouted instructions above the torrent of the waters. He was happier in the romantic finale, too, than Australian leading men are wont to be. But lighting did not flatter his appearance, nor microphone his voice, in some of the early scenes.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169109476 |title=the Diary of a Talkie Tourist |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=16 June 1940 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=34 |via=National Library of Australia}}

=''Forty Thousand Horsemen'' and stardom=

Taylor was then selected by Charles Chauvel to play the lead role of 'Red' Gallagher in the war film Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940). Chauvel had cast Errol Flynn in his first lead role. His wife Elsa described Taylor as like "a big kid" on the set.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17679176 |title=Australian Films in the Making. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=11 June 1940 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=9 Supplement: Women's Supplement |via=National Library of Australia}} Charles Chauvel said "I consider Grant Taylor by far the best screen lead here."{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=27 July 1940|page=10|title=Making the Light Horse Film|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121411365/?terms=%22grant%2Btaylor%22%2B%22dad%2Brudd%22}} Taylor was paid £15 a week.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248365289 |title=Do film stars make too much money? |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |volume=XI |issue=210 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=23 November 1946 |accessdate=29 July 2019 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}

This movie was a massive international success and a Hollywood or English career beckoned, but Taylor elected to stay in Australia. Career-wise it proved to be a bad decision, as film production in Australia declined sharply with the advent of World War II and Taylor was unable to follow up his success immediately.{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/australian-movie-stars/|title=Australian Movie Stars|date=18 August 2019}} However, according to one historian, his "radio career advanced rapidly, particularly in Sydney where he not only turned in some memorable performances but earned himself a reputation as one of the wild and colourful characters of the 1940s and 50s."{{cite book|title=Drama in Silent Rooms: A History of Radio Drama in Australia from 1920s to 1970s|first=Peter|last=Philp|publisher=Eureka Media Communications|page=153}}

=Army service=

In April 1941 Taylor reportedly relocated from Sydney to his home in Melbourne, where it was announced he would focus on radio work.{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=16 April 1941|page=12|title=Leading film artist here|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/125625365/?terms=%22grant%2Btaylor%22%2B%22dad%2Brudd%22}} Taylor enlisted in the Australian army on 7 October 1942 at East Prahran. During the war he served as a military policeman, in the Army Amenities Unit based in Sydney{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55858994 |title=Queries answered. |newspaper=The Mail |location=Adelaide |date=26 May 1945 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}} and in the Australian Army Entertainment Unit alongside Smoky Dawson.{{cite web | url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/australian-biography-smoky-dawson | title=Australian Biography: Smoky Dawson | date=31 May 2022}} Part of his duties involved visiting the troops and touring the islands. He served in New Guinea and Borneo.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84600231 |title=Eureka Stockade star holidaying here |newspaper=Singleton Argus |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=11 August 1954 |access-date=9 June 2020 |page=1 |via=Trove}}

Taylor was given leave to appear in some propaganda shorts, such as While There is Still Time (1942), 100,000 Cobbers (1942), Another Threshold (1942) and South West Pacific (1943). He was allowed to appear in the feature The Rats of Tobruk (1944), which reunited him with Chauvel and Chips Rafferty.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168765209 |title=VARIETY. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=24 March 1946 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=32 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 1945, it was announced that he would star in another Chauvel film, Green Mountain, but by the time the movie was actually made in 1949 (as Sons of Matthew), he did not appear in it.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55861152?searchTerm=%22dad%20rudd%20mp%22&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'Questions', The Mail (Adelaide), Saturday 28 April 1945 p8] His final film made during his army service was Australia Is Like This (1945). He appeared in A Soldier for Christmas at the Minerva Theatre in Kings Cross.

