Samuel A. Taylor

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Samuel A. Taylor

Born

Samuel Albert Tanenbaum
June 13, 1912
Chicago, Illinois

Died

May 26, 2000 (aged 87)
Blue Hill, Maine

Occupation

screenwriter

Spouse(s)

Suzanne Combes Taylor (1940-2000)

Awards won
Golden Globe Awards
Best Screenplay 1955 Sabrina

Samuel A. Taylor (June 13, 1912–May 26, 2000) was an American playwright and screenwriter.

Born Samuel Albert Tanenbaum in Chicago, Illinois, Taylor made his Broadway debut as author of the play The Happy Time in 1950. He wrote the play Sabrina Fair in 1953 and co-wrote its film adaptation 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 1956 biographical film The Eddy Duchin Story and the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo in 1958.

His film career faded after the initial box office failure of Vertigo, though Hitchcock and Taylor remained frequent collaborators. Taylor did an uncredited rewrite of the screenplay for Psycho -- due to Hitchcock's dissatisfaction with Joseph Stefano's screenplay -- and wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's 1969 film Topaz. He was often contracted to write drafts for Hitchcock's other films, such as Torn Curtain, though Topaz was the only Taylor-penned screenplay to be produced after Vertigo and Psycho.

Taylor was nominated for his only Tony Award in 1962 as co-producer of the play No Strings, for which he also wrote the book. Other playwrighting credits include Avanti! (1968) 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.