Ron Taylor (actor)

{{Short description|American actor, singer and writer (1952–2002)}} {{Other people||Ron Taylor (disambiguation){{!}}Ron Taylor}} {{Good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Ron Taylor | image = Ron Taylor Twin Peaks.jpg | caption = Taylor as Coach Wingate in ''[[Twin Peaks]]'' | birth_name = Ronald James Taylor | birth_date = {{birth date|1952|10|16}} | birth_place = [[Galveston, Texas]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2002|1|16|1952|10|16}} | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | occupation = Actor, singer and writer | spouse = {{marriage|DeBorah Sharpe|1980}} | children = 1 | years_active = 1977–2002 }}

'''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 (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors]]''. Taylor voiced the killer plant Audrey II in the show, which ran for five years and over 2,000 performances.

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 theater|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 (1986 TV series)|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== Taylor was born on October 16, 1952, in [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], Texas to Marian and Robert "Bruno" Taylor and had two sisters, Roberta and Frances.<ref name=la/><ref>{{cite news |title=Death Notices for January 23, 2002 |work=[[The Galveston County Daily News]] |date=2002-01-23}}</ref><ref name=nyt/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=8469 |title=Ron Taylor |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=2011-08-07}}</ref> He attended [[O'Connell College Preparatory School|O'Connell High School]],<ref name=ho>{{cite news |title=Actor Taylor reaches out to area kids |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=1993-02-23 |author=Westbrook, Bruce |page=10}}</ref> 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]].<ref name=la/> He favoured music over football, and at the age of 19 attended the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] in New York,<ref name=la/><ref name=nyt>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/26/arts/ron-taylor-49-voice-of-blues-and-a-plant-dies.html |title=Ron Taylor, 49, Voice of Blues and a Plant, Dies |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=McKinley, Jesse |date=2002-01-26 |access-date=2011-08-07}}</ref> intending to become a singer.<ref name=plain/>

==Career==

===Theater===

====Early theater work==== {{Quote box | quote = "Being in the box bothered me at first, because I am used to being on stage, and when you sing on stage, there is open space; you can throw your voice all the way to the end of the house. When you are in that small space, it plays a psychological trick on you. You feel you have nowhere to sing to. I had to keep telling myself: 'O.K., I have a microphone right here, I don't have to push. They can hear me.' You know I can't hear anything in there. I can't hear applause." | source =—Taylor on his role in ''Little Shop of Horrors''.<ref name=plant/> | width= 30em | bgcolor= transparent | align= right | salign= right }} Taylor, a "barrel-chested bass-baritone",<ref name=nyt/> had an extensive career in musical theater. Upon graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Taylor was unable to read [[sheet music]] and could "barely" play the piano, but found work as a singer.<ref name=nyt/> In 1977 he played the [[Cowardly Lion]] in a national touring production of ''[[The Wiz]]''.<ref name=la/><ref name=nyt/><ref name=plain/> Taylor subsequently played Great Big Baby in the 1978 Broadway production ''[[Eubie!]]'' and [[Caiaphas]] in a performance of ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]''.<ref name=plant/>

