Ronald James Taylor (October 16, 1952 â€" January 16, 2002) was an
American actor, singer and writer. He grew up in Galveston, Texas and
later moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts. After graduating, Taylor began working in musical
theater, appearing in The Wiz (1977), before getting his break with
the 1982 off-Broadway production Little Shop of Horrors. Taylor voiced
the killer plant Audrey II in the show, which ran for five years and
over 2,000 performances.Taylor created and starred in the musical
revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which charted the history of
blues music from its African origin to American success. Originally
performed at high schools in Denver as a 45-minute piece, the revue
was expanded to two hours, played around the country and opened on
Broadway in 1999. It was met with critical acclaim, ran for eight
months, and saw Taylor receive two Tony Award nominations.He also had
numerous television roles, appearing in The Simpsons, Twin Peaks, Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal and L.A. Law. His performance in
the latter, as a singer who performed the American national anthem
"The Star-Spangled Banner" at baseball games, led him to perform the
anthem at several real-life sporting events. Taylor was married and
had one son. He died in January 2002 after suffering a heart attack.
American actor, singer and writer. He grew up in Galveston, Texas and
later moved to New York City to attend the American Academy of
Dramatic Arts. After graduating, Taylor began working in musical
theater, appearing in The Wiz (1977), before getting his break with
the 1982 off-Broadway production Little Shop of Horrors. Taylor voiced
the killer plant Audrey II in the show, which ran for five years and
over 2,000 performances.Taylor created and starred in the musical
revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, which charted the history of
blues music from its African origin to American success. Originally
performed at high schools in Denver as a 45-minute piece, the revue
was expanded to two hours, played around the country and opened on
Broadway in 1999. It was met with critical acclaim, ran for eight
months, and saw Taylor receive two Tony Award nominations.He also had
numerous television roles, appearing in The Simpsons, Twin Peaks, Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine, Ally McBeal and L.A. Law. His performance in
the latter, as a singer who performed the American national anthem
"The Star-Spangled Banner" at baseball games, led him to perform the
anthem at several real-life sporting events. Taylor was married and
had one son. He died in January 2002 after suffering a heart attack.
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