Actor Jack Taylor, best known for his roles in Spanish and Italian horror cinema, has died.
Taylor was born George Brown Randall on October 21st 1926 in Oregon City, Oregon.
Little is known of Taylor’s early life, however he is thought to have served his country during the second World War.
Officially, Taylor adopted his stage name and began performing at the age of 26 in 1953. One of his first on-screen appearances was on a prolific live episode of The Jack Benny Show, on which Marilyn Monroe also guested.
Soon after beginning his acting career, Taylor relocated to Mexico, appearing in productions filmed there to cut costs. Credits during this time included The Last Rebel, Jet Over the Atlantic, and Action Stations. During this time, Taylor also adopted a second stage name, often appearing as Grek Martin.
1961 would see Taylor cast in a small part in 1963’s Cleopatra, and he relocated to Europe for the role.
Following this move, Taylor began a prolific career as a character actor in countless Spanish and Italian productions.
1968’s Succubus would see Taylor take on his first leading role. As well as being an early genre role, the project also began a long-lasting collaboration with filmmaker Jesus Franco.
Other roles throughout the seventies included 1970’s Count Dracula, 1974’s The Ghost Galleon and Night of the Sorcerers, and the 1979 giallo thriller Rings of Fear.
1982 would see Taylor garner two roles for which he remains fondly remembered. He’d have a small role in Conan the Barbarian, and a much more substantial supporting role in the slasher movie Pieces.
Two genre collaborations with filmmaker José Ramón Larraz in the late eighties resulted in Rest in Pieces, and the cult classic slasher Edge of the Axe.
Taylor would continue to work regularly, including a supporting role in Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate in 1999 and 2004’s The Birthday.
The actor’s final role came just last year, in the dark comedy Buffet Libre.
Taylor passed away on May 12th 2026 in Madrid, Spain. It is unknown if he left behind any family.
Jack Taylor was 99 years old.
Rest in peace, Jack.