He voiced Audrey II, the "street-smart, funky, conniving" talking killer plant which is an "anthropomorphic cross between a Venus flytrap and an avocado", in the original [[off-Broadway]] production of [[Howard Ashman]] and [[Alan Menken]]'s "black-comedy musical" ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (musical)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'' from 1982.<ref name=la/><ref name=plant>{{cite news |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?pagewanted=print&res=9D0CE5DA163BF93BA35753C1A964948260&scp=8&sq=Making%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20Superstar&st=Search |title=Making A Plant Grow: A Hidden Art On Stage |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=Crossette, Barbara |access-date=2011-08-16 |date=1982-10-08}}</ref><ref name=MTI>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=000188 |title="Little Shop of Horrors", Casting – Character Breakdown |access-date=2011-08-06 |publisher=[[Music Theatre International]]}}</ref><ref name=var>{{cite news |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117858886 |title=Ron Taylor |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=2011-08-06 |date=2002-01-21}}</ref> Audrey II was played by four increasingly large puppets, operated by [[Martin P. Robinson]], while Taylor sat in a box at the back of the stage to voice the role, standing to perform his musical numbers.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=plant/> The two kept in close proximity to ensure "that voice and action are always synchronized" and "developed a rapport" which was "the only thing that allow[ed] the character to really bloom."<ref name=plant/> Taylor disliked sitting in the box as it left him feeling disconnected from the audience.<ref name=plant/> The part was his break and was described by Jesse McKinley of ''[[The New York Times]]'' as "a role Mr. Taylor's booming voice was made for...[he] soon put his stamp on Audrey's signature line: 'Feed me, feed me!'"<ref name=nyt/> Members of the public often used the line when they saw Taylor.<ref name=plant/> ''Little Shop of Horrors'' was performed over 2000 times before it closed in 1987.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=law/> At the 1983 [[Drama Desk Awards]], Taylor won the award for Outstanding Special Effects for his performance, which he shared with Robinson.<ref name=var/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dramadesk.com/1982_1983dd.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110703115554/http://www.dramadesk.com/1982_1983dd.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-03 |title=1982–1983 29th Drama Desk Awards |publisher=Drama Desk Awards |access-date=2011-08-06}}</ref>

In the 1984 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''[[The Three Musketeers (musical)|The Three Musketeers]]'' at [[The Broadway Theatre]], Taylor played [[Porthos]], one of the three title characters.<ref name=plain/><ref name=rich/> After fifteen preview performances, the show ran just nine times before closing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4351 |title=The Three Musketeers |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=2011-08-08}}</ref> [[Frank Rich]] wrote that the musketeers were "professionally played" by Taylor and his co-stars [[Brent Spiner]] and [[Chuck Wagner]] but felt the three had "little dialogue and often seem like interchangeable stand-ins for the [[Three Stooges]]."<ref name=rich>{{cite news |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9405e3d71139f931a25752c1a962948260 |title=Theater: A Musical 'Three Musketeers' Opens |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=Rich, Frank |date=1984-11-12 |access-date=2011-08-07}}</ref> A similar view was held by William B. Collins of the ''[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' who said they "speak as in one voice and behave like comedians who have been stranded without good material."<ref>{{cite news |title=Theater: A Musical 'Three Musketeers' |work=[[Philadelphia Inquirer]] |author=Collins, William B. |date=1994-11-13 |page=F04}}</ref>

====''It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues''==== 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. He conceived the original idea for the show when he played blues musician [[Rufus Payne]] in a 1987 production of ''[[Hank Williams: Lost Highway (musical)|Lost Highway]]'', a play about singer [[Hank Williams]] at the [[Denver Center for the Performing Arts]] in [[Denver]], Colorado. He proposed the idea to director Randal Myler who eventually accepted it in 1994. Taylor co-wrote the revue with Myler, Lita Gaithers, Charles Bevel and Dan Wheetman,<ref name=la/><ref name=var/><ref name=geld>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/01/theater/theater-review-in-every-color-finding-the-blues.html?src=pm |title=Theater Review: In Every Color, Finding the Blues |author=Gelder, Lawrence Van |date=1999-04-01 |access-date=2011-08-06 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name=hist>{{cite news |title=It Ain't Nothin' But A Survivor The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of How A Scrappy Little Show Surprised B'way |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=1999-11-17 |author=Feiden, Douglas |page=46}}</ref> and also served as its associate producer.<ref name=playbillobit/> Taylor was the revue's lead singer and acted as its narrator;<ref name=nar>{{cite news |title='Blues' gets audience cheering the music |work=[[The Press-Enterprise (California)|The Press-Enterprise]] |author=Trageser, Jim |date=2000-09-26 |page=F04}}</ref> his numbers included "[[I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man]]", "[[The Thrill is Gone]]", "[[I%27m_a_Blues_Man#Track listing|Blues Man]]" and "[[Let the Good Times Roll (Louis Jordan song)|Let the Good Times Roll]]".<ref name=playbillobit>{{cite news |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/67332-Ron-Taylor-Tony-Nominee-for-Aint-Nothin-But-the-Blues-Dead |title=Ron Taylor, Tony Nominee for Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, Dead |work=[[Playbill]] |access-date=2011-08-19 |date=2002-01-21 |author=Jones, Kenneth |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022005632/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/67332-Ron-Taylor-Tony-Nominee-for-Aint-Nothin-But-the-Blues-Dead |archive-date=2012-10-22}}</ref> It was initially performed as a 45-minute production at 25 local high schools.<ref name=hist/> Because of their positive reception, the show was expanded to two hours and 50 songs, with three people being added to the original cast of four, and was regularly performed at the Denver Center.<ref name=la/><ref name=plain/>

