Ron Taylor (actor)
Ronald James Taylor (October 16, 1952 – January 16, 2002) was an American actor, singer and writer. He grew up in Galveston, Texas, and later moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After graduating, Taylor began working in musical theater, appearing in The Wiz (1977), before getting his break with the 1982 off-Broadway production Little Shop of Horrors. Taylor voiced the killer plant Audrey II in the show, which ran for five years and over 2,000 performances.
For other people with the same name, see Ron Taylor.
Ron Taylor
January 16, 2002 (aged 49)
Actor, singer and writer
1977–2002
1
Taylor created and starred in the musical revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which charted the history of blues music from its African origin to American success. Originally performed at high schools in Denver as a 45-minute piece, the revue was expanded to two hours, played around the country and opened on Broadway in 1999. It was met with critical acclaim, ran for eight months, and saw Taylor receive two Tony Award nominations.
He also had numerous television roles, appearing in Family Matters, The Simpsons, Twin Peaks, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal, Matlock and L.A. Law. His performance in the latter, as a singer who performed the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" at baseball games, led him to perform the anthem at several real-life sporting events. Taylor was married and had one son. He died in January 2002 after suffering a heart attack.
Early life[edit]
Taylor was born on October 16, 1952, in Galveston, Texas to Marian and Robert "Bruno" Taylor and had two sisters, Roberta and Frances.[1][2][3][4] He attended O'Connell High School,[5] and Wharton County Junior College, where he was a football player, and a participant in the school choir and theater. The choir teacher suggested he join after overhearing him singing The Temptations.[1] He favoured music over football, and at the age of 19 attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York,[1][3] intending to become a singer.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Taylor met DeBorah Sharpe in 1977 during the production of The Wiz where she was the understudy for Dorothy.[1] They married in 1980 and had a son, Adamah.[1][6] In his spare time, Taylor often helped teach vulnerable young people through a variety of projects, including at the George Street Playhouse in New Jersey.[5][9] He noted "things have come out of the air for me...I'm grateful; that's why I work with kids. I've had a blessing in my career, to have gone as far as I've gone."[6] A 1995 piece in The Plain Dealer described Taylor as "A jolly giant of a man, he looks like a natural force – a mountain, perhaps, who can tell great stories."[6] Taylor was a Christian.[16]
Taylor suffered a small stroke in 1999; he was able to perform again in It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues 73 days later.[16] He died from a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on January 16, 2002, at the age of 49.[1] His funeral took place on January 28 at the New Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ.[1][9]