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Rip Taylor
Age: 75
Height: 5' 10"
Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Born: Jan. 13th, 1934
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Rip Taylor's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: The nicknames "The Prince of Pandemonium," "The Master of Mayhem" and "King of Camp and Confetti" are but a few valid applications that have been thrust upon zany comedian Rip Taylor, whose unique blend of burlesque and self-deprecating humor has entertained audiences for over four decades. A clever, quicksilver comic, he has headlined the top showrooms of Las Vegas, appeared on scores of television shows, starred in various musical stage slapsticks and even toyed with dramatic material over the years.
Born Charles Elmer Taylor under quieter and more normal circumstances in Washington, DC, on January 13, 1934, the raucous Rip began it all tossing out one-liners in nightclubs and had his first big break on 'Ed Sullivan (I)''s "Toast of the Town" (1948) TV show in 1964. The tacky costumes, ridiculous props, handlebar mustache, wacky wigs and manic confetti-tossing didn't take long to follow as professional trademarks, and they soon made their way into the 1970s pop culture. Frequently appearing on television, he appeared in everything from variety shows to talk shows (Merv Griffin and David Letterman) to sitcoms like "The Monkees" (1966). He was the gag man who delightfully wrangled out of every groan-inducing one-liner there was, eventually finding the perfect avenue for his brand of insanity via producer Chuck Barris and his syndicated TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s. Rip became a favorite panelist judge along with Jaye P. Morgan on Barris' "The Gong Show" (1976), and later served as host of the equally tacky "The $1.98 Beauty Show" (1978).
A mainstay in Las Vegas, whether as ringleader of a topless chorus line or opening act to a major entertainer, Rip also slayed 'em on Broadway ("Sugar Babies") and has demonstrated a fine singing instrument in musicals including "Anything Goes," "Oliver!" (as Fagan), "Peter Pan" (as Captain Hook) and in a 1999 production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (as Pseudolus). On the more serious side he played Demi Moore's crusty boss in Indecent Proposal (1993) and showed up sans confetti as Kate Hudson (I)'s father in the Rob Reiner feature Alex & Emma (2003). For the most part, however, Rip has continued on his merry way in such campy film nonsense as Barris' The Gong Show Movie (1980); the "Exorcist" spoof Repossessed (1990) with Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen; the foreign-made Il silenzio dei prosciutti (1994) [The Silence of the Hams] and Jackass: The Movie (2002).
Beginning in the early 1960s, when he first provided additional voices for "The Jetsons" (1962), Rip has continued making voice-over work a viable means of income. His voice can be heard in such animated films as DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992) and Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (2003) (V). Rip was nominated for an Emmy award for voicing the role of Uncle Fester in the TV cartoon series "The Addams Family" (1992).
TRIVIA:
- An openly gay entertainer, he has donated a large part of his time not only to AIDS causes, but to numerous other charitable causes including The Thalians, The Screen Actors Guild, The Actors' Home, and The Friars Charitable Trust. He has also been a welcome mainstay on "The Jerry Lewis Telethon."
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre at 6625 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- His first Las Vegas appearance was in "The Eleanor Powell Show" at the Dunes. This, in turn, led to sharing the nightly stage with such stars as 'Frank Sinatra' (qv), 'Sammy Davis Jr.' (qv), 'Debbie Reynolds (I)' (qv), 'Ann-Margret' (qv) and 'Judy Garland (I)' (qv), among many, many others.
- Currently writing and producing a one-man-show appropriately titled "Let'er Rip."
- He served in the Korean War.
- Was a surprise guest in the "Martin Short Fame Becomes Me" Thursday, August 24 performance, being interviewed by "Jimminy Glick" on stage
- Was a Congressional Page in his teens.
- Rip started by throwing things like string beans, marshmallows and peanuts at the audience, who ended up throwing them back at him. That gave him his first taste of his unique rapport with audiences. Of course, once New Year's Eve came around, it was confetti-time (and safer for everyone concerned) and the bit caught on after the holiday season.
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