An odd coincidence on Rod's birthday
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Rod Taylor
hobnob53 — 11 years ago(January 11, 2015 02:35 PM)
It's just come over the news that actress Anita Ekberg died this morning (January 11, 2015) near Rome at the age of 83.
This is an odd coincidence because today would have been Rod Taylor's 85th birthday, and for a time in the early 1960s she and Rod were involved in a passionate (and apparently tempestuous) transatlantic love affair that culminated in their engagement. Their imminent marriage was widely reported around 1962 and 1963 but ultimately Rod decided against marrying her, though they remained friends.
Just a bit strange that Anita should pass away on her ex-fiance's birthday, and just four days5b4 after his own death, more than half a century after their relationship.
R.I.P. Anita, and happy birthday, Rod. -
Big G-2 — 11 years ago(January 11, 2015 10:54 PM)
That I did not know! Anita herself would end up marrying Rik Van Nutter who's most famous for role was that of Felix Leiter in THUNDERBALL, for which Bond could have been played by Rod Taylor (and he declined Bond as I am led to believe).
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hobnob53 — 11 years ago(January 11, 2015 11:24 PM)
Right, Big-G, and Rod reportedly did turn down Bond because he felt the role was beneath him. It's not quite clear to me whether Taylor was actually offered the role or was merely approached about his possible interest, but either way it may be one of several misjudgments that hurt his career.
I read that when he was filming
The VIPs
, his hotel room in London was one floor directly below the room being rented by Anita and her new husband Rick! That must have been cozy.
His biographer says that Rod had lots of affairs with actresses but that he avoided marrying any of them. None of his three wives was an actress. Apparently Rod didn't believe in working women, and certainly not someone in the same profession, as he admitted in several interviews in the 60s. He may have changed his views later. But he was actually engaged to Anita, not just involved with her.