# Roderick Taylor
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{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{multiple issues|
{{COI|date=February 2011}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2009}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox person
|image = Taylors.jpg
|caption = Roderick Taylor and Bruce A. Taylor
|birth_name =
|birth_date =
|birth_place = United States
|death_date =
|death_place =
|othername = Rod Taylor
Roderick Falconer
|occupation = Screenwriter, poet, recording artist, television producer, television director
|yearsactive = 1972–present
|spouse =
|website =
}}
'''Roderick Taylor''', also known as '''Rod Taylor''' or '''Roderick Falconer''', is an American poet, recording artist, screenwriter, television producer and television director.[{{cite web|work=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)|title='WAY-OUT': A STYLE CBS CAN'T REFUSE|author=Gendel, Morgan|date=January 23, 1985|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-23-ca-14658-story.html}}]
Taylor is the father of screenwriter and television/film producer Bruce A. Taylor, with whom he often collaborates.
== Career ==
Taylor holds an MA from [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University) where he was a [Stegner Fellowship](/source/Stegner_Fellowship) winner in poetry and where he later taught creative writing. Taylor is also a [Woodrow Wilson fellowship](/source/Woodrow_Wilson_National_Fellowship_Foundation) winner and winner of the ([American Academy of Poets Prize](/source/American_Academy_of_Poets)) for his first collection, ''Florida East Coast Champion'' (1972).
While still at Stanford, Taylor moonlighted as a singer in a rock band and started writing songs. He signed with [Geffen Records](/source/Geffen_Records) and began a musical career that produced seven albums, principally under the name Roderick Falconer. Later, he wrote music for film and television, including the TV series ''[Witchblade](/source/Witchblade_(U.S._TV_series))''.
Taylor then began write story ideas and screenplays for television and film, often with his son Bruce, leading to the scripts for theatrical movies such as ''[The Star Chamber](/source/The_Star_Chamber)'' and scripts for [pilots](/source/Television_pilots) like ''[Annihilator](/source/Annihilator_(1986_film))'' and the [Western](/source/Western_(genre))-themed movies ''[Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues](/source/Kenny_Rogers_as_The_Gambler%2C_Part_III%3A_The_Legend_Continues)'' and ''Wild Horses''. In 1985 he developed the science fiction series ''[Otherworld](/source/Otherworld_(TV_series))'', for which he served as narrator and also [executive produced](/source/Executive_producer); the series failed to even run a full season. In 1998, he produced and directed his own scripted project, the 1998 television movie ''[Inferno](/source/Inferno_film)''.
He wrote the scripts for ''[American Outlaws](/source/American_Outlaws_(2001_film))'' (2001) ''[The Brave One](/source/The_Brave_One_(2007_film))'' (2007). In 2009, Taylor and son Bruce completed work on ''[Open Graves](/source/Open_Graves)'', a contemporary horror film.
He won a [Golden Spur](/source/Golden_Spur) Award from the WWA for ''Wild Horses'', and two [Crystal Reel](/source/Crystal_Reel) "Best Director" Awards for the Viacom series ''[Super Force](/source/Super_Force)''. In 1995 he was awarded the [Genesis Award](/source/Genesis_Award) from the Ark Trust Foundation for his work as executive producer and writer of the MTV ''[Dead at 21](/source/Dead_at_21)''. In 2001 Rod and Bruce received a [Prism Award](/source/Prism_Award) Commendation for their work as writers / executive producers on the VH 1 ''[At Any Cost](/source/At_Any_Cost_(film))'', for which he also wrote and produced the songs.
When not writing for television and film Roderick teaches creative writing at [Stanford University](/source/Stanford_University).
== Selected filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Film
|-
! Year
! Film
! Notes
|-
| 1983
| ''[The Star Chamber](/source/The_Star_Chamber)''
| Writer
|-
| 1990
| ''[Instant Karma](/source/Instant_Karma_(film))''
| Director
|-
| 2001
| ''[American Outlaws](/source/American_Outlaws_(2001_film))''
| Writer
|-
| 2007
|''[The Brave One](/source/The_Brave_One_(2007_film))''
| Writer
|-
| 2009
| ''[Open Graves](/source/Open_Graves)''
| Writer, Executive Producer
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
| 1985
| ''[Otherworld](/source/Otherworld_(TV_series))''
| Writer, 8 episodes
Narrator, 8 episodes
Executive Producer, 8 episodes
|-
| 1986
| ''[Annihilator](/source/Annihilator_(film))''
| Writer, Executive Producer
|-
| 1989–1992
| ''[Super Force](/source/Super_Force)''
| Writer, 33 episodes
Director, 3 episodes
Executive Producer, 33 episodes
|-
| 1994
| ''[Dead at 21](/source/Dead_at_21)''
| Writer, 12 episodes
Executive Producer, 12 episodes
|-
| 1998
| ''[Inferno](/source/Inferno_film)''
| Writer, Producer
|-
| 2000
| ''[At Any Cost](/source/At_Any_Cost_(film))''
| Writer, Producer
|-
| 2001–2002
| ''[Witchblade](/source/Witchblade_(U.S._TV_series))''
| Writer, 3 episodes
|}
== Discography ==
=== Albums ===
* ''Rod Taylor'' (Asylum, 1973)
* ''New Nation'' (United Artists, 1976)
* ''Victory in Rock City'' (United Artists, 1977)
* ''Straight'' (Metronome Musik [Germany], 1980)
* ''Rules of Attraction'' (MCA, 1984)
== Poetry ==
* ''Florida East Coast Champion'' Photo by [Annie Leibovitz](/source/Annie_Leibovitz)
* ''the sex life of fire''
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0853095}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Roderick}}
Category:Film producers from California
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:American male poets
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:American television directors
Category:American television producers
Category:Living people
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Roderick Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderick_Taylor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderick_Taylor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.