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Taylor Negron

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Taylor Negron
Negron in 2005
Born
Brad Stephen Negron

(1957-08-01)August 1, 1957
Glendale, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 2015(2015-01-10) (aged 57)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1975–2015
RelativesChuck Negron (cousin)
Websitetaylornegron.com

Brad Stephen "Taylor" Negron[1] (August 1, 1957 – January 10, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, writer and artist. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Albert in Punchline (1988) and as Milo in the 1991 action comedy The Last Boy Scout.

Early life

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Negron was born in Glendale, California,[2] the son of Puerto Rican couple Lucy (née Rosario) and Conrad Negron, Sr.[3] His cousin is singer and musician Chuck Negron, of Three Dog Night fame.[4] He grew up in La Cañada Flintridge, California,[2] and graduated from the University of California Los Angeles.[5]

Career

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Breaking into comedy, Hollywood

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Negron's career in comedy began while he was still in high school, with a stand-up performance at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood. After this appearance, Negron ventured into being a Hollywood extra, as well as a repeat contestant on Chuck Barris' ABC daytime show The Dating Game.

Before his film career began, Negron worked for dramatic and comedic legends Lee Strasberg and Lucille Ball. In a work-study program at the Actors Studio, Negron worked as Strasberg's assistant. At Sherwood Oaks Experimental College in 1977, Negron served as Ball's intern while she was a guest teacher at the school.[2]

Film

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Negron's motion picture appearances included Angels in the Outfield, The Aristocrats, Better Off Dead, Call Me Claus, Easy Money as the tenacious son-in-law of Rodney Dangerfield's character, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, River's Edge, The Last Boy Scout, Nothing but Trouble, Punchline, The Stoned Age, Stuart Little, Young Doctors in Love, Funky Monkey, Bio-Dome with Pauly Shore, How I Got into College, and Vamps, in which he reprised his Fast Times at Ridgemont High pizza delivery scene.[2]

Television and internet

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Among Negron's television appearances are guest star roles on Hill Street Blues, That's So Raven, So Little Time, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Ben Stiller Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reno 911!, Friends, My Wife and Kids, Seinfeld, ER, Party of Five, and Falcon Crest. In addition to being a semiregular guest on Off Beat Cinema, he co-starred in Smart Guy and Wizards of Waverly Place. He appeared in Comedy Central's UnCabaret special as well as its Amazon episodes. He appeared as Melinda Hill's date in one episode of the 2013 web series Romantic Encounters.[6][7] His last television role was the part of an acting coach in Season 1, Episode 5 of The Comedians starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad. He also appeared on an episode of The Dating Game on March 16, 1970.

Writer

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In 2008, he wrote The Unbearable Lightness of Being Taylor Negron – A Fusion of Story and Song, directed by opera director David Schweitzer and co-starring singer/songwriter Logan Heftel. The show debuted to critical acclaim in the Green Room at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. It also ran in the 2009 Best of New York Solo Festival at the SoHo Playhouse and at the Barrow Street Theater. Kate Copstick of The Scotsman wrote of it, "The underlying theme of this spellbinding hour seems to be Nietzschean – 'that which does not destroy me makes me strong'. And if that doesn't sound like out-and-out comedy, then that is good. Because the show is not out-and-out comedy. It is a mix of music, storytelling, and comedy."[8] His comedy essays have been published in the anthology Dirty Laundry (Phoenix Books) and Love West Hollywood: Reflections of Los Angeles (Alyson Books).

Director Justin Tanner revived Negron's play Gangster Planet, a four-character domestic comedy set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which was chosen by the Los Angeles Times as a Critic's Choice. Another play, Downward Facing Bitch, a suspense comedy, was developed with director Kiff Scholl. Negron was a regular contributor to Wendy Hammer's Tasty Words, Jill Solloway's "Sit and Spin", and Hilary Carlip's online magazine Fresh Yarns, as well as the Huffington Post. He performed regularly across the United States and was one of the original members of the UnCabaret, dubbed "The Mother Show of Alternative Comedy" by the LA Weekly, where Negron fused standup, dada poetry, and stream of consciousness storytelling.[citation needed]

Painter

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Negron was an accomplished painter whose artwork has been featured in solo exhibitions at venues such as Los Angeles' Laemmle Royal Theater and the Hotel de Ville Lifestyle. Although he left his initial art school education when he was 19 years old, Negron later received training at the Academy of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Art Students League in New York City. His work was influenced by Henri Matisse, Jean-Édouard Vuillard, Don Bachardy, and David Hockney.[2][9][10]

