Ron Taylor (actor)

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Ron James Taylor (born October 16, 1952 in Galveston , Texas , † January 16, 2002 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor and singer .

Life

Taylor was born in Texas, but moved to New York City at the age of 19 to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts . After completing his training, he got the role of the cowardly lion in the US national theater tour of The Wiz , where he also met his future wife DeBorah Sharpe.

He had his breakthrough in 1982 in the first off-Broadway production of the musical Little Shop of Horrors , in which he was heard as the voice of the carnivorous plant Audrey II . The production was a great success and had a total of 2,000 performances. For this role Taylor and the puppeteer of the plant, Martin P. Robinson , received a Drama Desk Award for outstanding special effects .

Taylor's film career began in 1983 in The Soldiers of Fortune . He played supporting roles in numerous films and series such as Miami Vice and Matlock . In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , he played a Klingon chef in the episodes Melora and Playing God . At the Simpsons he was a spokesperson for Murphy bleeding gums . After his death, the episode The Sweet and Sour Marge was dedicated to him.

In 1987 Taylor began preparations for the musical It Ain't Nothing but the Blues , which was dedicated to the history of the blues. Taylor wrote the book for the musical with Charles Bevel , Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman . From the mid-1990s he toured with the show, which he also supported in production and live on stage. In 1999 the musical was successfully staged off-Broadway and shortly thereafter was staged on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater . The production earned the show four Tony Award nominations , including two for Taylor ( Best Supporting Actor in a Musical , Best Musical Libretto ). His performance was cut out of the broadcast due to the length of the show. Taylor suffered a minor stroke shortly afterwards. After his recovery, the show ran for another eight months.

As a singer he worked with Billy Joel , Bruce Springsteen , Etta James and others. a. together.

He died in January 2002 of complications from a heart attack. Taylor had been married to singer DeBorah Sharpe since 1977, with whom he had the son.

Filmography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Jesse McKinley: Ron Taylor, 49, Voice of Blues and a Plant, Dies . In: nytimes.com of January 26, 2002.
  2. ↑ Dennis McLellan: Ron Taylor, 49; Versatile singer and actor . In: latimes.com of January 25, 2002.
personal data
SURNAME Taylor, Ron
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Taylor, Ron James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and singer
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Galveston , Texas
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 2002
Place of death Los Angeles , California