Robert Taylor (born 1963) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many films and television series in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. On television he is best known for his lead role in the A&E television series Longmire. On film he is best known for playing Agent Jones in The Matrix. Taylor also starred in the 2000 movie Vertical Limit.
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Early life
Taylor was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. After his parents separated when he was nine, he moved to a mining town in Western Australia to live with his aunt and uncle. As a teenager he worked as a miner. He had several jobs after that, including lifeguard and bouncer, and went to university three times. At 21 he went to work on an oil rig in the Indian Ocean. Taylor was left with a broken arm and ribs after his ship collided with another and sank off the west coast of Australia. Taylor and two crew mates escaped on a lifeboat. Whilst recovering in hospital he saw an ad for auditions for drama school in Perth, at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). At the age of 24, he joined WAAPA after a successful audition.
Career
Taylor started acting professionally in 1988 after graduating from WAAPA. His first major role was in 1989 as Nicholas Walsh in the Australian television soap Home and Away. His first lead role came in 1993 when he was cast as David Griffin in the Australian mini series The Feds. He then appeared in various guest roles and on TV movies in Australia, such as Blue Heelers and Stingers, often being cast as a police officer.
Taylor’s big break in Hollywood came when he was cast as the shapeshifting Agent Jones in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix. In 2000, he starred alongside Chris O’Donnell in the action thriller Vertical Limit. His other film credits include The Hard Word (2002), Storm Warning (2007), Rogue (2007), and Coffin Rock (2009).
In 2000, Taylor took on role of Father Vincent Sheehan in Ballykissangel, a British television drama set in Ireland. His television credits after that include MDA (2002), Satisfaction (2010), Cops L.A.C. (2010) and Killing Time (2011). In 2011, Taylor was cast for the lead role in A&E’s crime drama series Longmire.
Personal life
Taylor is married to producer Ayisha Davies and has a young daughter, Scarlet. He co-founded a farmer’s market and community gardens in St Kilda, Victoria called Veg Out.Tomazin, Farrah (February 1, 2003). “Community gardeners veg out in the suburbs”. theage.com.au. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved June 3, 2016.