Rip Taylor was born Charles Elmer Taylor Jr. on January 13 1931 in Washington, D.C. He served as a page in the United States Congress. Afterwards he served in the Signal Corps of the United States Army during the Korean War. After his discharge from the Army Mr. Taylor began performing stand up in nightclubs and restaurants.
Rip Taylor made his television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1961. He appeared on the show five more times. In the Sixties he appeared frequently on talk shows and game shows, including Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine, The Clay Cole Show, The Michael Douglas Show, Dream Girl of '67, The Woody Woodbury Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Joey Bishop Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The David Frost Show, and Della. He guest starred on The Monkees. He was a regular on The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show. He made his film debut in I'd Rather Be Rich in 1964.
In the Seventies Mr. Taylor was the host of The $1.98 Beauty Show. He was a regular on Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. He was the voice of the title character on the Saturday morning cartoon Here Comes the Grump. He guest starred on the show The Comedy Shop. Rip Taylor appeared on such talk shows and game shows as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The David Frost Show, Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Co., Laugh In, Match Game 73, Break the Bank, The David Steinberg Show, American Bandstand, The Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Toni Tennille Show. He appeared in the films Chatterbox! (1977), The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington (1977), and The Gong Show Movie (1980).
In the Eighties Rip Taylor he guest starred on the TV shows Down to Earth, Kids Incorporated, Pryor's Place, The Charmings, and Santa Barbara. He was a regular voice on the Saturday morning cartoon Popeye and Son. He appeared on such talk shows and game shows as The Mike Douglas Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tomorrow Show, The New Hollywood Squares, Super Password, The Pat Sajack Show, and Match Game. He provided voices for the animated feature film DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990).
In the Nineties Rip Taylor was the voice of Uncle Fester on the Saturday morning cartoon The Addams Family. He guest starred on the shows Johnny Bago, The Kids in the Hall, Vicki, The Naked Truth, MadTV, Saturday Night Live, and Brotherly Love. He appeared on such talk shows as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and The Daily Show. He appeared in the movies Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), Wayne's World 2 (1993), Il silenzio dei prosciutti (1994), and The Boys Behind the Desk (2000).
In the Naughts through the Teens Rip Taylor appeared in the films Alex & Emma (2003), The Dukes of Hazzard (2005), and Silent But Deadly (2012). He had a recurring role on the television sitcom Life with Bonnie and was a regular voice on the animated series The Emperor's New School. He guest starred on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Will & Grace, George Lopez, and The Aquabats! Super Show!. He was a panellist on Hollwyood Squares. He appeared on the talk shows The Florence Henderson Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and After Dark with Julian Clark.
Rip Taylor was one of the most memorable comedians of the mid to late 20th Century. He was notorious for his use of props, particularly showering his audiences with loads of confetti. His humour was flamboyant and outrageous. He had a gift for sarcasm and self-deprecating humour, all of it delivered rapid-fire. It was no wonder he was so much in demand on the talk shows, variety shows, of the late 20th Century. While he did not do that many guest appearances on narrative TV shows, when he did he was unforgettable. He made two guest appearances on The Monkees, the last of which was as the Wizard Glick in the show's final episode, "Mijacogeo." When it came to outrageous comedy, no one was better than Rip Taylor.
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