Taylor described the performance as "very cordial", with the audience close to performers, and that "one show is never the same as the next because of the songs, of what they are. Blues is about how you feel today. One day, you're down; another day is real happy and giddy. We're all laughing. Randy's direction captures that. It's always so personal, bringing the audience into the piece."<ref name=plain/> As well as African music, the revue includes "country, gospel, the old blues, Appalachian music," featuring music by [[Patsy Cline]], [[Brenda Lee]], [[Mahalia Jackson]], [[Jimmy Rogers]], [[Nina Simone]] and [[Muddy Waters]].<ref name=plain/>

In 1995, the revue ran for a month at the [[Cleveland Play House]], in conjunction with the opening of the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] and Museum,<ref name=plain/> before touring at other regional theaters.<ref name=nyt/> It played at the [[Crossroads Theatre]] in [[New Jersey]] for seven weeks in November 1998 <ref name=hist/> and opened off-Broadway at New York's [[New Victory Theater]] in March 1999,<ref name=nyt/> presented by Crossroads Theatre, in association with [[San Diego Repertory Theatre]] and [[Alabama Shakespeare Festival]].<ref name=geld/> It was met with critical and audience acclaim and the following month moved to Broadway to the [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]].<ref name=hist/><ref name=king/> ''[[New York Times]]'' critic Lawrence Van Gelder wrote that the show had a "cornucopia of splendidly interpreted song," and "is a potent blend of visual eloquence and historical sweep that engages the eye and touches the heart while its songs soothe the ear, occasionally work mischief on the funny bone, and always raise the spirits."<ref name=geld/>

A week after opening at the Beaumont, the show received four [[Tony Award]] nominations, with Taylor being nominated for [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical|Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical]] and [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical|Best Book of a Musical]].<ref name=la/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search |title=Search Past Winners |publisher=Tony Awards.com |access-date=2011-08-06 |archive-date=August 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831204617/http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search |url-status=dead }}</ref> The cast's performance on the live Tony Awards show on [[CBS]] was bumped due to limited time, sparking controversy, costing the show potential revenue, and damaging its prospects for survival.<ref name=hist/> The cast performed two days later on the CBS talkshow ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'',<ref name=la/> while media attention and radio coverage of the Tony snub boosted the show's takings for the following two weeks.<ref name=hist/> This did not last and did not "build a long-lasting audience like the Tonys could",<ref name=hist/> leading to dwindling attendance. A large word-of-mouth networking campaign to advertise the performance was set up by the producers and the show moved to the [[Ambassador Theatre (New York)|Ambassador Theatre]], where the box office takes began to break even.<ref name=hist/> The show closed in January 2000 after a total run of eight months on Broadway.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=king>{{cite news |title='Blues' Keeps Going Strong – Finds Times Square Venue |work=[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]] |author=Terjanian, Harry |date=2000-08-25 |page=19}}</ref>

For the rest of the year, ''[[It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues]]'' again toured at regional theaters, running in [[Atlanta]], [[San Diego]], and the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] in Washington, D.C., and returning to New York in August 2000 at the [[B.B. King#B.B. King's Blues Club|B.B. King Blues Club and Grill]] for a month-long run.<ref name=nar/><ref name=king/> Jim Trageser of ''[[The Press-Enterprise (California)|The Press-Enterprise]]'', in a review of one of the San Diego performances, praised Taylor, saying he "has the lung power to simply take over any show, especially his own" and "shows surprising grace and athleticism as well as the kind of leonine masculinity that certain big men ([[Orson Welles]], [[Babe Ruth]]) possess". Trageser also praised the writing, calling it "a superb job not only of selecting the songs, but in choosing arrangements that blow away all the cobwebs history has laid on many of them."<ref name=nar/>

