Double-Accoladed Actors part…2

Two weeks ago I promised a second part to the blog I wrote on Actors who have been nominated for an Oscar for playing the same character twice in two different films. Please feel free to continue the dialogue on this interesting segment of the acting community!

• Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in Rocky (1976), portraying the leading role of Rocky Balboa. The film earned him Oscar nominations for his Acting performance as well as his Original Screenplay, though Stallone lost both awards to Network (1976): Peter Finch for his Acting performance and Paddy Chayefsky for Original Screenplay. In “Rocky,” Stallone also served as the boxing choreographer, and was generous enough to give bit parts in the film to his father and his brother, who share the name Frank, and his dog, Butkus. In addition to being one of the six actors nominated twice for playing the same character, Stallone is also the third person to be nominated for acting and writing in the same year, following Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940) and Orson Welles in Citizen Kane (1941). Stallone currently is the record-holder for the most years in between nominations for playing the same character in a gap of 39 years, recreating the “Balboa” role in Creed (2015), in which he was nominated in the supporting category. He was defeated yet again by Mark Rylance for Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies (2015).
• Paul Newman originated the role of “Fast Eddie” Felson in The Hustler (1961). Before Newman was cast in this film, ironically, he had never held a pool cue. It was because of this that he took out the dining room from his home and installed a pool table—so he could spend literally every hour practicing and do all of his own shots in the film. At one point, he even challenged co-star, Jackie Gleason, who in reality was a much better pool player, to a $50 bet on a pool game. Although Gleason won, and Newman paid him the next day with a total of 5000 pennies, Gleason and Newman did become close friends and Newman was able to improve on his own skills while making the movie. Newman later went on to recreate the role 25 years later in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986). Newman said that he felt that Scorsese was the right person to direct the sequel because he liked the way Scrosese directed Raging Bull (1980) six years earlier. “Raging Bull,” is a biopic on boxer, Jake LaMotta, who was impersonated in the film by Robert DeNiro who won an Oscar for the performance, though the real LaMotta, ironically, appeared as a bartender in “The Hustler.”
• Cate Blanchett first played the role of Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998). At the time, Cate Blanchett wasn’t internationally known as a movie star, though that was remedied as a result of this one. Ironically, in 1998, Dame Judi Dench was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for her 8-minute portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998). Although Blanchett lost the Leading Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow for her portrayal of Viola De Lesseps in “Shakespeare in Love,” Dench won. (Coincidentally, this movie also starred Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush who also appeared in “Shakespeare in Love,” and both films were nominated for Best Picture as well. “Shakespeare” won.) Blanchett reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth I 19 years later in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). This nomination made Blanchett the only woman to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same character in two different movies. Although she lost the award to Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose (2007), she won for the first time as Best Supporting Actress for her impersonation of Katharine Hepburn in Scorsese’s The Aviator (2004) and the second time in the Leading Category for her portrayal of Jasmine in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013). To this day, Blanchett is also the only Oscar-winning actress ever to win an Oscar for impersonating another Oscar winner.  

Wayne + Russi = Mickey and Minnie

1977. The release year for films such as The Rescuers, Freaky Friday, Pete’s Dragon, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It was also the year the Disney Studios was looking for a new voice talent for Mickey Mouse—after the retirement of the studio’s Sound Effects Head, Jimmy MacDonald, who had voiced the character since 1947, and had assumed the role from Walt Disney himself. 

The studio hired Wayne Allwine, who began his career working in the Disney Studio mailing room, and later in the sound effects department under MacDonald’s mentorship. Allwine made his debut as Mickey Mouse in The All New Mickey Mouse Club in 1977, the first television revival of the Original Mickey Mouse Club (It aired on television from 1955-1958). Allwine’s first theatrical appearance as Mickey happened in 1983 when Disney produced Mickey’s Christmas Carol in which Mickey Mouse portrays Bob Cratchit.

Russi Taylor, on the other hand, began her career voicing the baby from Ted and Georgette’s marriage on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977). She also voiced Strawberry Shortcake in the characters first six original television specials. She won the role of Minnie Mouse in 1986, (succeeding Ruth Gordon and Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson’s voice)), beating more than 200 actresses for the part! Her debut as Minnie was in a special called DTV: Doggone Valentine in 1987. She met Allwine, at a recording session for a television special called Totally Minnie which aired in 1988. 