Taylor was discharged on 26 February 1946 as a private in the 2/3 Tank Attack Regiment.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=512577 |title=War Service Record |access-date=8 November 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050428/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=512577 |url-status=dead}} In March 1946 it was reported he was back from service on Borneo and would recommence his acting career on ABC's Press Gang.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168765209 |title=VARIETY |newspaper=Truth |issue=2931 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=24 March 1946 |accessdate=5 September 2023 |page=32 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Post-War career

After the war Taylor was unable to consolidate his position as a film star, and saw the majority of leading man roles go instead to actors such as Charles Tingwell and Chips Rafferty. Filmink magazine later wrote a profile on the actor which asked " Why did Taylor go from a leading man to support player in such a short period of time? Did he deteriorate physically too much? Look too old? (He was only around 30.) Difficult to deal with? Did he charge too much money?"{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-aussie-filmmakers-grant-taylor-top-ten/|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=29 July 2019|title=Unsung Aussie Filmmakers – Grant Taylor: A Top Ten}}

However he remained busy as a character actor, and in radio and theatre. A review of a performance he gave in The Paragon in 1948 called him "a virile figure in the Clark Gable tradition, but is over-inclined to inflate his chest and growl menacingly through his teeth, a picturesque characteristic, but one which does not always lend itself to clarity of enunciation."{{cite magazine|magazine=The Bulletin|date=17 November 1948|title= "The Paragon."|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-552716651|page=24}}

He was a sergeant in Eureka Stockade (1949){{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/wrecking-australian-stories-eureka-stockade/|access-date=15 March 2025|date=15 March 2025|title=Wrecking Australian stories: Eureka Stockade}} – Rafferty had the leading role – and played a thug in The Kangaroo Kid (1950). He took part in the 1951 re-enactment of Sir Charles Sturt's journey down the Murrimbidgee River, playing Sturt – a film of this was made, called Inland with Sturt (1951). He had a role in another short, Far West Story (1952) then returned to lead roles when he played the title part in Captain Thunderbolt (1953). His co star in that film was Charles Tingwell who said "Grant was a tough man, yet he was very gentle. He was not one to get close to people, but he was loved by most in the acting profession."Philp p 579

Taylor was cast in a support role in a Hollywood film shot in Fiji, His Majesty O'Keefe (1954). The director, Byron Haskin, liked Taylor's performance and used him again as a pirate in Long John Silver, and its television spinoff, The Adventures of Long John Silver. His son Kit played Jim Hawkins. In 1954 he said his main hobbies were "a book and a bottle."{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article193957357 |title=Resemary Miller Likes Armidale |newspaper=The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 March 1951 |access-date=9 June 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove}}

Taylor was in two big stage hits, Dial M for Murder and Teahouse of the August Moon. In the late 1950s he appeared in several productions for the Elizabethan Theatre Trust, including The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day.{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|title=Forgotten Australian TV Plays – The Slaughter of St Teresa's Day|first=Stephen|last= Vagg|date=19 October 2020|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-plays-the-slaughter-of-st-teresas-day/}}

In 1959 Taylor appeared in a brief role in Stanley Kramer's On the Beach.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053137/fullcredits#cast. Retrieved 1 December 2007.] He played a mystery man in Smiley Gets a Gun (1958), and a policeman in The Siege of Pinchgut (1959).{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/wrecking-australian-stories-the-siege-of-pinchgut/|date=5 January 2024|access-date=5 January 2024|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=Wrecking Australian stories: The Siege of Pinchgut}} He was kicked in the head filming a brawl while making Smiley Gets a Gun and had to take off a number of days.{{cite news|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 December 1957|title=Actor Kicked in Head in Film Brawl Scene|page=5}}

He toured with a production of Fire on the Wind.

Taylor had several roles in Whiplash (1960–61). He then focused on theatre, touring the country in Two for the Seesaw (one review called him "an actor of considerable strength and presence"{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-684071772

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}), The Pleasure of His Company (1960), Bye Bye Birdie (1961), and Woman in a Dressing Gown (1962–63). In April 1963, John McCallum, head of JC Williamsons, said Taylor was one of three Australian actors who could "hold an audience in a starring part" in Australian theatre (the others were Kevin Colson and Jill Perryman).{{cite magazine|magazine=The Bulletin|first=Charles|last=Higham|date=20 April 1963|title= OUT AND ABOUT The Wooing of Aunt Edna "A kind of distinguished obscurity"|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-701256043|page=11}}

