Assistant Chief Russell Taylor was a fictional character featured in TNT's The Closer, portrayed by Robert Gossett.
[1] A hard worker who has risen through the ranks, he is extremely resentful of Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson's status and the respect she receives from the officers working with her.
Before Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson transferred to Los Angeles, Taylor headed up the Priority Homicide Division.
When giving Raydor the job as head of Major Crimes, both Taylor and Pope promised her a promotion to Commander, but this is revealed to have been a lie due to a hiring freeze.
In "White Lies, Part 3", Fritz Howard tells Sharon Raydor that a park is being built on the location of the condemned buildings once belonging to the Zyklon Brotherhood and it will be dedicated in Taylor's honor.
In "Shockwave, Part 2", Mason is promoted to take Taylor's place with Fritz returning to his old job as Deputy Chief of SOB.
In the Season 1 finale of The Closer, then-Captain Taylor files an anonymous complaint against Deputy Chief Johnson for "conduct unbecoming an officer."
Taylor was temporarily given control of the detectives in the Priority Homicide Division while Deputy Chief Johnson was on administrative leave at the end of season 2, following a shooting incident in the murder room, during which Lt. Provenza's gun was used by a federal protective witness to kill a decorated FBI agent.
However, while he at times clashes with the team, he also proves an ally at points such as coming up with a breakthrough that helps solve the Wade Weller case and supporting Sharon and Rusty's familial bond.
As the squad worked to solve the conspiracy that led to his murder, Taylor was described as a hero by Fritz Howard who stated that his memory would be honored by them catching the people responsible for his death.