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Jack Taylor (American actor)

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Jack Taylor
Taylor in Succubus (1968)
Born
George Brown Randall

(1936-10-21) October 21, 1936 (age 88)
Oregon City, Oregon, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1960–2015

Jack Taylor (born George Brown Randall; October 21, 1936) is an American actor best known for starring in many European low-budget exploitation films of the 1970s, in particular several directed by Spanish cult filmmaker Jesús Franco.[1][2][3] Born in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Oregon City, Taylor began acting onstage as a child. In the 1950s, he began appearing in small roles on Los Angeles-based television series before moving to Mexico and starring in several films directed by Federico Curiel.

Taylor had several minor roles in films in the early 1960s, including Cleopatra (1963) and Custer of the West (1966) before having a lead role in Jesús Franco's Succubus (1968). Taylor subsequently relocated to Madrid, and appeared in numerous exploitation and horror films there, including Count Dracula (1970), Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion (also 1970), Female Vampire (1973), and Pieces (1982).

Taylor's later roles include 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate (1999), Daryush Shokof's A2Z (filmed 2004) and Miloš Forman's Goya's Ghosts (2006).

Early life

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Taylor was born George Brown Randall[2] on October 21, 1936 in Oregon City, Oregon,[4] a suburb of Portland. He began acting as a child, first appearing in a stage production of Macbeth.[5]

Career

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He adopted the stage name Jack Taylor and began his acting career in small roles in 1950s American TV shows such as The Jack Benny Program and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. He relocated to Mexico in the late 1950s and starred in a number of films for director Federico Curiel, often vehicles for the Mexican characters Nostradamus the Vampire and the superhero Neutron. Reportedly, he moved to Europe to appear in Elizabeth Taylor's epic Cleopatra (1963), but his small part ended up uncredited.

Taylor had a minor role in the international co-production sou Robert Siodmak's Custer of the West (1966).

In 1967, Taylor began his prolific collaboration with Jesús Franco in Succubus (1968, his first onscreen lead role) and Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion (1970).[6] He went on to play Quincey Morris in the 1970 Franco opus Count Dracula alongside Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Soledad Miranda and Klaus Kinski, before appearing in many of Franco's softcore films, most famously Female Vampire (1973) with Lina Romay.[7]

During this period, Taylor also co-starred with Spanish horror star Paul Naschy in Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf (1971) and The Mummy's Revenge (1975) and worked for director Amando de Ossorio on three occasions, on The Ghost Galleon (1974), Night of the Sorcerers (1974) and The Sea Serpent (1985). He appeared in León Klimovsky's The Vampires Night Orgy (1972) and the Italian giallo film Red Rings of Fear (1978). Juan Piquer Simón directed him in two films, a Jules Verne adventure film called Where Time Began (1978) and the gory cult film Pieces (1982).[8] Taylor next appeared as a priest in John Milius' Conan the Barbarian (1982).

José Ramón Larraz directed Taylor in two other Spanish slasher films: Rest in Pieces (1987) and Edge of the Axe (1988). He also had a supporting role in Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and later co-starred with Johnny Depp in Roman Polanski's horror film The Ninth Gate (1999).

He next appears in André Téchiné's Loin (2001), and Miloš Forman's Goya's Ghosts (2006). Taylor had a supporting role in Son of Cain (2013), followed by Grand Piano (also 2013), starring Elijah Wood and John Cusack.[9]