=Australian television=

Taylor made his live TV debut in Funnel Web (1962) for the ABC, playing a murderer. The Sydney Morning Herald called his performance "easy-limbed, masterful".[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19620426&id=EX5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9uUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5526,6215957 "Thriller Play on Channel 2"] Sydney Morning Herald 26 April 1962, accessed 15 March 2015 He had good roles in the TV plays Jenny (1962), Flowering Cherry (1963), The Right Thing (1964), and The One That Got Away (1964). In 1964 he appeared in the ABC-TV children's adventure serial The Stranger, Australia's first locally produced science fiction TV series,[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198246/ IMDb – The Stranger] which was also sold to the BBC. He was in an episode of Adventure Unlimited filmed in 1963.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-series-adventure-unlimited/|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=Forgotten Australian TV Series: Adventure Unlimited|date=6 May 2023}}

Return to the UK

Returning to the United Kingdom in early 1963, Taylor worked on the long-running medical drama Emergency Ward 10. This led to plenty of work in character roles, from Anglia TV's soap opera Weavers Green (where Taylor had a regular part{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47474722 |title=The Light Horseman rides again. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly | date=15 June 1966 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}) to The Avengers, The Troubleshooters and several Lew Grade-backed projects including The Champions. He also appeared in a British TV adaptation of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1964).

He appeared in a production of Twelve Angry Men on the West End and had a regular role in the TV series Weavers Green (1966){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105883080 |title=Australian Rod Taylor's BBC role |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=40 |issue=11,369 |date=20 January 1966 |accessdate=7 April 2017 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47474722 |title=The Light Horseman rides again |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=34 |issue=3 |date=15 June 1966 |accessdate=7 April 2017 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} He was a Scots border chieftain in the BBC's 1968 colour costume drama The Borderers.

A high-profile role for him was in the Gerry Anderson science fiction series UFO, where he played sometime-ally, sometime-antagonist General Henderson. His last appearance in the series was in the penultimate episode 'Mindbender', where he also appears as himself, acting the role of Henderson in the studio.

Taylor appeared in the big-screen adaptation of Quatermass and the Pit (1967) and in Calamity the Cow (1967) (with Phil Collins).

Personal life

In June 1941 Taylor married Margaret Josephine Haslett at St Joseph's Church, Malvern.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244991875 |title=Today's Weddings |newspaper=The Herald |location=Victoria, Australia |date=7 June 1941 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=12 |via=Trove}} (They were engaged in May.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8177705 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne|date=22 May 1941 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=6 |via=Trove}}) Shortly afterwards her mother in law moved in with them. They had one child, Christopher John (later known as Kit) born in April 1942.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65554498 |title=PERSONAL |newspaper=Benalla Ensign |location=Victoria, Australia |date=3 April 1942 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove}} Taylor went to Sydney in early 1942 to make a recruiting film and says when he returned his wife had moved out. He did not see her again until 1945, when she said she had no intention to return to him. Taylor was granted a divorce in 1946 with custody of their child going to Margaret.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145136997 |title=WIFE DESERTED ACTOR |newspaper=Daily Advertiser |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=28 September 1946 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=2 |via=Trove}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168778014 |title=Film Star Set Free |newspaper=Truth |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=29 September 1946 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=24 |via=Trove}} Margaret Taylor died in 1952.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206212191 |title=Advertising |newspaper=The Age |location=Victoria, Australia |date=24 July 1952 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=7 |via=Trove}}

In 1947 Taylor married Jean Ebsworth Bullen (née Hosking). It was later revealed that Jean and Taylor had an affair while she was married to her first husband, Walter Bullen; Jean and Bullen divorced in 1945.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248005432 |title=TODAY: Court Dramas |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=3 June 1945 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=23 |via=Trove}}

Jean and Taylor raised Kit, who became an actor, appearing with his father in Long John Silver.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50575142 |title=Kit, 12, £1000 a year star |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=8 April 1954 |access-date=25 June 2020 |page=3 |via=Trove}} Jean was fatally injured in an accident at their Potts Point home after she fell over on her way back from a party on 23 April 1956. She was taken to hospital and died five days later of bronchial pneumonia, aged 39.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0oJWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6eQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6968%2C6415431|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|title=Wife of Actor Dies After Fall|date=3 May 1956|page=8}}{{cite news|title=Death of Actors Wife|date=5 May 1956|page=5|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}}

He married a third time, Beth Revenna, and they had a son, Duncan, both in 1958.{{cite news|title=births|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 February 1958|page=38}} She died in 1989 in an accident.{{cite news|title=Deaths|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=29 June 1989|page= 19}}

