Biography
In his best-known role, Vaughn Taylor played Janet Leigh's boss in the 1960 Hitchcock thriller "Psycho," but much of the American actor's career was devoted to work on the small screen. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Taylor had his very first onscreen role in the TV movie "Mr. And Mrs. North," which aired in 1946. He later appeared in the 1957 Elvis Presley smash hit "Jailhouse Rock," following it up a year later with his role as Deacon Davis in the Tennessee Williams adaptation "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Following this film work, he was cast in a number of small roles on television series including "The Twilight Zone," "Perry Mason," "Bonanza" and the theater telecast "Robert Montgomery Presents." These were among the most popular shows of their time, and Taylor worked in television steadily throughout the 1960s, landing both guest appearances and recurring roles. Taylor went on to play a Good Samaritan in the 1967 adaptation of Truman Capote's novel "In Cold Blood," which was nominated for four Academy Awards. He appeared in another notable film, Sam Peckinpah's 1970 Western, "The Ballad of Cable Hogue," and six years later had his final acting role, in the 1976 comedy "The Gumball Rally." He died in Los Angeles in 1983, at the age of 73.