Personal life

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Negron was openly gay.[11][12]

Death

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Negron was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2008. On January 10, 2015, he died at his home in Los Angeles, California, surrounded by family, at the age of 57.[13][14][15]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Gong Show Movie Blond-Haired Man Auditioning Uncredited
1981 Freedom Brett
1982 Young Doctors in Love Dr. Phil Burns
1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High Pizza Guy
1983 Easy Money Julio Ocampo
1984 Johnny Dangerously Delivery Man Uncredited
1985 Better Off Dead Mailman
1985 Bad Medicine Pepe The Cab Driver
1986 One Crazy Summer Taylor
1986 The Whoopee Boys 'Whitey'
1986 River's Edge Checker
1988 Punchline Albert Emperato
1989 How I Got into College Mailman
1991 Nothing but Trouble Fausto Squiriniszu
1991 The Last Boy Scout Milo
1993 Mr. Jones Motorcycle Man / Director of Rock Videos
1994 Angels in the Outfield David Montagne
1994 The Stoned Age Clerk
1996 Bio-Dome Russell
1997 A Kid in Aladdin's Palace[16] The Genie
1997 The Practice Mr. Walters E2S1:Reasonable Doubts
1998 Chairman of the Board Mr. Withermeyer
1999 Stuart Little Salesman In Mall
2000 Gun Shy Cheemo Partelle
2000 The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas Gazaam & Gazing
2001 Call Me Claus Ralph
2005 The Aristocrats Himself
2007 Entry Level Charlie
2007 Three Days to Vegas Antoine
2008 Channels Niles
2009 Super Capers Chauffeur
2009 Lock and Roll Forever Mary Post
2009 The Deported Priest
2009 Stuntmen Gio Supreme
2009 Scream of the Bikini Doorman
2009 Babysitters Beware Mr. Willoughsbag
2010 Shoot the Hero! Douglas
2010 The Braveheart Musical: For England King Edward I Longshanks Short
2010 Change Your Life LOOT Sales Rep Video
2010 Evil Shrink Dr. Bane Video short
2011 The Chateau Meroux Francois
2012 Freight Robert Short
2012 Vamps Pizza Guy
2013 Santorini Blue Jimmy the Doorman
2013 Scott & Kassie's Christmas Adventure Marv
2014 The Magic World of Harrison Patrakis Narrator Short
2015 Alienated Griffin Posthumous release; Final film role

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
1993 Double Switch Sammy "Slick Sammy"

References

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  1. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (January 11, 2015). "Comedian/actor Taylor Negron dies at 57". USA Today.
  2. ^ a b c d e Looseleaf, Victoria (May 15, 2014). "Taylor Negron: Art of the Everyman". KCET.
  3. ^ "Mayor pro tem's son laughs way through life". Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
  4. ^ Looseleaf, Victoria (April 27, 2001). "For Negron, It's Totally Cool to Be Unhip". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Profile, The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  6. ^ Walton, Brian. "Pickstarter: Our Favorite Crowdfunded Projects 9/16". Nerdist. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  7. ^ "Know Your 'That Guy': Taylor Negron". Everything Action. August 30, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  8. ^ Copstick, Kate. "Satellites". The Scotsman.
  9. ^ Chawkins, Steve (January 10, 2015). "Taylor Negron dead; comedian and playwright was 57". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  10. ^ "Joking Aside: Taylor Negron, Painter". HuffPost. June 15, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Anderson-Minshall, Diane (January 11, 2015). "Gay Fast Times at Ridgemont High Actor Taylor Negron Has Died", The Advocate. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  12. ^ Wee, Darren (January 12, 2015). "Fast Times at Ridgemont High actor Taylor Negron dies at 57", Gay Star News. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  13. ^ "Taylor Negron dies at 57; comedian, actor, playwright". Los Angeles Times. January 11, 2015.
  14. ^ "Actor, Writer & Comedian Taylor Negron Dies at 57". Broadway World. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Staff. "Taylor Negron, Comedian & Actor, Dead At 57 After Long Battle With Cancer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  16. ^ "A Kid in Aladdin's Palace (Video 1997) – IMDb". IMDb.
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