''It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'' was the longest-running show Taylor appeared in, as well as his final Broadway appearance.<ref name=nyt/> Taylor planned an [[IMAX]] film version of the production;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://extras.denverpost.com/scene/theater0204.htm |title='Nothin' But the Blues' goes IMAX |work=[[The Denver Post]] |access-date=2011-09-03 |date=2001-02-04 |author=Dillard, Sandra}}</ref> and nine years after his death, it was revived by the New Harlem Arts Theater at the [[Aaron Davis Hall]] on the [[City College of New York]] campus.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/08/03/theater/reviews/it-aint-nothin-but-the-blues-at-aaron-davis-hall-review.html |title=Exploring the Far Reaches and Forms of the Blues |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2011-08-19 |date=2011-08-02 |author=Saltz, Rachel}}</ref>

===Film, television and music=== Taylor had numerous television roles. He voiced jazz musician [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Bleeding Gums Murphy|"Bleeding Gums" Murphy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'', appearing in the [[The Simpsons season 1|first season]] episode "[[Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)|Moaning Lisa]]" (1990) and returning for the character's death in the [[The Simpsons season 6|season six]] episode {{"-}}[['Round Springfield]]" (1995).<ref name=la/><ref>{{cite video |people=Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike |date=2005 |title=The Simpsons season 6 DVD commentary for the episode {{" '}}Round Springfield"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> He was one of the first people to [[List of guest stars on The Simpsons|guest star on the show]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Where would the world be without the Simpsons? |work=[[Omaha World-Herald]] |author=Stickney, Dane |date=2007-07-23 |page=01E}}</ref> Taylor was supposed to reprise his role in the [[The Simpsons season 2|season two]] episode "[[Dancin' Homer]]", but was in New York and unable to record his part.<ref name=law/> Keith Phipps of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said the role gave Taylor "television immortality".<ref name=av/> He also reprised the role on a recording of [[Billie Holiday]]'s song "[[God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)|God Bless the Child]]" on the 1990 ''The Simpsons''{{'}} album ''[[The Simpsons Sing the Blues]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Simpsons Change Their Tune |work=[[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]] |author=Jaeger, Barbara |date=1990-12-14 |page=9}}</ref> He appeared as a [[Klingon]] chef in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'',<ref name=plain>{{cite news |title=Nothin' But Blues Show Traces Music's History, Influence |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |author=Evett, Marianne |date=1995-08-20 |page=1J}}</ref> and played wrestling instructor Coach Wingate in ''[[Twin Peaks]]''.<ref name=av>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/twin-peaks-episode-17-episode-18-1798203916 |title=Twin Peaks "Episode 17," "Episode 18" |author=Phipps, Keith |date=2008-02-20 |access-date=2011-08-14 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> Other television roles included guest spots on ''[[NYPD Blue]]'', ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]'', ''[[Family Matters]]'', ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'' and ''[[Ally McBeal]]''.<ref name=la/><ref name=nyt/><ref name=ho/><ref name=var/><ref name=law/><ref>{{cite news |title=Obituaries |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=2002-01-27 |page=45}}</ref> Taylor also had a recurring part in the 2000 series ''[[City of Angels (2000 TV series)|City of Angels]]'',<ref name=la/> and played a blues singer in a two-part episode of ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'', a role that was written for him.<ref name=law/> He also appeared in more than 20 films. These included ''[[Trading Places]]'', ''[[Amos & Andrew]]'', ''[[A Rage in Harlem]]'' (as Hank),<ref name=law/> ''[[The Mighty Quinn (film)|The Mighty Quinn]]'' and ''[[Rush Hour 2]]''.<ref name=la/><ref name=ho/><ref name=var/>

