Born Samuel Albert Tanenbaum to a
Jewish family in
Chicago, Illinois, Taylor made his
Broadway debut as author of the play
The Happy Time in 1950. He wrote the play
Sabrina Fair (1953) and co-wrote
its film adaptation released the following year. In 1955, he won a
Golden Globe and was nominated for an
Academy Award for the screenplay. His early success brought him more work in
Hollywood, including the biographical film
The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) and the
Alfred Hitchcock classic
Vertigo (1958). His film career faded after the initial underperformance of
Vertigo, though Hitchcock and Taylor remained frequent collaborators. He was often contracted to write drafts for Hitchcock's later films, such as
Torn Curtain (1966), and wrote the script for
Topaz (1969). Taylor was nominated for his only
Tony Award as co-producer of the musical play
No Strings (1962), for which he also wrote the book. Other playwrighting credits include
Avanti! (1968), which was later adapted for the Billy Wilder film
released in 1972, and
Legend (1976). Taylor died of
heart failure in
Blue Hill, Maine. His credits are sometimes confused with those of novelist and screenwriter
Samuel W. Taylor. ==Broadway credits==