Robert Taylor (Australian actor)
Robert John Taylor OAM (born 1963) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many films and television series in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. On television, he is known for playing the lead role of Walt Longmire in the A&E/Netflix television series Longmire. On film, he is known for playing "Agent Jones" in The Matrix (1999); he also starred in Vertical Limit (2000).
Robert Taylor OAM | |
---|---|
Born | Robert John Taylor 1963 (age 56–57) |
Nationality | Australian |
Alma mater | Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1989–present |
Spouse(s) | Ayisha Davies (m. 2017) |
Children | 1 |
Early life
Taylor was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia.[1] His parents separated when he was nine, and he moved to a mining town in Western Australia to live with his aunt and uncle.[1][2][3] He worked as a miner when he was a teenager,[1][3] and later had jobs including lifeguard and bouncer. He went to university three times.[1][2][4]
At age twenty one, Taylor went to work on an oil rig in the Indian Ocean.[1][2][3] His ship collided with another and sank off the west coast of Australia, but he and two crew mates escaped on a lifeboat.[4] Taylor suffered a broken arm and ribs[4] and, while recovering in the hospital, seen an ad for auditions for drama school in Perth, at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA),[4] which he joined after a successful audition at the age of 24.[1][2][3]
Career
Taylor started acting professionally in 1988 after graduating from WAAPA. His first major role was in 1989 as Nicholas Walsh in the Australian television soap Home and Away.[5] His first lead role came in 1993 when he was cast as David Griffin in the Australian mini series The Feds.[6][7] He then appeared in various guest roles and on TV movies in Australia, such as Blue Heelers and Stingers, often being cast as a police officer.
Taylor's big break in Hollywood came when he was cast as the shapeshifting Agent Jones in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix.[8] In 2000, he starred alongside Chris O'Donnell in the action thriller Vertical Limit.[9] His other film credits include The Hard Word (2002), Storm Warning (2007), Rogue (2007), and Coffin Rock (2009).[9]
In 2000, Taylor took on the role of Father Vincent Sheehan in Ballykissangel, a British television drama set in Ireland.[10] His television credits after that include MDA (2002), Satisfaction (2010), Cops L.A.C. (2010) and Killing Time (2011).[9][11] In 2011, Taylor was cast for the lead role of Walt Longmire in A&E's crime drama series Longmire.[12] The series later moved to Netflix after the third season and the network renewed the series for its sixth and final season, which aired in 2017.[13][14]
Personal life
Taylor married producer Ayisha Davies on 12 July 2017, after 16 years together. They have a daughter, Scarlet.[1][4] He co-founded a farmer's market and community gardens in St Kilda, Victoria, called Veg Out.[15]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Phage | Calhoun | |
1999 | The Matrix | Agent Jones | |
2000 | Muggers | Detective Constable Porter | |
2000 | Vertical Limit | Skip Taylor | |
2000 | After the Rain | Jack Behring | |
2002 | The Hard Word | Frank Malone | |
2003 | Ned Kelly | Sherritt Trooper | |
2003 | Roundabout | Police officer 1 | Short film |
2007 | Storm Warning | Rob | |
2007 | Rogue | Everett Kennedy | |
2007 | The Bloody Sweet Hit | Lindsay | Short film |
2008 | Long Weekend | Bartender | |
2009 | Coffin Rock | Rob Willis | |
2012 | The Balibo Night | Private Benjamin Cook (voice) | Short video |
2014 | Healing | Vander | |
2014 | Turkey Shoot | Ramrod | |
2014 | The Menkoff Method | Clive Struthers | |
2015 | Focus | McEwen | |
2015 | Downriver | Wayne | |
2015 | What Lola Wants | Jed | |
2017 | Kong: Skull Island | Captain of the Boat | |
2017 | Don't Tell | Robert Brewster | |
2018 | The Meg | Dr. Heller | |
2019 | Blood Vessel | ||
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | The Flying Doctors | Lachlan McGregor | Season 3, episode 15: "Clapped Out" |