Taylor died of cancer in 1971 aged 53.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/completebookofge0000bent/page/65/mode/1up?q=%22siege+of+pinchgut%22|page=65|title= The complete book of Gerry Anderson's UFO|last=Bentley|first= Chris|year=2006 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |isbn=9781905287222}}

Filmography

= Film =

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

{{div col end}}

= Television =

{{div col|content=

  • The Adventures of Long John Silver (1956–1957) – Patch
  • Whiplash (1961) – John Kerrabee / Horton / John Dundee
  • Funnel Web (1962, TV Movie)[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=22;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F25720-1%22;querytype=;rec=1;resCount=10 Funnel Web] at National Film and Sound Archive
  • Jenny (1962, TV Movie)
  • The Right Thing (1963, TV Movie){{cite web|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-television-plays-the-right-thing/|access-date=17 February 2025|date=17 February 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|title=Forgotten Australian Television Plays: The Right Thing}}
  • Flowering Cherry (1963, TV Movie)[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=4;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F25720-1%22;querytype=;rec=4;resCount=10 The Flowering Cherry] at National Film and Sound Archive
  • Adventure Unlimited (1963, Ep 6 "The Buffalo Hunters"){{Cite magazine |last=Vagg |first=Stephen |date=2023-05-06 |title=Forgotten Australian TV Series: Adventure Unlimited |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-tv-series-adventure-unlimited/ |access-date=2023-07-23 |magazine=FilmInk}}
  • The One That Got Away (1964, TV play)[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=29;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F25720-1%22;querytype=;rec=2;resCount=10 The One That Got Away] at National Film and Sound archive
  • The Villains (1964) – Jigger Jones
  • The Stranger (1964, TV Series) – Detective Inspector Chisholm
  • Emergency Ward 10 (1964) – Jim Singleton
  • Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1964, TV movie part of Thursday Theatre) – Ron Webber
  • The Saint (1964, all Australian episode directed by Leslie Norman with Ray Barrett) – Pete Grove
  • ITV Play of the Week (1964–1966) "Deep and Crisp and Stolen" (1964) (as an Australian criminal) "Breaking Point" (1965), "Variation on a Theme" (1966) – Defendant / Kurt / Danny / Bluey
  • Court Martial (1965) – Col. Hendrys
  • The Wednesday Play (1965–1966) – Colonel Lloyd Beacher, Prosecuting Officer / Sergeant Pender - "Pyre for Private James" (1966) - solder in the jungle with Nick Tate
  • Weavers Green (1966, regular for TV series) – Alan Armstrong{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105883080 |title=Australian Rod Taylor's BBC role. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=20 January 1966 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • BBC Play of the Month: Lee Oswald Assassin (1966)
  • Uncle Charles (1967) – Mr. Heavistone
  • Trapped (1967) – Captain Craig
  • Champion House (1967) – Harvey Kane
  • Escape (1967) – Brady
  • The Champions (1968) – General Winters
  • Sherlock Holmes (1968) – Neil Gibson
  • The Troubleshooters (1967–1969) – Jack Burns / Al Viner
  • Mogul (1967) – episodes "Twenty Years is No Time at All", "Thanks for Nothing"
  • City '68 (1968) – Mannering
  • Armchair Theatre (1968) - "Home Movies"
  • The Jazz Age (1968) – Mr. MacDougal
  • The Avengers (1968) – Merridon
  • The Borderers (1968) – Gilbert
  • Judge Dee (1969) – Yang Mai
  • ITV Playhouse (1969) – "The Friendly Persuaders" - Sir Terence Norrington
  • Detective (1969) – Arthur Kelstern
  • Doomwatch (1970) – Colonel Kramer
  • UFO (1970–1971) – Gen. James Henderson

}}

Select theatre credits

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-713656210

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Waste and Waists – musical revue, May 1941{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-539559658

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • A Soldier for Christmas – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, January 1945{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17940061 |title="A SOLDIER FOR CHRISTMAS". |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2 January 1945 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Parade of the Stars – special charity performance Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, Sept 1947
  • Woman Bites Dog – New Theatre, Sydney, August 1947{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161737585 |title=Theatre in Sydney. |newspaper=Le Courrier Australien |location=Sydney |date=8 August 1947 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Love from a Stranger – Minverva Theatre, Kings Cross, Sept 1948{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169374010 |title=Behind The Mike. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=29 August 1948 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=30 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-550689636

