Taylor Holmes (May 16, 1878 – January 29, 1959) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 Broadway plays in his five-decade career. However, he is probably best remembered for his screen performances, which he began on silent films in 1917.

Early life

Holmes was born on May 16, 1878, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

Career

Stage

He made his Broadway debut in February 1900 in the controversial play Sapho, which was briefly closed for indecency. Holmes played Rosencrantz with E. H. Sothern in a production of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

and toured with Robert Edeson. He appeared in stage hits such as ''The Commuters'', ''The Music Master,'' and '' His Majesty Bunker Bean''.

Film

Early film appearances included ''Efficiency Edgar's Courtship'' and ''Fools for Luck''. One of his first starring roles was in '' A Pair of Sixes'' (1918). By the 1940s, he was working more on film than on stage. Holmes played a number of memorable roles, particularly in

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

, including the gullible millionaire conned in '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), a shifty lawyer in '' Kiss of Death'' (1947), and as Gavery, a reptilian disbarred lawyer in '' Act of Violence'' (1949). He is also recognized for playing the Bishop of Avranches, who fiercely denounces

Pierre Cauchon Pierre Cauchon (; 1371 – 18 December 1442) was a French Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Beauvais from 1420 to 1432. He was a strong partisan of English interests in France during the latter years of the Hundred Years' War. He w ...

in the

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

'' (1948),

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

's potential father-in-law in the 1953 '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' ("I don't want to marry your son for ''his'' money, I want to marry him for ''your'' money!"), and the voice of King Stefan in the final cut of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's animated feature ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'' (1959), Holmes' last credited screen role. He also played

Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...

in a low-budget half-hour television version of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'', first telecast in 1949.

Personal life

Holmes was married to actress Edna Phillips and was the father of actors

Phillips Holmes Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life, education and career Born in ...

, Madeleine Taylor Holmes, and Ralph Holmes. Eight months after the release of ''

'', Holmes died on January 29, 1959, at the age of 81. He was interred in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

's Holy Cross Cemetery.

Legacy

Holmes has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

. Holmes' 1915 spoken-word recording of the

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

poem " Boots" was used for its psychological effect in U.S. military SERE schools. His recitation was also used for the first trailer for the 2025 zombie apocalypse movie '' 28 Years Later'', directed by

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

Partial filmography

Silent *''Efficiency Edgar's Courtship'' (1917) (short) as Edgar Bumpus *''Fools for Luck'' (1917) as Philander Jepson *''Two-Bit Seats'' (1917) as Jimmy Mason * '' The Small Town Guy'' (1917) as Ernest Gledhill *'' Uneasy Money'' (1918) as Lord Dawlish *'' Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1918) as Marmaduke Ruggles * '' A Pair of Sixes'' (1918) as T. Boggs Johns *''It's a Bear'' (1919) as Orlando Wintrhop * '' A Regular Fellow'' (1919) (*George Eastman preserved) as Dalion Pemberton *''Taxi'' (1919) as Robert Hervey Randolph *'' Upside Down'' (1919) as Archibald Pim *''Three Black Eyes'' (1919) as Larry Van Cortlandt * '' Nothing But the Truth'' (1920) as Robert Bennett *''The Very Idea'' (1920) as Gilbert Goodhue *''Nothing but Lies'' (1920) as George Cross *'' Twenty Dollars a Week'' (1924) as William Hart *'' Her Market Value'' (1925) as Courtney Brooks * '' The Crimson Runner'' (1925) as Bobo (valet) * ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. The film stars Paul Newman as a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer in Boston who acc ...

'' (1925) as Valet *'' Borrowed Finery'' (1925) as Billy * '' One Hour of Love'' (1927) as Joe Monahan *''Should a Mason Tell?'' (1927) (short) as Henry *''Their Second Honeymoon'' (1927) (short) as Henry *''King Harold'' (1927) (short) as Henry Sound *''Lovers' Delight'' (1929, Short) *''He Did His Best'' (1929, Short) *''Let Me Explain'' (1930, Short) *''Dad Knows Best'' (1930, Short) * ''Terry of the 'Times (1930) (unconfirmed, uncredited) * ''It Happened in Paris'' (1932) * '' Before Morning'' (1933) as Leo Bergman * '' The First Baby'' (1936) as Mr. Wells * '' The Crime of Dr. Forbes'' (1936) as Dr. Robert Empey * '' Make Way for a Lady'' (1936) as George Terry * ''

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

'' (1947) as T.M. Wade * '' Kiss of Death'' (1947) as Earl Howser—Attorney * '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947) as Ezra Grindle * ''

Let's Live Again ''Let's Live Again'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Herbert I. Leeds. It is written by Rodney Carlisle and Robert Smiley. The film stars John Emery (actor), John Emery, Hillary Brooke, Taylor Holmes, Diana Douglas, James Millican and ...