After a 1991 appearance on the series ''[[L.A. Law]]'', on which he played a singer sacked by a baseball team for "embellish[ing]" his performances of the American national anthem "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", Taylor received several invitations to sing it before sports events, although never expected anything to happen when he had taken the part.<ref name=law/> He sang it before the [[Major League Baseball]] game between the [[Baltimore Orioles]] and [[Detroit Tigers]] on July 1, 1991. His rendition did not mimic that of his character: "the song is self-explanatory. I'm just going to sing the song straightforwardly and that's that."<ref name=law/> Taylor received travel and accommodation expenses but no other payment for his performance.<ref name=law>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1991/06/11/la-law-case-gives-actor-chance-to-sing-anthem-at-orioles-game/ |title='L.A. Law' 'case' gives actor chance to sing anthem at Orioles game |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=1991-06-11 |author=Henderson, Randi |page=1C |access-date=2011-08-07 |archive-date=September 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929222127/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-06-11/features/1991162007_1_taylor-rendition-bleeding-gums |url-status=live }}</ref> He also sang for a [[Los Angeles Kings]] [[National Hockey League]] game,<ref name=law/> and on August 5, 1995, he sang the anthem before the MLB match between the [[Cleveland Indians]] and [[Chicago White Sox]].<ref name=plain/>

Taylor was part of the blues group The Nervis Bros and performed across the United States.<ref name=la/><ref name=var/> He also sang with [[Billy Joel]], [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[Etta James]], [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] and [[Sheila E.]]<ref name=la/>

==Personal life== Taylor met DeBorah Sharpe in 1977 during the production of ''[[The Wiz]]'' where she was the understudy for Dorothy.<ref name=la/> They married in 1980 and had a son, Adamah.<ref name=la/><ref name=plain/> 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.<ref name=ho/><ref name=var/> 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."<ref name=plain/> 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."<ref name=plain/> Taylor was a [[Christians|Christian]].<ref name=hist/>

Taylor suffered a small stroke in 1999; he was able to perform again in ''It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'' 73 days later.<ref name=hist/> He died from a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on January 16, 2002, at the age of 49.<ref name=la>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jan-25-me-taylor25-story.html |title=Ron Taylor, 49; Versatile Singer and Actor |date=2002-01-25 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=2011-08-06 |author=McLellan, Dennis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725071009/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jan-25-me-taylor25-story.html |archive-date=25 July 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> His funeral took place on January 28 at the New Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ.<ref name=la/><ref name=var/>

==Filmography==

===Films=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1983 || ''[[Trading Places]]'' || Big Black Guy || |- | 1984 || ''[[The Ice Pirates]]'' || Pimp Robot || Voice; uncredited |- | 1984 || ''[[Exterminator 2]]'' || Dude || |- | 1987 || ''[[Who's That Girl (1987 film)|Who's That Girl]]'' || 1st Dock Worker || |- | 1988 || ''Astronomy'' || Johnny's Dad || Short film |- | 1988 || ''[[Dead Heat (1988 film)|Dead Heat]]'' || Shoot Out Zombie || |- | 1989 || ''[[The Mighty Quinn (film)|The Mighty Quinn]]'' || Officer McKeon || |- | 1989 || ''[[Collision Course (1989 film)|Collision Course]]'' || Auto Worker At Bowling Alley #2 || |- | 1989 || ''[[Relentless (1989 film)|Relentless]]'' || Captain Blakely || |- | 1989 || ''[[Second Sight (1989 film)|Second Sight]]'' || Carl || |- | 1990 || ''[[Heart Condition (film)|Heart Condition]]'' || Bubba || |- | 1990 || ''[[Downtown (film)|Downtown]]'' || Bruce Tucker || |- | 1990 || ''[[Masters of Menace]]'' || Man At Door || |- | 1991 || ''[[A Rage in Harlem (film)|A Rage in Harlem]]'' || Hank || |- | 1991 || ''[[Rover Dangerfield]]'' || Mugsy / Bruno || Voice |- | 1992 || ''[[There Goes the Neighborhood (film)|There Goes the Neighborhood]]'' || Bubble Man || |- | 1993 || ''[[Amos & Andrew]]'' || Sherman || |- | 1993 || ''[[Deadfall (1993 film)|Deadfall]]'' || The Baby || |- | 2002 || ''[[Ritual (2002 film)|Ritual]]'' || Superintendent Archibald || (final film role) |}

