When Rod Taylor died, his obituary described him as a “Hollywood powerhouse, a hard-drinking, womanizing and combative man who enjoyed candid interviews punctuated by four-letter words.” Ta.
The Australian actor's biographer Stephen Vagg said this was all true.
The Australian author of this book, “Rod Taylor, had a difficult life and liked women.'' “Rod Taylor: Australian in Hollywood” he told FOX News Digital.
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Rod Taylor, who co-starred with Tippi Hedren in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, passed away in 2015. He passed away at the age of 84. (Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions/Album/ALAMY)
“The obituary was correct,” Vagg said. “He was a typical Australian of his generation. He liked to drink. He started out in radio and a lot of actors would hang out at local bars between jobs…He was very sociable. “I was a very personable person, and I loved drinking.'' That's a big part of it. ”
Rod Taylor and Ahna Capri in a scene from the movie Darker Than Umber, circa 1970. (Stanley Bielecki Film Collection/Getty Images)
“He had a drinking problem,” Ms Vagg claimed. “A lot of actors of his generation did that, and back then it was… socially acceptable.
“He did a movie called 'The VIP' with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at the height of paparazzi mania, and apparently at 9 a.m. everyone was throwing back whiskey…that's not true. It was the era.”
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton co-starred with Rod Taylor in 'The VIPs' (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Taylor's rugged good looks led him to star in films ranging from westerns to romantic comedies. He got his break in 1960's “The Time Machine,” but then went on to star in the 1963 horror movie classic “The Birds.”
Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted to cast British-born actor Cary Grant in The Birds. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“The role was originally written for Cary Grant,” Vagg explained. “Every time Alfred Hitchcock writes a movie, I think… [went]”Let's write for Cary Grant.” However, hiring Cary Grant cost a lot of money, so [the studio] We chose the cheaper option…the rod was well known but not a big star. They cast him. ”
“The lead female role was written for Grace Kelly, who had retired by that time,” Vagg said. “She was married to Prince Rainier of Monaco. [and] She won't come out of retirement. That's where Hitchcock discovered Tippi Hedren. ”
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Steven Vagg spoke to multiple sources for his book, including Tippi Hedren. Rod Taylor knew a book was being written but declined to participate. (Universal Studios/Getty Images)
In his book, Vagg interviewed the 94-year-old actress, who is also the mother of Melanie Griffith and grandmother of Dakota Johnson.
“She was very respectful of Rod for helping her because she was a newcomer,” Vagg said. “He really helped her out. I think they had great chemistry in the movie. It was tough filming because she was new, but we had to deal with a lot of things like being attacked by birds. I had to put in the time.”
British director Alfred Hitchcock holds a stuffed crow in a promotional portrait for his film The Birds. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
“And I think Rod fits in very well with the world of Alfred Hitchcock…It's such a shame that he and Hitchcock never worked together again,” Vagg added.
Tippi Hedren has praised Rod Taylor for supporting her on the set of The Birds. (John Springer Collection/Corbis, via Getty Images)
As Taylor's fame skyrocketed, his tough-guy qualities caught the attention of actresses and he became a busy Hollywood bachelor.
“He was a very handsome man,” Vagg said. “He parlayed that into Hollywood. I think it's fair to say he lived a very active bachelor life for a long time. He married several times before finding the right mate. It took a while, but sometimes things like that happen.”
A woman sits on Rod Taylor's back in a scene from the 1970s movie “The Man Who Had Power Over Women.” (AVCO Embassy/Getty Images)
“Rod Taylor had a number of high-profile romances,” Vagg said. “One of the big moments at the time was working with Anita Ekberg, who is best known for dancing at the Trevi Fountain in La Dolce Vita.