'' (1948) as Uncle Jim * '' Smart Woman'' (1948) as Dr. Jasper * ''

Hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

'' (1948) as Mr. Meeler * '' The Plunderers'' (1948) as Eben Martin * ''

'' (1948) as The Bishop of Avranches * '' That Wonderful Urge'' (1948) as Attorney Rice * '' Act of Violence'' (1948) as Gavery * '' Joe Palooka in the Big Fight'' (1949) as Dr. Benson * '' Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' (1949) as Dr. Gibbs * '' Once More, My Darling'' (1949) as Jed Connell * ''

'' (1949) as Ebeneezer Scrooge * '' Woman in Hiding'' (1950) as Jed Connell * '' Mr. Belvedere Goes to College'' (1950) as Lucius Maury * ''

Quicksand Quicksand (also known as sinking sand) is a colloid consisting of fine granular material (such as sand, silt or clay) and water. It forms in saturated loose sand when the sand is suddenly agitated. When water in the sand cannot escape, it crea ...

'' (1950) as Harvey * '' Caged'' (1950) as Senator Ted Donnolly (uncredited) * '' Father of the Bride'' (1950) as Warner * '' Bright Leaf'' (1950) as Lawyer Calhoun * '' Copper Canyon'' (1950) as Theodosius Roberts * '' Double Deal'' (1950) as C.D. 'Corpus' Mills * '' The First Legion'' (1951) as Father Keene * ''

Rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

'' (1951) as P. Duncan Munk * '' Drums in the Deep South'' (1951) as Albert Monroe * '' Two Tickets to Broadway'' (1951) as Willard Glendon * '' Hold That Line'' (1952) as Dean Forrester * ''

Hoodlum Empire ''Hoodlum Empire'' is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph Kane starring Brian Donlevy, Claire Trevor, Forrest Tucker, Vera Ralston, Luther Adler and John Russell (actor), John Russell.. It was inspired by the United States Sena ...

'' (1952) as Benjamin Lawton * '' Sudden Fear'' (1952) as Scott Martindale (uncredited) * '' Beware, My Lovely'' (1952) as Mr. Walter Armstrong * '' Woman of the North Country'' (1952) as Andrew Dawson * '' Ride the Man Down'' (1952) as Lowell Priest * '' She's Back on Broadway'' (1953) as Talbot (uncredited) * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1953) as Mr. Esmond Sr. * '' Wonder Valley'' (1953) as Sweetheart's Father * '' Untamed Heiress'' (1954) as Walter Martin * '' The Outcast'' (1954) as Andrew Devlin * '' Tobor the Great'' (1954) as Prof. Arnold Nordstrom * '' Hell's Outpost'' (1954) as Timothy Byers * ''

Lady and the Tramp ''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...

'' (1955) as Jim's Friend #2/Doctor (voice, uncredited) * '' The Fighting Chance'' (1955) as Railbird - the Tout * '' The Maverick Queen'' (1956) as Pete Callaher * '' The Peacemaker'' (1956) as Mr. Wren * ''The Book of Acts Series'' (1957) as High Priest * ''

The Helen Morgan Story ''The Helen Morgan Story'', released in the UK as ''Both Ends of the Candle'', is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, ...

'' (1957) as Elderly Actor on Train (uncredited) * '' Wink of an Eye'' (1958) as Mr. Vanryzin * ''

'' (1959) as King Stefan (voice) (final film role)

References

External links

* * *
Taylor Holmes portrait section NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, Taylor American male film actors American male stage actors 1878 births 1959 deaths American vaudeville performers Male actors from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American male actors American male silent film actors Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City