Sam Taylor (August 13, 1895 – March 6, 1958) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, most active in the silent film era. Taylor is best known for his comedic directorial work with

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

and

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

, and also later worked with

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo ...

. He was born in New York City. A notorious cinematic legend over the decades has suggested that Taylor's 1929 adaptation of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

'' had the screen credit "additional dialogue by Sam Taylor". However, no extant prints of the film contain this credit, and there is no documentary evidence that it ever existed. Taylor directed seven feature films with Lloyd as star, second only to

Fred C. Newmeyer Fred C. Newmeyer (August 9, 1888 – April 24, 1967) was an American actor, film director and film producer. Biography A native of Central City, Colorado, Newmeyer is best known for directing a handful of films in the ''Our Gang'' series and fo ...

(the two co-directed Lloyd in five features). He also directed Pickford in her first "

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

" feature with '' Coquette'' (1929), which garnered the latter an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

. Taylor died at the age of 62 in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Partial filmography

* ''

Over the Garden Wall ''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variety ...

'' (1919) * '' In Honor's Web'' (1919) * '' Human Collateral'' (1920) * '' Now or Never'' (1921) * '' Never Weaken'' (1921) * ''

Princess Jones ''Princess Jones'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Gustav von Seyffertitz and starring Alice Calhoun, Vincent Coleman and Helen Dubois.Connelly p.398 Synopsis Princess Jones, the niece of a country store keeper, dreams of b ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Mohican's Daughter ''The Mohican's Daughter'' is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film directed by Sam Taylor and Stanner E.V. Taylor and starring Nancy Deaver, William H. Thompson and Paul Panzer.Connelly p.388 It is based on the 1904 short story ''The St ...

'' (1922) * '' Safety Last!'' (1923) * '' Why Worry?'' (1923) * '' Girl Shy'' (1924) * '' The Freshman'' (1925) * '' Exit Smiling'' (1927) * ''

My Best Girl ''My Best Girl'' is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. The film is notable for co-starring Rogers, who would be Pickford's future ...

'' (1927) * ''

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

'' (1928) * '' The Woman Disputed'' (1928) * '' Lady of the Pavements'' (1929) * ''

'' (1929) * '' Coquette'' (1929) * ''

Du Barry, Woman of Passion ''Du Barry, Woman of Passion'' is a 1930 American pre-Code dramatic film starring Norma Talmadge, produced by her husband Joseph Schenck, released through United Artists, and based on a 1901 stage play ''Du Barry'' written and produced by Davi ...

'' (1930) * ''

Skyline A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skyline ...

'' (1931) * '' Ambassador Bill'' (1931) * ''

Kiki Kiki or Ki Ki may refer to: Places * Ki Ki, South Australia, Australia, a village * Ki Ki, Iran, a village * Kiai, Iran, a village also known as Kiki * Kiki, Łask County, Poland, a village * Kiki, Poddębice County, Poland, a village * Kiki ...

'' (1931) * '' Devil's Lottery'' (1932) * ''

Out All Night Out All Night may refer to: * ''Out All Night'' (TV series), American sitcom * ''Out All Night'' (1927 film), American film * ''Out All Night'' (1933 film), American comedy film {{disambiguation ...

'' (1933) * '' The Cat's-Paw'' (1934) * '' Nothing but Trouble'' (1944)

External links

* * * American film directors American film producers American male screenwriters 1895 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-screen-writer-stub