Ronald Grant Taylor (6 December 1917 – 26 January 1971[1]) was an English-Australian actor best known as the abrasive General Henderson in the Gerry Anderson science fiction series UFO and for his lead role in Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940).

[7] Taylor's physique, good looks and charm saw Ken G. Hall cast him as the juvenile lead in Dad Rudd, M.P.

The Sydney Truth later wrote: Taylor... scored in the scenes of the flood, where, clad in oilskins, he shouted instructions above the torrent of the waters.

[8]Taylor was then selected by Charles Chauvel to play the lead role of 'Red' Gallagher in the war film Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940).

[11] This movie was a massive international success and a Hollywood or English career beckoned, but Taylor elected to stay in Australia.

Career-wise it proved to be a bad decision, as film production in Australia declined sharply with the advent of World War II and Taylor was unable to follow up his success immediately.

[12] However, according to one historian, his "radio career advanced rapidly, particularly in Sydney where he not only turned in some memorable performances but earned himself a reputation as one of the wild and colourful characters of the 1940s and 50s.

"[13] In April 1941 Taylor reportedly relocated from Sydney to his home in Melbourne, where it was announced he would focus on radio work.

[17] Taylor was given leave to appear in some propaganda shorts, such as While There is Still Time (1942), 100,000 Cobbers (1942), Another Threshold (1942) and South West Pacific (1943).

[18] In 1945, it was announced that he would star in another Chauvel film, Green Mountain, but by the time the movie was actually made in 1949 (as Sons of Matthew), he did not appear in it.

[20] In March 1946 it was reported he was back from service on Borneo and would recommence his acting career on ABC's Press Gang.

[21] After the war Taylor was unable to consolidate his position as a film star, and saw the majority of leading man roles go instead to actors such as Charles Tingwell and Chips Rafferty.

Filmink magazine later wrote a profile on the actor which asked " Why did Taylor go from a leading man to support player in such a short period of time?

A review of a performance he gave in The Paragon in 1948 called him "a virile figure in the Clark Gable tradition, but is over-inclined to inflate his chest and growl menacingly through his teeth, a picturesque characteristic, but one which does not always lend itself to clarity of enunciation.

In 1964 he appeared in the ABC-TV children's adventure serial The Stranger, Australia's first locally produced science fiction TV series,[33] which was also sold to the BBC.

This led to plenty of work in character roles, from Anglia TV's soap opera Weavers Green (where Taylor had a regular part[35]) to The Avengers, The Troubleshooters and several Lew Grade-backed projects including The Champions.

A high-profile role for him was in the Gerry Anderson science fiction series UFO, where he played sometime-ally, sometime-antagonist General Henderson.

[45] Jean was fatally injured in an accident at their Potts Point home after she fell over on her way back from a party on 23 April 1956.