Surprisingly, Taylor and Allwine fell in love—and became husband and wife in 1991. Together, they began voicing Minnie and Mickey together on a regular basis, from the television show Disney’s House of Mouse (2001-2003) to the direct-to-video movies Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas (1999) and Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (2004) to the Magic Kingdom Park Atrraction, Mickey’s Philhar Magic, which opened at the Magic Kingdom in 2003. Taylor also succeeded Clarence Nash as the voice of Donald Duck’s three nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, in the series DuckTales (1987-1990).

Besides Mickey, Wayne Allwine also voiced the Horned King’s Guards in The Black Cauldron (1985), and one of Professor Ratigan’s cronies in The Great Mouse Detective (1986). Around the time he voiced Mickey, Allwine also lent his talents as a sound effects editor to Disney/Touchstone-produced films such as Splash (1984) and Three Men and a Baby (1987). He continued to voice the character of Mickey Mouse for a total of 32 years until his untimely death on May 18th, 2009, due to acute diabetes, at the age of 62. His last performances as Mickey were in the video game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and in the “Goofy Babysitter,” episode of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which aired on television in 2011. Both programs of which were dedicated in his memory.

Around the time that she got the part of Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor also succeeded Clarence Nash as the voice of Donald Duck’s three nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie in ‘86. Besides that, she lent her voice to several direct-to-video sequels: Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True (2002), The Fox and the Hound 2 (2006), Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time (2007). In addition, she had voice parts on the television shows: Jake and the Neverland Pirates (2011-2016) Sofia the First (2012-2018). In addition to all of her Disney roles, Taylor also voiced Pebbles Flintstone in The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1980) and the character of Martin Prince in The Simpsons (1989-present). Taylor voiced the character of Minnie Mouse for a total of 33 years before she passed away of colon cancer on July 26, 2019 at the age of 75.

The romantic relationship of Mickey and Minnie Mouse represents a huge part of the legacy of Disney and it continues to stand the test of time. From the time they debuted together in the short Plane Crazy in 1928, to their more recent appearance together in the ABC television special Mickey’s 90th Spectacular in 2018, Allwine and Russell were a classic pair. Walt Disney is started their life together, but it was Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor who made the magic last! 

Double-Accoladed Actors part…1

Throughout the history of Hollywood, many actors have created outstanding performances on screen and been rewarded with an Oscar. Did you know, however, that six of those actors reprised their role in “sequels” to the original films, AND received an Oscar nominations for both performances? In this blog, I’d like to tell you all about some of those actors containing next week. Please feel free to comment on anything interesting! 

• Bing Crosby was the very first actor to be nominated for an Oscar twice for creating the role of Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of Saint Mary’s (1945). He won the Best Actor Oscar for “Going My Way,” in which he starred opposite Barry Fitzgerald and Gene Lockhart. Barry Fitzgerald received a Lead and a Supporting Nomination for his performance as Father Fitzgibbon (which is the only time that has happened and is no longer possible due to Academy guidelines). Crosby reprised the role of Father O’Malley the following year in “Bells,” starring opposite Ingrid Bergman, who also received an Oscar Nomination for her performance as Sister Mary Benedict. During the production, there was a Catholic Priest who helped oversee the production and at one point, Crosby and Bergman pranked him as they shot the ending scene where Father O’Malley and Sister Mary Benedict said their last goodbyes. As they were shooting Crosby and Bergman embraced in a passionate kiss which made the priest jump up shouting in protest.
• Peter O’Toole became the second actor to receive two Oscar nominations for playing the same character in different movies when he played King Henry II in Becket (1964) and then again in The Lion in Winter (1968). In “Becket,” O’Toole wore a crown entirely made of cardboard. He also appeared opposite his then-wife, Sian Philips who played Gwendolen in the film. In “Lion in Winter,” O’Toole appeared alongside Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine who won her third Best Actress Oscar for the film. Hepburn criticized O’Toole for occasionally appearing drunk on the set, as well as co-star Anthony Hopkins, who was only five years younger than O’Toole, even though they played father and son. Despite that, Hepburn did enjoy working with O’Toole, and said that “his energy and vigor helped restore her own vitality at a time when she really needed it.”
• Al Pacino created the character of Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and again in The Godfather: Part 2 (1974). The first time he was nominated in the supporting category against his co-stars, Robert Duvall and James Caan as Tom Hagen and Santino “Sonny” Corleone. Pacino boycotted the Oscars due to anger for being nominated in the supporting category instead of lead, protesting that he was onscreen longer than Marlon Brando. All three were beaten that year by Joel Grey for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret (1972), which Grey had also performed on Broadway. For the second film, Pacino was nominated for his performance in the leading category, though he lost again that year to Art Carney in Harry and Tonto (1974). While Robert De Niro took home the Oscar in the supporting category for his performance as the young Vito Corleone, Al Pacino’s overdue Oscar wouldn’t come until 18 years later for his leading performance in Scent of a Woman (1992). He was also nominated that year for his supporting performance in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).              