Select filmography

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1960 Neutron, the Man in the Black Mask
1960 Neutron vs. The Amazing Dr. Caronte
1960 Neutron vs. The Death Robots
1961 The Curse of Nostradamus
1962 Nostradamus, the Genie of Darkness
1962 Nostradamus, the Monster Demolisher
1963 Cleopatra Caesar's Slave
1964 Tomb of the Pistolero Herbert Brandon
1965 Fall of the Mohicans Duncan Edward
1966 Custer of the West
1967 Agente Sigma 3 - Missione Goldwather Charles Butler, Agent Sigma 3 Alternate title: Sigma 3
1968 Succubus William Francis Mulligan Alternate title: Necronomicon - Geträumte Sünden [10]
1969 Nightmares Come at Night Cynthia's Lover
1970 Count Dracula Quincey Morris [11]
1970 Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion Mirvel [12]
1971 Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf Henry Jekyll [13]
1972 The Vampires Night Orgy Luis [14]
1972 La venganza del Doctor Mabuse Dr. Mabuse aka Professor Farkas [15]
1973 The Killer is One of Thirteen Harlan
1973 Autopsy Dr. Azcona
1973 Tender and Perverse Emanuelle Michel Dreville
1973 Female Vampire Baron Von Rathony [7]
1974 The Ghost Galleon Howard Tucker Alternative title: Horror of the Zombies
1974 Night of the Sorcerers Prof. Jonathan Grant [16]
1975 The Mummy's Revenge Prof. Nathan Stern [17]
1975 Devil's Exorcist Dr. Beneau / Michele
1977 Sexy Sisters Dr. Charles
1977 Voodoo Passion Jack Haus
1977 Where Time Began Olsen
1978 Red Rings of Fear Parravicino
1978 Nathalie: Escape from Hell Lt. Erik Muller
1980 Vicious and Nude Juan
1982 Pieces Professor Arthur Brown [8]
1982 Conan the Barbarian Priest
1984 The Panther Squad Frank Bramble
1985 Angel of Death Aaron Horner
1985 The Sea Serpent Asesino Alternative title: Hydra
1987 Rest in Pieces David Hume
1988 Edge of the Axe Christopher Caplin
1988 Iguana Captain 'Old Lady II'
1989 Fine Gold Banquero 2
1992 1492: Conquest of Paradise De Vicuña
1999 Presence of Mind Father
1999 The Ninth Gate Victor Fargas [18]
2001 Loin James
2004 The Birthday Ron Fulton
2004 A2Z
2010 Agnosía Meissner
2013 Son of Cain Andrew Holsteter
2013 Grand Piano Patrick Godureaux [9]
2013 Presentimientos (Inside Love) Abel [19]
2014 Wax Dr. Knox

References

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  1. ^ "Q&A: Jack Taylor". spanishfear.com. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  2. ^ a b Belategui, Oskar (May 2, 2019). "Ser el malo siempre es mejor: la gente solo se acuerda de ti". El Correo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Weismann 2021, p. 118.
  4. ^ "Jack Taylor". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Andreu, Jerónimo (March 23, 2010). "En la cárcel de su misterio". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on August 16, 2019.
  6. ^ Young 2000, pp. 197, 438.
  7. ^ a b "Female Vampire". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Muir 2010, p. 344.
  9. ^ a b Twelftree, Rodney (2013). "Movie Review – Grand Piano". Fernby Films. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Young 2000, p. 438.
  11. ^ Young 2000, p. 115.
  12. ^ Young 2000, p. 197.
  13. ^ Young 2000, p. 169.
  14. ^ Young 2000, p. 468.
  15. ^ Thrower, Stephen (2015). Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco: Volume 1:1959-1974. Strange Attractor Press. p. 262. ISBN 978-1-907222-31-3.
  16. ^ Young 2000, p. 449.
  17. ^ Young 2000, p. 423.
  18. ^ Caputo 2012, p. 229.
  19. ^ Caviaro, Juan Luis (24 January 2014). "Estrenos de cine | 24 de enero | Von Trier y Spike Lee contra Hércules". Espinof.

Sources

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  • Caputo, Davide (2012). Polanski and Perception: The Psychology of Seeing and the Cinema of Roman Polanski. Bristol, England: Intellect Ltd. ISBN 978-1-841-50552-7.
  • Muir, John Kenneth (2010). Horror Films of the 1980s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-45501-0.
  • Weismann, Brad (2021). Lost in the Dark: A World History of Horror Film. Jackson, Mississippi: Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-496-83325-9.
  • Young, R. G. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. New York City, New York: Applause Books. ISBN 978-1-557-83269-6.
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