Australian actor Rod Taylor, best known for his starring roles in The Birds (1963) and The Time Machine (1960), died on Wednesday, his daughter tells the Los Angeles Times. He was 84, a few day shy of his 85th birthday. Along with playing lawyer Mitch Brenner across from Birds actress Tippi Hedren, Taylor acted in dozens of movies and TV shows, including recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, Falcon Crest, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He was also the voice of Pongo in the original 101 Dalmatians.
Taylor is survived by wife Carol Kikumura and daughter Felicia Taylor. Below, you can watch Taylor in his last role, as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). --Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Sudan's forgotten pyramidsUnder the Radar Brutal civil war and widespread looting threatens African nation's ancient heritage
-
'Being more nuanced will not be easy for public health agencies'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Where did Democratic voters go?Voter turnout dropped sharply for Democrats in 2024
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter, is dead at 88Speed Read The musician wrote hit songs for Janis Joplin and Johnny Cash before starring in Hollywood movies
-
Shannen Doherty, star of '90210,' dies at 53Speed Read The 'Charmed' actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