Our tribute to actors being recognized for creating the same characters in different films continues next week!

John Candy: A Teddy Bear of a Comedian

He made us laugh like crazy in all kinds of comedies throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Stripes (1981), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), and Home Alone (1990) to name a few, playing clumsy, but likable guys in pretty much every one of them. Originating from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, he performed on Canadian television and was the co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for three years. He even made two films for the Walt Disney Studios. He is none other than John Candy!

John Franklin Candy was born on October 31st (Halloween Night), 1950 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. He was raised in a working-class Roman Catholic family, and after graduating from Neil McNeill Catholic High School, he enrolled in Centennial Community College to study journalism. It was there, however, that he discovered that the also had an interest in performing, deciding to to pursue that instead and at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

In his early 20s, he guest starred on Canadian-produced television shows called Cucumber (1970) and Police Surgeon (1971-1975). His big break, however, came at the age of 27, when he officially became a member of the Toronto branch of the comedy troupe, The Second City. Many of the other members of the troupe would became lifelong friends of his, i.e.: Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis. Candy and his Toronto Second City colleagues collaborated with Andrew Alexander to create the show SCTV (1976-1981). 

John Candy made his film debut in an uncredited appearance in a comedy called Class of ’44 (1973). His first credited film appearance, however, was alongside pal Dan Aykroyd in Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979). He landed another role the following year in The Blues Brothers (1980), reuniting him with Aykroyd; and then he starred as Ox alongside Bill Murray and Harold Ramis in Stripes (1981). He later reunited with his Second City alumni for the show SCTV Network (1981-1983), before he landed the role of Tom Hank’s womanizing brother, Freddie Bauer, in Ron Howard’s Splash (1984), the first film ever produced by Disney’s spin-off label, Touchstone Films. Many have argued that this is the role that made John Candy a superstar. He had originally wanted to play the role of the villainous Dr. Walter Kornbluth in the film, though Ron Howard convinced him to play Freddie instead. As a result, Candy suggested Eugene Levy for Walter. Around the time of “Splash,” Columbia offered him the role of Louis Tully in Ghostbusters (1984). He considered it, but ultimately declined, believing that his buddy Rick Moranis would be a much better fit for the role.      

John Candy’s first role as a leading man was in Summer Rental (1985), directed by Carl Reiner. Two years after that, he made his very first collaboration with comedy writing/producing/directing legend John Hughes in Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), which would also be his first official pairing with Steve Martin. Martin and Candy previously appeared in Warner Bros. film adaptation of the off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors (1986), which also featured Bill Murray and Rick Moranis, though their scenes were not together. Since making “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” both Martin and Candy have stated that the film is the favorite of both of their careers. ’87 continued as a busy year for Candy, because with the role of Barf in Mel Brooks’s Spaceballs. In ’88, John Candy reunited with Hughes and Aykroyd in The Great Outdoors as Chet Ripley (written and produced by Hughes, and directed by Howard Deutch). Candy also made a cameo as Chet in She’s Having a Baby (1988), which was also written, produced, and directed by John Hughes.

Candy made his fourth collaboration with John Hughes in Uncle Buck in 1989, which also starred Macaulay Culkin. Prior to that, he was offered the role of Wayne Szalinski by Disney, once again declining in favor of Moranis. He ultimately accepted Disney’s offer to voice the cartoon character of Wilbur the Albatross of Albatross Airlines in The Rescuers Down Under (1990), the sequel to The Rescuers (1977). That same year, he played the role of Gus Polinski, Polka King of the Midwest, in Home Alone (1990), his fifth collaboration with John Hughes. It also reunited him with Catherine O’Hara and Macaulay Culkin. Ironically, both “Rescuers Down Under,” and “Home Alone,” were released on November 16th.  

