As the lights dimmed and the opening credits began to roll, audiences were transported into the adventures and stories of the old American West. Throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood in the mid 20th century, the Western film genre captivated viewers and helped mythologize frontier life. Though the dashing cowboys and stoic sheriffs took center stage on the silver screen, their stories were brought to life through the support of talented character actors filling out the cast. Among them was Dub Taylor, who contributed memorable sidekick and supporting roles in over 100 Westerns. His career formed part of an impressive family legacy in the entertainment industry spanning multiple generations. At its heart was his daughter, Faydean Taylor Tharp. Though details of her personal life remain scarce, she represents an important connection in this show business family tree.
Faydean Taylor Tharp
As a child of Hollywood growing up in the 1930s and 40s, Faydean Taylor was surrounded by the workings of the entertainment business. Her father, Dub Taylor, had established himself as a prolific character actor, appearing in well over 100 Westerns during the genre’s peak. Faydean’s brothers, Buck Taylor and Walter Clarence Taylor III, would go on to have their own acting careers in film and television. Marrying into the industry, Faydean wed Walter Tharp, a property master and special effects technician whose early work was alongside Faydean’s father at Monogram Pictures in the 1940s.
While few details are publicly known about Faydean’s own professional and personal life, she remains an integral link in her show business family. Tracing her story provides insight into the multi-generational impact that the Taylors have had on Hollywood. As the daughter of a famed Western character actor, sister to two performers, and wife of a behind-the-scenes film worker, Faydean Taylor Tharp represents an important chapter in her family’s entertainment legacy.
Early Life and Family
Faydean Taylor entered the world in 1931, born into a family destined for the screen. Her father, Dub Taylor, had begun working in Hollywood in the late 1920s after leaving his hometown of Augusta, Georgia. Possessing natural comedic timing and a knack for quirky character roles, Dub Taylor rose to prominence as a supporting player in Western films throughout the 1930s and 40s. His home on call sheets became Monogram Pictures, a low-budget studio known for churning out B-movies and genre pictures.
- Living in the Greater Los Angeles area, Faydean spent her childhood surrounded by the growing film industry. Her father’s work as a character actor meant she was exposed to the Old West stories being told on California sets and desert landscapes.
- As the daughter of Dub Taylor, Faydean saw her father appear in over 100 Westerns and become established as a well-known sidekick and supporting player. He brought his brand of goofy humor and affable charm to such films as Riders of the Dawn (1937), The Man from Sundown (1939), and the Hopalong Cassidy series.
- Faydean had two brothers who also entered the entertainment industry. Her older brother Walter Clarence Taylor III had some early acting roles as a child, credited as Wally Taylor. However, it was her younger brother Buck who had the most prolific career. After serving in the Navy, he appeared in numerous Westerns and TV shows, often working with his father.
For Faydean, this upbringing provided an intimate look into the world of show business. Surrounded by performers and Hollywood professionals, she gained firsthand experience of the dedication and hustle required to build a career in entertainment. Her father and brothers offered living examples of how to hone onscreen talents and develop an engaging persona to connect with audiences. These early exposures shaped her ongoing relationship with the industry.
Career and Contributions
While some basic biographical information is available on Faydean Taylor’s childhood and family relations, details remains sparse when it comes to her own adult years and professional career. Based on currently available records, her public activities appear limited, perhaps overshadowed by the extensive credits of her father and siblings. However, considering her lifelong immersion in Hollywood culture, it is likely she possessed some informal involvement either onscreen or behind the scenes.
Specifically, Faydean was surrounded by the low-budget Western productions of Poverty Row studios like Monogram Pictures in her youth. Having grown up on these sets alongside her steadily working father, she may have been inclined to participate in some capacity during adulthood. Potential roles could include appearing as an extra, serving as production crew, or taking on miscellaneous duties needed to churn out B-Westerns quickly and economically. While not documented, it is plausible Faydean made untracked contributions to the Poverty Row films of the 1940s and 50s.
More significantly, she represented the second generation of her family to be shaped by the burgeoning entertainment business centered in Hollywood. The profession of acting, and the discipline required to succeed within it, was part of her daily life. This immersion into the film industry from childhood resulted in an innate familiarity and deeper appreciation of the craft. While Faydean’s brother Buck took on a substantial career onscreen, all of Dub Taylor’s children inherited his diligent work ethic and understanding of connective acting.
Personal Life
Delving into Faydean Taylor’s personal affairs and marriage reveals an additional show business connection binding her to the family legacy. In the late 1940s, she wed Walter Tharp, a technician and property master working in studio film production. Tharp’s early credits were alongside Dub Taylor at Monogram Pictures, specifically handling props and practical effects for many of the Westerns in which Dub appeared.
Much like Faydean herself, few personal specifics are known publicly about Tharp’s life. However, his career represents another example of the “behind-the-scenes” parts of Hollywood occupied by talented craftspeople. Where Dub Taylor acted out stories on camera, individuals like Walter Tharp facilitated the filmmaking process with creativity and skill. Marrying into this technically inclined side of the industry speaks to Faydean’s well-rounded perspective on the many roles required for success in show business.
Overall, Faydean Taylor seemed to live her life largely out of the public eye. While she did not actively seek fame and recognition, she did surround herself with individuals dedicated to the work and innovation that brings Hollywood productions to life. Between her lineage, career involvement, and choice of life partner, she forged an indelible connection to the entertainment legacy of the Taylor family.
Legacy
Though details of her specific contributions are sparse, Faydean Taylor Tharp remains an integral link in her family’s long influence on Hollywood and popular culture. As the daughter of Dub Taylor, she represents the second generation to grow up immersed in the burgeoning world of film production. Surrounded by her father and brothers’ work on Poverty Row Westerns, she gained an intimate understanding of the film industry from the inside out. This provided a foundation of knowledge and appreciation that she brought to her adult pursuits, whether they involved onscreen acting, crew work, or other entertainment-related endeavors.
Additionally, through marriage to industry technician Walter Tharp, Faydean forged familial and professional bonds that further situated her within Hollywood’s support network. Their relationship reflected her nuanced view of the many working parts required behind the scenes, in tandem with talented performers like her father. Together with Dub Taylor’s prolific acting career and her brother Buck’s ongoing onscreen roles, Faydean Taylor Tharp completes an impressive multi-generational picture of success in the entertainment business.
While details on her personal life and specific contributions remain elusive, Faydean’s place within the Taylor’s acting dynasty is secure. She provided an important bridge between Dub Taylor’s foundational work in Westerns and the continued performing careers of her brothers. As such, Faydean Taylor Tharp stands as a testament to the lasting impact a show business family can have across multiple generations, even long after the closing credits roll.
Conclusion
Despite a scarcity of biographical information, Faydean Taylor Tharp remains an integral connection within her family’s legacy in Hollywood. As the daughter of prolific character actor Dub Taylor, she was immersed in the film industry from childhood. Surrounded by Western movie sets and talented performers, she gained invaluable firsthand insight into the dedication and creativity required onscreen and behind the scenes. Through both her upbringing and marriage to an industry technician, Faydean represented a conduit linking generations of entertainment success.
Though the details of her contributions are lacking, she provides an important perspective on the many working parts combining to create Hollywood magic. Her place in the Taylor’s acting dynasty warrants further exploration by film historians hoping to uncover a more complete picture. As it stands, Faydean Taylor Tharp symbolizes the enduring bonds and influence that talented show business families have cultivated in the heart of Hollywood for over a century. Her legacy remains intertwined with generations of filmmaking history.