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-550404625

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • The Paragon – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, November 1948{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32153485 |title=DRAMA AT MINERVA. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 November 1948 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-550404706

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • A Kiss for Cinderella – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, December 1948{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18096502 |title=Barrie at Minerva. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=28 December 1948 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Streets of London – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, 20 December 1948{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18096259 |title=Melodrama Scores at Minerva. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 December 1948 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-550491463

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • The Gioconda Smile – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW – March 1949{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18106168 |title=Huxley Play Is Sermon With Thrills. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 March 1949 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-550491620

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Dark Enchantment – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross – June 1949{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130196915 |title=AUSTRALIAN PLAY 'NEEDS OVERHAUL'. |newspaper=The News |location=Adelaide |date=28 June 1949 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • See How they Run – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW, August 1949{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18472714 |title=MUSIC AND THE THEATRE. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=27 November 1949 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=6 Supplement: Features |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-551135690

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Pirates at the Barn – Minerva Theatre, Kings Cross, NSW – December 1949{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18145143 |title=Mosman Pirates in Play For Children. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=28 December 1949 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Two Mrs Carrolls – Sydney, Melbourne – June-Sept 1950 – with Elisabeth Bergner{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18480523 |title=MISS BERGNER-How She Keeps A Boyish-looking Line. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=16 July 1950 |accessdate=9 March 2014 |page=9 Supplement: Features |via=National Library of Australia}}{{Citation

| title=The bulletin

| date=1880

| publisher=John Haynes and J.F. Archibald

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-513896268

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • It All Takes Time – Sydney – June 1952 – Australian play about immigration{{Citation

| title=Pix

| date=1938

| publisher=Associated Newspapers Limited

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-464949018

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

Select radio credits

  • Capek in Wonderland (in Melbourne)
  • Inside Informer (in Melbourne)
  • Shadow and Substance (Jul 1941){{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-716941190

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Street Scene (Aug 1941){{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-716953465

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-716941211

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • The Squeaker (Dec 1941){{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-718748121

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • The Backburns Take Over (Dec 1941) – radio mystery written by Max Afford{{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-718748202

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-718748145

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Gentlemen, the King (Dec 1941){{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-718748184

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Devonshire Cream (Jan 1942){{Citation

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-724589481

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

| author1=Australasian Radio Relay League.