During “Home Alone,” Candy became close with director Chris Columbus and it wasn’t long before they were working together again on Only the Lonely (1991) which was written and directed by Columbus and also featured Macaulay Culkin and his younger brother, Kieran, along with Ally Sheedy, Jim Belushi, and Silver Screen Legends, Anthony Quinn and Maureen O’Hara. While filming on location in Chicago, Candy noticed that he was staying in a much bigger trailer than Maureen O’Hara. Bothered by that, he asked the production team why that was the case, and they explained that there wasn’t enough money in the film’s budget for him and O’Hara both to have big trailers, so purely out of generosity, he traded trailers with O’Hara. 

The same year as “Only the Lonely,” Candy starred in the film JFK, which received a Best Picture Oscar Nomination. ’91 was also the year that he, along with Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall, became co-owners of the Toronto Argonauts. Candy, Gretzky, and McNall worked together on signing some of the team’s most valuable players, including wide receiver Raghib Ramadian “Rocket” Ismail, and they were over the moon when the Argonauts took home the 1991 Grey Cup. Candy didn’t completely shy away from making movies though, starring in Disney’s Cool Runnings in 1993 and making his directorial debut in 1994 in Hostage For a Day which starred George Wendt.

John Candy tragically died of a heart attack at the age of 43 on March 4th, 1994. At the time, he was in Durango, Mexico shooting the movie, Wagons East (1994). Prior to going there, he spoke to good friend Catherine O’Hara that he was afraid about going to Mexico because he had a gut feeling that “something bad is going to happen there,” and that was the last time they spoke. “Hostage For a Day” and “Wagons East,” were both released after his death, along with another film called Canadian Bacon (1995), which was a reunion for him with Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. All of his best friends were in attendance at his funeral and eulogies were delivered by both Aykroyd and Catherine O’Hara. At the time of his death, Disney had also recorded a great deal of his voice for the character of Redfeather the Turkey in Pocahontas (1995), but the character was deleted from the film after his unfortunate death. 

25 Facts You Might or Might Not Know About The Lion King

On June 24th, 1994, Walt Disney Animation Studios released their original version of The Lion King. The film received universal acclaim and became the highest-grossing motion picture of 1994 worldwide. On July 19th, 2019, Disney will release a readaptation of The Lion King in the medium of motion-capture animation, 25 years after the original classic. In honor of that, I thought we could explore some interesting facts about this classic Disney blockbuster. Please feel free to comment on anything you find interesting.