===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 1984 || ''[[Robert Klein]]: Child of the 50s, Man of the 80s'' || Irving || Television special |- | 1984 || ''[[Rescue at Midnight Castle|My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle]]'' || Scorpan || Television special; voice |- | 1984 || ''[[Miami Vice]]'' || Linus Oliver || Episode: "Calderone's Return: The Hit List (Part 1)" |- | 1984 || ''[[3-2-1 Contact]]'' || Pawn Shop Owner || Episode: "Space: Living There" |- | 1988 || ''[[Night Court]]'' || Attendant Cal || Episode: "Fire" |- | 1989 || ''[[Wiseguy (TV series)#Dead Dog Records storyline|Wiseguy]]'' || Monroe Blue || 2 episodes |- | 1989-1990 || ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'' || Deacon Holmes / Tyler Mullins || 4 episodes |- | 1990 || ''[[China Beach]]'' || Mess Sergeant || Episode: "Warriors" |- | 1990 || ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' || Papa David Harper || Episode: "Black And White On Fire" |- | 1990-1993 || ''[[Family Matters]]'' || Darnell Coleman / Pastor Peebles || 3 episodes |- | 1990–1991 || ''[[Twin Peaks]]'' || Coach Wingate || 2 episodes |- | 1990–1995 || ''[[The Simpsons]]'' || [[Bleeding Gums Murphy|"Bleeding Gums" Murphy]] (voice) || Episodes: "[[Moaning Lisa (The Simpsons)|Moaning Lisa]]" and {{"-}}[['Round Springfield]]" |- | 1991 || ''[[Amen (TV series)|Amen]]'' || "String Bean" || Episode: "Ernie and the Sublimes" |- | 1991 || ''[[L.A. Law]]'' || Elliot "The Wompman" Miller || Episode: "On the Toad Again" |- | 1991 || ''Fever'' || Merton || Television film |- | 1991 || ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]'' || Kyle || Episode: "Nothing More Than Feelings" |- | 1992 || ''[[Vinnie & Bobby]]'' || Stanley || 3 episodes |- | 1992 || ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' || Orderly (voice) || Episode: "Dreams in Darkness"; voice |- | 1993 || ''Lush Life'' || The Clerk || rowspan="2" | Television film |- | 1993 || ''A Cool Like That Christmas'' || Reverend |- | 1993-1997 || ''[[NYPD Blue]]'' || Prisoner #1 / Bus Driver || 2 episodes |- | 1993–1994 || ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' || Klingon Chef || Episodes: "[[Melora (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Melora]]" and "[[Playing God (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Playing God]]" |- | 1994 || ''In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance'' || Reddick || Television film |- | 1994 || ''[[The George Carlin Show]]'' || Norman || Episode: "George Goes on a Date: Part 1" |- | 1994 || ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' || Bob || Episode: "Hit and Run" |- | 1998 || ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]'' || "Fat Cat" || Episode: "Ties That Bind" |- | 1999 || ''[[Ally McBeal]]'' || Singer In Bar || Episode: "Saving Santa" |- | 2000 || ''[[City of Angels (2000 TV series)|City of Angels]]'' || Lester Bell || 3 episodes |}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|0853103}} * {{IBDB name}} * [http://broadwayworld.com/bwidb/people/Ron_Taylor/ Ron Taylor]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at the BroadwayWorld International Database

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Ron}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:2002 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:21st-century African-American male actors]] [[Category:21st-century American male actors]] [[Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:American male musical theatre actors]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:American male voice actors]] [[Category:Male actors from Texas]] [[Category:Actors from Galveston, Texas]] [[Category:Singers from Texas]]