| title=The Wireless Weekly: The Hundred per Cent Australian Radio Journal

| publisher=Wireless Press

| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-725188140

| accessdate=24 March 2019

}}

  • Press Gang (1946) – ABC variety show
  • Invitation to Melody (April 1946) – variety show, Taylor was compere{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98378711 |title=RADIO HIGH SPOTS. |newspaper=Sunday Mail |location=Brisbane |date=7 April 1946 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Atlantic Show (Dec 1946) – with Bob Dyer{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22389236 |title=BROADCASTING PROGRAMMES. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=7 December 1946 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Good Friday (1947)
  • Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (Sept 1947) – with Muriel Steinbeck{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168782685 |title=Behind The Mike. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=14 September 1947 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=51 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The First Gentleman (Sept 1947) – 2UW{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168783316 |title=Behind The Mike. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=28 September 1947 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=51 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Shenandoah (Dec 1947) – the story of a Melbourne Cup winner{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43750485 |title=Exciting Racing Drama. |newspaper=The Advertiser |location=Adelaide |date=31 December 1947 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Romona (March 1948){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105745173 |title=Singing About The Weather on 2CH. |newspaper=The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers' Advocate |location=Parramatta, NSW |date=3 March 1948 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Egg and I (November 1948){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22697576 |title=RADIO NEWS. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=13 November 1948 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Men in White (November 1948){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43792138 |title=Pulitzer Play on 5 AD; A.B.C.'s "Magic Flute". |newspaper=The Advertiser |location=Adelaide |date=20 November 1948 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Nurse White (December 1948){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169381161 |title=Behind The Mike. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=12 December 1948 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=41 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Fortune's Wheel (March 1949) – a serial{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98288518 |title=RADIOPINION. |newspaper=Sunday Mail |location=Brisbane |date=13 March 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Seal Island (May, 1949){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134467705 |title=Radio Programmes Orchestral Concert, 2NC. |newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate |date=27 May 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Red Anemones (May 1949){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18467885 |title=Programmes on Your Radio. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=22 May 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Velvet Touch (November, 1949){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28665213 |title=Radio Programmes. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=6 November 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=11 Supplement: Features |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Big City
  • Body and Soul (February 1949) – with Ruth Cracknell{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18464167 |title=On Your Radio To-day. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=13 February 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Maltese Falcon (July 1949){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134464522 |title=Radio Programmes "Letters to a Lady" On 2NA To-night. |newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate |date=16 July 1949 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Doctor Paul (1949)
  • The Saxby Millions (1949)
  • Night Beat (1950)
  • The Battling Bensons (1950)
  • January's Daughter (1950)
  • Vengeance is Mine (1950)
  • The Last of Mrs Cheyney (Aug 1950){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18482096 |title=Programmes on Your Radio To-day. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=27 August 1950 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=11 Supplement: Sunday Herald Features |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Homecoming (October 1950){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167982558 |title=TODAY'S RADIO HIGHLIGHTS. |newspaper=The Truth |location=Sydney |date=22 October 1950 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=38 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Sturt Expedition (Jan-March 1951) – nightly updates from the re-enactment of Charles Sturt's journey
  • Vengeance in Mine (Nov 1951) – with Muriel Steinbeck by Tony Scott Veitch{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18487826 |title=Radio Notes. |newspaper=The Sunday Herald |location=Sydney |date=11 November 1951 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Black Lightning (1952)
  • The Harp in the South (1952)
  • Spies in Melbourne (July 1952) – with Ken Wayne, Ruth Cracknell{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143095129 |title=GUY CRITTENDEN'S 2WL RADIO ROUND-UP. |newspaper=South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus |location=NSW |date=7 July 1952 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=2 Section: South Coast Times AND WOLLONGONG ARGUS FEATURE SECTION |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Jay Martell Show (August 1952) – compere{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23189331 |title=TODAY'S RADIO PROGRAMMES. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=22 August 1952 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Saxby Millions (Sept 1952) – a serial{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23215891 |title=RADIO PROGRAMMES Two new serials and a play begin today. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=22 September 1952 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Mobilsong (Sept 1953) – a variety show{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50063715 |title=Mobilsong Radio of Famous Lives. |newspaper=The Barrier Miner |location=Broken Hill, NSW |date=4 September 1953 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Battling Bensons (Oct 1953) – a serial by Tony Scott Veitch{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51094988 |title=AUST SETTING IN SERIAL DRAMA. |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=29 October 1953 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • They Were Champions (Sept 1954) – he narrated the story of boxer Bob Fitzsimmons who was played by Rod Taylor{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50621055 |title=TO-DAY'S RADIO PROGRAMMES IN DETAIL. |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=17 September 1954 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • Strange Stories of the Sea (Sept – December 1954){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50614450 |title=TO-DAY'S FULL GUIDE TO RADIO. |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |location=Brisbane |date=9 December 1954 |accessdate=15 March 2015 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}
  • The Fire of Etna (1955)
  • Harry Dearth's Playhouse (1956)
  • The Hidden Truth
  • Shenandoah
  • The Wally Norman Show
  • Interpol Confidential (1961)
  • Overland Patrol (1965) - BBC radio series with Taylor in the lead as Constable Adam Strang although he was eventually replaced by Charles Tingwell in 1966

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{IMDb name|0852425}}
  • [http://www.ausstage.edu.au/indexdrilldown.jsp?xcid=59&f_contrib_id=227152&f_event_id=12161 Grant Taylor Australian theatre credits] at AusStage
  • [http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F25720-1%22;querytype=;resCount=10 Grant Taylor] at National Film and Sound Archive

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Grant}}

Category:1917 births

Category:1971 deaths

Category:20th-century Australian male actors

Category:20th-century English male actors

Category:Australian Army personnel of World War II

Category:Australian Army soldiers

Category:Australian male film actors

Category:English emigrants to Australia

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male television actors