• The Lion King (1994) was nominated for four Oscars and won two: Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” (m. Sir Elton John, l. Sir Time Rice.) John and Rice were also nominated for the songs “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.”
• Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, who provided the respective voices of Adult Simba and Timon in the film, later befriended one another at the film’s premiere and have since starred in three Broadway Shows Together: Mel Brook’s The Producers (2001), The Odd Couple (2005), and It’s Only A Play (2014).
• “Lion King,” was readapted for Broadway on November 13th, 1997. The show won six Tony’s, including Best Musical. The show featured Samuel E. Wright in the role of Mufasa, who ironically voiced Sebastian in The Little Mermaid (1989). The show is still going strong, having played a total of 9,009 performances as of June 30th, 2019.
• James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa in the original film, will reprise the role in the remake
• “The Lion King,” lead to the creation of two direct-to-video sequels, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998), and The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004). Disney also produced two spin-off television series, Timon & Pumbaa (1995-1999), which aired on the Disney Channel and The Lion Guard (2016-present) which currently airs on the Disney Junior Network. Ernie Sabella has voiced the character of Pumbaa the Warthog in every one of these shows, except the new film. Seth Rogen will be the new voice of Pumbaa. 
• James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair, the voices of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, Simba’s parents, previously worked together in a comedy called Coming to America (1988) where they played the King and Queen mother of Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy). Ironically, there were scenes in the film where they wore costumes made of lion fur!
• In addition to James Earl Jones returning, the voice cast of Disney’s new “Lion King,” will also feature Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Billy Eichner, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, John Kani, Keegan-Michael Key, John Oliver, Seth Rogen, and Alfre Woodard. The film will be directed by Jon Favreau, who previously directed The Jungle Book (2016), which also featured the motion-capture technique, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The same team of visual effects artists who worked on “Jungle Book,” will also be applying their talents to “Lion King.”
• The original film was co-directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, both of whom directed Disney-produced shorts, i.e.: The Little Matchgirl (2006) (Allers), Tummy Trouble (1989) and Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990) (Minkoff)—the latter two of which starred Roger Rabbit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Minkoff also directed The Haunted Mansion (2003) with Eddie Murphy.
• Jeremy Irons, the original voice of Scar, originally was able to do his own singing in the “Be Prepared,” sequence. However, his vocal chords became strained when singing the line “You won’t get a sniff without me,” and hence, Jim Cummings, who also voiced Ed the Hyena in the film, finished the song in place of Irons.
• Nathan Lane improvised Timon’s comedic line “What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?”
• In addition to the character of Scar having two separate voices, one for the speaking and the other for singing, several other roles in the film where shared by two different actors. The role of Adult Simba was spoken by Matthew Broderick, though it was sung by Joseph Williams
• “Lion King,” was in production at Disney around the same time as Pocahontas (1995). Everyone who worked at Disney at the time had more faith in “Pocahontas,” then they did in “Lion King,” and even thought that “Pocahontas,” would go on to receive a Best Picture Oscar Nomination (as Beauty and the Beast (1991) had previously done). Ironically, “Lion King,” proved to be the big hit, while “Pocahontas,” was met with mixed-to-negative reviews and didn’t make a great deal of money.
• When “Lion King,” won the Best Original Score and Best Original Song Oscars, it followed in the footsteps of all the Disney Oscar-winning films released prior to it: The Little Mermaid (1989), Song “Under the Sea,” Beauty and the Beast (1991), Song “Beauty and the Beast,” and Aladdin (1992), Song “A Whole New World.” Although “Pocahontas,” was a critical and financial flop, it managed to win Oscars in the same categories too. The “Pocahontas,” song was, “Colors of the Wind.”
• Andreas Deja, the supervising animator for the character of Scar in the film is known at Disney for being the supervising animator for many of the modern villains at the studio. He also animated The Horned King in The Black Cauldron (1985), Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Jafar in Aladdin (1992).
• Jeff Nathanson wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (2002) and the screenplay for the new “Lion King.” 
• Shenzi and Banzai the Hyenas were voiced by Whoopi Goldberg and Cheech Marin, both of whom have had Pixar voice-over roles. Goldberg voiced Stretch the Octopus in Toy Story 3 (2010) and Marin voiced Ramone in the Cars franchise (2006-2017).
• Hanz Zimmer is also returning to score the new film, and Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice have also re-teamed to make revisions to the songs they wrote for the original, in addition to all-new song called “Never Too Late,” which will play at the end of the new film’s credits. The film will also feature the song “He Lives In You,” which was written for the Broadway version of “Lion King,” by Lebo M.
• “Lion King,” was the all-time favorite animated film of Oscar-winning Silver Screen legend, Gregory Peck. He ranked the film in his top five all-time favorite movies!  
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas began recording “Lion King,” while starring as Randy Taylor in the Disney/ABC Series Home Improvement (1991-1999). Coincidentally, his on-screen, father, Tim Allen also began recording the voice of Buzz Lightyear, in Toy Story (1995), while starring on the show.
• Disney didn’t record actual lions roaring for the film. Frank Welker, who is known at Disney for voicing many non-speaking characters, including Max the Dog in The Little Mermaid (1989), Abu in Aladdin (1992), and numerous others, provided all the lion roars heard in the film.
• During the “Be Prepared,” sequence, the scene where the hyenas are marching past Scar can be connected to WW2 Symbolism.
• There originally was a song for Mufasa to sing called “To Be King,” but it was scrapped when it didn’t fit James Earl Jones’s singing voice.
• The plot of “Lion King,” can be compared to both William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and also the bible stories of Moses and Joseph.
• Liam Neeson was considered to voice of Mufasa, but he turned it down. Neeson later went on to voice Aslan the Lion in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) and its sequels, Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and “Prince Caspian,” were both produced by Disney.
• “Lion King,” remained the highest-grossing animated film of all time, until it was surpassed by Toy Story 3 in 2010 and after that, Frozen in 2013. However, it is still the highest-grossing 2D Animated Film of all-time. 

Rod Taylor: Underrated as an Actor

Giant (1956), The Time Machine (1960), and The Birds (1963) are just a few titles of films that Rod Taylor made throughout his career. Starring in more than 50 films, from romantic comedies to suspense thrillers to action-adventures, (in addition to some television and theatre appearances), he was a very busy actor. But even though his career lasted many years, he never quite got all of the attention he deserved. 

