Forrest Taylor

Edwin Forrest Taylor was born on December 29, 1883, in Bloomington, Illinois, and died on February 19, 1965, in Garden Grove, California, at the age of 81. An American character actor, his career extended across six decades, moving from silent films through sound pictures and into the era of color film and television.

Taylor came from a family with roots in the entertainment business. His father managed the Dreamland Theatre in Kewanee, Illinois, and a 1916 news item noted that the elder Taylor regularly featured his son in Western pictures at the venue. Before establishing himself in film, Taylor built a substantial stage career and also took on management responsibilities. A January 23, 1908, article in The Richfield Reaper described his work with the Empire Amusement Company, noting that he had reorganized a struggling, debt-ridden operation and restored it to good standing. By 1922, an article in The Arizona Republic identified Taylor and actress Anne Berryman as two of the most recognized performers in the western United States. At that time, Taylor was leading his own troupe, having previously spent nine months with the Majestic Theatre Players in Los Angeles. He was married to actress Ada Daniels, with whom he appeared in stage productions, and the couple had a son and a daughter.

Taylor's Broadway career ran from 1933 to 1947 and included five productions: Ragged Army, We, the People, Open House, Tenting Tonight, and Shooting Star.

His film work began with silent pictures, where he took leading roles in features and short films including The Terror of Twin Mountains, Sunset Country, April, True Nobility, and The Abandonment, all released between 1915 and 1916. His film career was interrupted by military service during World War I, and he did not return to the screen until 1926 with A Poor Girl's Romance. Through the 1930s, Taylor became a fixture in supporting roles and cliffhanger serials, frequently cast as either an action or brains heavy. As he aged, he transitioned into more sympathetic parts, including fathers, lawmen, and scientists. The Internet Movie Database credits him with approximately 400 film appearances, among them roughly 325 sound-era productions, 201 of which are Westerns and 36 of which are serials. His work at Republic Pictures alone accounts for approximately 75 credits between 1937 and 1953. His final film appearance was in Bitter Creek in 1954.

As the Western serial format declined, Taylor moved into television. From 1952 through 1954, he co-starred as Grandpa Fisher on the religious series This is the Life. In 1960, he appeared as the Minister in the Cheyenne episode titled "The Long Rope." He retired in 1963 following the filming of an episode of Ripcord. Taylor died of natural causes in Garden Grove, California, on February 19, 1965.