The Five Man Army

Don Taylor was an American movie actor and director. He co-starred in 1950s classics like Stalag 17 and Father of the Bride, and the 1948 film noir The Naked City. He later turned to directing films such as Escape from the Planet of the Apes , Tom Sawyer , and Damien: Omen II . Born in Freeport,... Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1920, Taylor studied speech and drama at Penn State University and hitchhiked to Hollywood in 1942. He was signed as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appeared in small roles. Drafted into the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, he appeared in the Air Forces's Winged Victory Broadway play and movie , credited as "Cpl. Don Taylor." After discharge from the AAF, Taylor was cast in a lead role as the young detective, Jimmy Halloran, working alongside veteran homicide detective Dan Muldoon in Universal's 1948 screen version of The Naked City, which was notable for being filmed entirely on the streets of New York. Taylor was later part of the ensemble cast in MGM's classic WW2 infantry comedy/drama Battleground .
more