Rodney Sturt Taylor was born in Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia on January 11th, 1930, the only child of William and Mona Taylor. His dad was a steel construction contractor and a commercial artist while his mom was a writer of more than a hundred short stories and children’s books. After attending Parramatta High School and later the East Sydney Technical and Fine Arts School, he began his career, following in his father William’s footsteps, as a commercial artist. But he was inspired to become an actor when he saw Laurence Olivier in an Old Vic Touring Production of Shakespeare’s Richard III. 

Taylor began his career performing live on an Australian-produced radio show called Blue Hills. In 1951, he starred in a reenactment of Charles Sturt’s (his great-great grand uncle’s) voyage down the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers, playing Sturt’s assistant, George Macleay. Taylor also appeared in several theater productions for Australia’s Mercury Theatre, including Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors and Sidney Howard’s They Knew What They Wanted. He made his film debut in the Australian-produced King of the Coral Sea (1954) and the next film he made was a Hollywood produced film shot Sydney called Long John Silver (1954)—an unofficial sequel to Disney’s Treasure Island (1950). (Both films featured Robert Newton as Silver).   

Around this time, Taylor also found work on American television shows, including Studio 57 (1954-1958) and Cheyenne (1955-1962). In 1956, he tested for the role of Rocky Graziano in MGM’s Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), a role that had originally been cast with James Dean shortly before his tragic death. In his audition, he dropped his “Aussie” accent and performed with a Brooklyn accent instead, and although the role ultimately went to Paul Newman, Taylor’s clever use of the Brooklyn accent impressed the studio to give him a long-term contract, and he played supporting roles in the films, The Catered Affair (1956), Raintree County (1957), and Ask Any Girl (1959).

Taylor made his debut as a leading man in MGM’s The Time Machine (1960) playing the role of H. George Wells. The very next year, he was hired by Walt Disney to provide the voice of the Dalmatian family patriarch, Pongo, in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). In 1963, he was hired by Alfred Hitchcock to star in “The Birds,” opposite Tippi Hedren, Suzanne Pleshette, Karl Swenson, and Jessica Tandy. This film was Taylor’s second pairing with Suzanne Pleshette, having acted with her in ’61 in the film Hong Kong: Lesson in Fear and later in Fate Is The Hunter (1964). There is a moment in the film in the Tides Restaurant scene where someone says to Rod Taylor “What happened, Mitch?” That is amusing because Rod Taylor’s character is named Mitch Brenner, though the person who says that line in real life is named Mitch Zanich, who owned the restaurant in real life and gave permission to Alfred Hitchcock shoot in his restaurant on the condition that the leading man would be named after him.

Rod Taylor later starred opposite Doris Day in the romantic comedies, Do Not Disturb (1965) and The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). “Glass Bottom Boat,” also reunited him with Edward Andrews, with whom he guest-starred on “Cheyenne.” Next, he was loaned out from MGM to Paramount to make Chuka in 1967, starring opposite Ernest Borgnine and John Mills. Taylor was also a producer on the film. He made The Train Robbers, for Warner Bros., with John Wayne and Ann-Margret, in 1973. 

Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, Rod Taylor continued to act primarily on television. He appeared in short-lived series called Masquerade (1983) and Outlaws (1986) as well as several episodes of Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001). In 1993, he hosted the documentary Time Machine: The Journey Back. The documentary ended with a mini-sequel in which he recreated his role as H.G. Wells, along with former co-star Alan Young who re-created his role as David Filby. He made an Australian-produced comedy called Welcome to Woop Woop in 1997. 

After “Woop Woop,” Taylor went into semi-retirement, but was later called back out of it when Quentin Tarantino personally asked him to portray Winston Churchill. Taylor had been a fan of Tarantino’s, but was reluctant to make another movie, and thought it was a joke when he heard from his business manager that Tarantino wanted him in the movie. When he received Tarantino’s phone number he called thinking that it was one of his drinking buddies, but found out that it was Tarantino himself, and that he had him in mind for the role of Churchill. Stunned, Taylor said, “Well why don’t you use Albert Finney. He lives in England and he’s done Churchill six times.” Tarantino replied “If Rod Taylor turns me down, I’ll call Albert Finney.” Taylor then agreed to do the part. 

