Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor (b. 1930) attended Parramatta High School before studying art at East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College. He began acting in radio productions, and appeared with Chips Rafferty in the film King of the Coral Sea (1954) before his portrayal of Israel Hands in the Australian/American co-production Long John Silver (1954) drew international attention. The following year he made his Hollywood debut in 20 th Century Fox's The Virgin Queen (1955). He went on to play leading roles in Giant (1956), co-starring James Dean and Rock Hudson, Raintree County (1957), with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, The Time Machine (1960), Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), Hotel (1967) and Zabriskie Point (1970). In 1977 he returned to Australia to appear, as an American character, in The Picture Show Man. He continues to appear in TV and film roles, and was recently in Australia to make Stephan Elliot's Welcome to Woop Woop (1997).

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