Don Taylor (actor)

Don Taylor
Don Taylor in Father's Little Dividend (1951)
Born	Donald Ritchie Taylor (1920-12-13)December 13, 1920 Freeport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	December 29, 1998(1998-12-29) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart failure
Occupation	Actor, film director
Years active	1943-88
Spouse(s)	Phyllis Avery (m. 1944–55) (divorced) 2 daughters Hazel Court (m. 1964–98) (his death) 2 children (1 daughter, 1 son)

Phyllis Avery (m. 1944–55) (divorced) 2 daughters

Don Taylor (December 13, 1920 – December 29, 1998) was an American actor and film director. He co-starred in 1950s classics, including Stalag 17, Father of the Bride, and the 1948 film noir The Naked City. He later turned to directing films such as Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Tom Sawyer (1973), and Damien: Omen II (1978).

The son of Mr. and Mrs. D.E. Taylor, he was born Donald Ritchie Taylor in Freeport, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1920. (Another source says that he was born "in Pittsburgh and raised in Freeport, Pa.") He studied speech and drama at Penn State University and hitchhiked to Hollywood in 1942. He was signed as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in small roles. Drafted into the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II, he appeared in the Air Forces's Winged Victory Broadway play and movie (1944), credited as "Cpl. Don Taylor."

After discharge from the AAF, Taylor was cast in a lead role as the young detective, Jimmy Halloran, working alongside veteran homicide detective Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) in Universal's 1948 screen version of The Naked City, which was notable for being filmed entirely on location in New York. Taylor was later part of the ensemble cast in MGM's classic World War II drama Battleground (1949). He then appeared as the husband of Elizabeth Taylor in the comedies Father of the Bride (1950) and its sequel Father's Little Dividend (1951), starring Spencer Tracy. Another memorable role was Vern "Cowboy" Blithe in Flying Leathernecks (1951). In 1953, Taylor had a key role as the escaping prisoner Lt. Dunbar in Billy Wilder's Stalag 17. His last major film role came in I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955).