1988 | Reed Down Under | King | Television movie |
1988 | Something Is Out There | 1st officer | |
1988 | The Clean Machine | Constable Ron Healy | Television movie |
1988 | The Rocks | Constable Gottlieb | Television movie |
1989 | Brotherhood of the Rose | Pollux | |
1989 | Home and Away | Nicholas Walsh | 20 episodes |
1990 | Yellowthread Street | Detective Peter Marenta | 7 episodes |
1990 | The Paper Man | Johnny Coates | |
1992 | Steel Justice | Detective Lieutenant David Nash | Television movie |
1993–1996 | The Feds | David Griffin | Lead role |
1995 | The Last Bullet | Sergeant Caldwell | Television movie |
1996 | Twisted Tales | Peter | Season 1, episode 12: "A Sure Thing" |
1996 | Flipper | Season 1, episode 11: "Fish Out of Water" | |
1996 | The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years | Jack Cleary | Television movie |
1998 | Good Guys, Bad Guys | Andrew Costello | Season 2, episode 12: "Blood is Thicker Than Walter" |
1999 | Wildside | Clayton Clark | Season 2, episode 8 |
1999 | Blue Heelers | Detective Barry Craig | Season 6, episode 10: "Dirty Money" Season 6, episode 12: "Web of Lies" |
1999 | Stingers | Detective Sergeant Mick Foley | Season 1, episode 20: "Proving Ground" Season 1, episode 21: "Cast Off" Season 1, episode 22: "Dead Man's Throw" Season 2, episode 8: "White Lies" |
1999 | First Daughter | Mason | Television movie |
2001 | Ballykissangel | Father Vincent Sheehan | 8 episodes |
2002 | MDA | Paul Bennett | 8 episodes |
2004 | The Mystery of Natalie Wood | Nicholas Ray | Television movie |
2005 | Hercules | Chiron | |
2008 | City Homicide | Kevin Steele | Season 2, episode 12: "Spoils of War" |
2010 | Satisfaction | John McCoy | 6 episodes |
2010 | Cops L.A.C. | Tom O'Neill | Season 1, episode 1: "The Learning Curve" |
2011 | Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer was Here | Deputy Commissioner Graham Sinclair | Television movie |
2011 | Killing Time | Tim Watson-Munro | 5 episodes |
2011 | Twentysomething | Trevor | Season 1, episode 6 |
2012–2017 | Longmire | Sheriff Walt Longmire | Lead role |
2013 | Mr & Mrs Murder | Alistair Travers | Season 1, episode 8: "A Flare for Murder" |
2016 | Wolf Creek | Roland Thorogood | Season 1, episode 1: "Billabong" |
References
- "Week of March 3, 2014: Ballykissangel's Robert Taylor". Tea with Heather. Maryland Public Television.
- Myskow, Nina (2 March 2001). "The Real Me: Robert Taylor - I'd like to marry and have kids but my girlfriend can't stand me ..am I really that bad a catch?; Robert Taylor reveals all to NINA MYSKOW". The Mirror. United Kingdom.
- Moore, Frazier (23 May 2013). "Robert Taylor: arresting as TV lawman 'Longmire'". Associated Press.
- Lee, Luaine (1 June 2012). "Robert Taylor stars in new A&E series 'Longmire'". McClatchy-Tribune News Service. North Jersey.
- "Aussie star at home in west". News.com.au. 12 November 2013.
- "Four decades of Aussie cop shows". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 September 2004.
- "The Feds : Abduction". AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource.
- Barron, Frank (8 July 2012). ""Longmire" stars Robert Taylor on A&E – Big Sky country setting for modern western Longmire". Entertainment Today.
- "Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire". ninemsn.
- Pennells, Steve (13 August 2000). "Ballykissangel Answers Actor's Prayers". The Sun-Herald via WA Television.
- Jeffery, Morgan (16 February 2011). "'The Matrix' star joins A&E pilot". Digital Spy.
- Andreeva, Nellie (14 February 2011). "'Matrix' Actor Robert Taylor Gets The Lead In A&E's Pilot 'Longmire'". Deadline Hollywood.
- Andreeva, Nellie (2 November 2016). "'Longmire' Renewed For Sixth & Final Season By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- Dietz, Jason (2 June 2016). "2016-17 TV Season Scorecard". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Tomazin, Farrah (1 February 2003). "Community gardeners veg out in the suburbs". The Age. Australia: Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 3 June 2016.