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At one point, Rod Taylor was engaged to Anita Ekberg. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 83. (Tom Kelly/Getty Images)
“They were engaged, fought a lot in public, had paparazzi chasing them… They were a combustible couple… There was a lot of excitement, but a lot of ups and downs. In the end, both of them I just couldn't keep it up.'' But as soon as we broke up, we both got engaged to other people. ”
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“He also had an affair with Maggie Smith, which is a little known fact,” Vagg said of Maggie Smith, who died in September at the age of 89.
“She's not the person you associate with her, but like many people, he was in awe of her talent,” Vagg said. “He said he fell in love with her and was going to marry her, but she didn't want it.
“He was a very handsome guy, and he took that to his advantage in Hollywood. I think it's fair to say that he lived a very active bachelor life for a long time.”
Maggie Smith and Rod Taylor starred in 1965's Young Cassidy. (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
“He also had a relationship with Francis Nguyen…and with a lot of his other co-stars…he was a handsome guy who was a Hollywood movie star. I think that gives you a lot of opportunities, and he… 'They spent a lot of money. “
Steven Vagg's book 'Rod Taylor: Hollywood's Australian' has been published. (Bear Manor Media)
Taylor was romantically linked to Inger Stevens, Merle Oberson, Nikki Schenk, Rhonda Fleming, Tula Satana, and Nicola Michaels, just to name a few.
His third marriage to Carol Kikumura lasted from 1980 until her death in 2015, but before that Taylor was “committed and shy” and preferred “casual romance on movie sets.” It was praised.
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Rod Taylor holds actress Yvette Mimieux in his arms, circa 1960. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Taylor's rough-and-tumble personality even made him a candidate for the role of 007, at least according to him.
“Rod Taylor always said he wanted to play James Bond,” Vagg said. “I don't know how seriously he was considered. I think a lot of people were considering him at the time. He certainly wasn't one of the frontrunners.”
Scottish actor Sean Connery plays James Bond. Rod Taylor once claimed he was considering the role of 007. (Getty Images)
“He was on a TV show called 'Hong Kong'…It only aired for one season, but it was very popular…He played this sophisticated journalist in Hong Kong. “This is a very good James Bond trial. You look at it and you say, “I can see what he thought.''
Rod Taylor starred in the TV series “Hong Kong,'' which was also popular in his native Australia. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
He voiced Pongo in the 1961 Disney film 101 Dalmatians.
During her reign in Hollywood, Taylor also developed a close bond with John Wayne, her co-star in 1973's The Train Robbers.
“We both liked to drink, we both liked to talk, we both liked to play poker,” Vagg said. “John Wayne regularly beat Rod Taylor at poker and forgave his debts. They were very close. They were both very loud… They liked to drink all night, play poker, and have a good time… They remained friends until John Wayne's death in 1979.
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The cast of “The Train Robbers,'' from left, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Rod Taylor, Ann-Margret, and John Wayne. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis, via Getty Images)
“It was two men. [who] He loved life,” Vagg added.
When her film career began to decline, Taylor turned to television. He also began producing and co-producing subsequent films and television shows, carefully investing the proceeds in safe securities to ensure a comfortable retirement.
In later years, Quentin Tarantino persuaded Taylor to come out of retirement to play Winston Churchill in Inglourious Basterds.
Rod Taylor and his wife attend an Ireland Fund event honoring Gene Kelly on November 8, 1990 in Beverly Hills, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“Rod Taylor's last years were happy,” Vagg said. “At that time, he finally found true love with his wife…He lived a hard life…Many of his contemporaries died young because they didn’t value themselves very much. In particular, his wife Carol was a dancer, and I think she introduced him to yoga and fed him well.”
Rod Taylor was part of the Australian-New Zealand invasion of Hollywood that later produced actors such as Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Nicole Kidman (born in Hawaii to Australian parents), Geoffrey Rush, and Russell Crowe. He was a pioneer. (John Springer Collection/Corbis, via Getty Images)
“He was happy the last few years,” he said. “He was also fixated on a lot of money…he was smart enough to do it. A lot of movie stars at the time weren't, but he was able to do it. .”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