Rod Taylor passed away of a heart attack on January 7th, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. He will forever be remembered for his roles in “Time Machine,” and “The Birds,” though his voice-over performance as Pongo helped make “101 Dalmatians,” a classic also. He is a true Hollywood icon whose versatility continues to be overlooked today.  

Jim Dale: The Man of 146 Voices

Long before Hugh Jackman played the role of Phineas Taylor “P.T.” Barnum in the hit movie-musical The Greatest Showman (2017), and before Daniel Radcliffe landed the role of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), and before Karl Urban played the greedy Gavin Magary in Disney’s remake of Pete’s Dragon (2016), there was Jim Dale. Dale played the role of P.T. Barnum in the Broadway musical Barnum (produced in 1980), provided the voice of Harry Potter—as well as all the other “Potter” characters for each of the USA audiobook versions of J.K. Rowling’s novels,—and played Elliot the Dragon’s other arch nemesis, the devious Dr. Terminus, in Disney’s original version of Pete’s Dragon (released in 1977). Jim Dale is the originator behind many popular acting roles, but in addition to that, he is a talented musician, stage actor, and television actor, and voice talent. You actually might find his work surprising. 

Jim Dale was born James Smith on August 15th, 1935, in Rothwell, Northamptonshire England. He developed an interest in show business while in school, and by age 10 was training in ballet, tap dancing, and tumbling. He made his debut as a stage comic at the age of 16 in 1951, performing in camp shows. While serving in the Royal Air Force, his comic skills improved, and when he was discharged after two years of service, he took his comedy on tour, becoming one of the youngest British stand-up comedians ever. Ultimately, he got a job as a warm-up comic for a UK musical variety show called “Six-Five Special.” His performing skills on the show were so well-received that the producers promoted him to be a singer on the show. Soon, Dale teamed with George Martin to write the song “Be My Girl,” which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Dale and Martin also wrote the songs “Just Born (To Be Your Baby),” “Crazy Dream,” and “Sugartime.” He made his film debut in a spin-off of “Six-Five Special” show the following year.

Jim Dale next appeared in the UK-produced film Roommates in 1961 starring opposite James Robertson Justice and Leslie Philips. He then took another bit role in another UK-produced film called Carry On Cabby (1963), which was one in a series of films of the same name which were produced in the UK from 1958-1992. His role in “Cabby” was well-received and he was made an official member of the cast of the film series (which also included Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, and Charles Hawtrey). During the “Carry On,” films he was hired to write the lyrics for the song “Georgy Girl,” for the film of the same name, released in 1966. He collaborated with Tom Springfield, who wrote the music, and the effort earned the song an Oscar Nomination for Best Original Song. 

While doing his own stunts for “Carry On,” he injured an arm, and as a result had to leave the group until 1992. In 1970, at the invitation of Sir Laurence Olivier, he was invited to join the National Theatre Company in London, and it was here that he played the roles of Scapino in Scapino and Petruchio in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. After creating some other roles in the theatre and in more UK-produced films, Dale finally made his first appearance in an American-produced film in Disney’s original “Pete’s Dragon.” He was hired by the Disney studios again the following year to star in Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) opposite Don Knotts and Darren McGavin. In this film, Dale portrays three different roles: Jasper Bloodshy and his identical twin sons Eli and Wild Billy. He made a third film for Disney the very next year: Unidentified Flying Oddball, starring opposite Ron Moody and Dennis Dugan.

In 1980, Jim Dale made his Broadway debut in Barnum, and won the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. In the show, he starred opposite Glenn Close, who played Barnum’s wife, Charity. 26 years after the original show, Dale reunited with Close in the one-night only concert version of a musical called Busker Alley, based on a British film called St. Martin’s Lane (1938) which featured the music and lyrics of legendary Disney film songwriters, Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. In 2007, he received his third Guinness World Record for creating 146 different voices for the audiobook J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. His first two records were for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audiobooks in America and Canada and for creating 134 different voices in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Most recently, he narrated SPIN: The Rumpelstiltskin Musical which was written by Harvel Edelman and Neil Fishman.

Jim Dale is a man of many talents, but the most remarkable of all his talents would undoubtedly be his voice. His vocal range can extend to sounding evil and nasty, as it can to sounding good and tender-hearted and not many other actors can achieve that with their voice.