Actor. A handsome, rugged leading man who played in a wide range of motion pictures, he may be best remembered by movie audiences for the films "The Time Machine" (1960), "The Birds" (1963) and "Darker than Amber" (1970). Born Rodney Sturt Taylor, his father was a construction contractor, his mother wrote children's books and plays, Rod was initially interested in drawing and attended East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts College. After developing an interest in acting, he found parts in amateur theater productions and landed his first professional role in the George Bernard Shaw play "Misalliance." This led to radio work and later his casting in the Australian film "King of the Coral Sea" (1953). It would not take long for Hollywood to notice the young, brilliant performer and one year later (1954), he appeared in the American/Australian picture "Long John Silver." This was followed with roles in the high-profile films "Giant" (1956), "Raintree County" (1957) and "Separate Tables" (1958). He also made an impression on American TV and appeared in a 1959 episode of the series "The Twilight Zone" titled "And When the Sky Was Opened." Taylor played 'H. George Wells' in the film adaptation of the novel "The Time Machine" (1960) and showed his versatility, as he lent his voice for the character 'Pongo' in Walt Disney's animated picture "101 Dalmatians" (1961). Under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock, he was cast as 'Mitch Brenner' in the classic thriller "The Birds" (1963). During the 1960s, he had further notable credits with "The V.I.P.s" (1963), "Fate is the Hunter" (1964), "36 Hours" (1964), "The Glass Bottom Boat" (1966) and "Hotel" (1967). Taylor played the unofficial sleuth character 'Travis McGee' (based on the novels by John D. MacDonald) in "Darker than Amber" (1970). Over the next three decades, he remained active as he alternated between TV and films. He played the recurring part of 'Frank Agretti' in the TV series "Falcon Crest" (1988 to 1990). Taylor's final role was a cameo playing 'Winston Churchill' in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" (2009).