Nathaniel Taylor Dies at 80 After Iconic Rollo Role

The Nathaniel Taylor death has saddened fans of classic American television around the world.

The veteran actor passed away on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. A heart attack was the cause, and he was 80 years old.

His son, Kaedi Taylor, shared the news with the Associated Press a few days later. For millions of viewers, Taylor was simply Rollo, the fast-talking friend who made every scene livelier.

This obituary looks at the career, the craft and the kindness of the man behind that famous role.

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Who Was Nathaniel Taylor?

Born on March 31, 1938, Nathaniel Taylor became a household name in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. He played Rollo Lawson, though some sources spell the surname Rollo Dawson.

The show followed a junk dealer and his grown son, and Rollo was the street-smart best friend of Lamont Sanford, played by Demond Wilson. Taylor was not only a comedy actor.

Over the years he moved comfortably between sitcoms, crime dramas, action films and serious independent cinema, which says a lot about his range.

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Nathaniel Taylor as Rollo Lawson in Sanford and Son

Rollo from Sanford and Son was a sidekick who never entered a room quietly. He wore colorful suits and hats, spoke with quick wit, and greeted Fred Sanford with a cheerful “Pops.”

Fred was played by comedy legend Redd Foxx, and he never fully trusted his son’s friend. Because Rollo had spent time in jail, Fred was convinced he was a bad influence on Lamont.

Underneath the swagger, though, Rollo was loyal and good-hearted, and that contrast is exactly why viewers took to him. Taylor gave the character warmth, rhythm and a sense of fun that few actors could have matched.

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The Sanford and Son Cast and Rollo’s Chemistry with Fred

The Sanford and Son cast worked because every actor knew how to play off the others. Foxx brought the grumpy humor, Wilson brought the patient son, and Taylor brought the charming outsider.

The scenes between Fred and Rollo were often the funniest of the week, with Fred suspicious and Rollo smoothly talking his way back into the house.

That chemistry helped make the show one of the most popular comedies of 1970s television. Even today, reruns introduce Rollo to new viewers who enjoy his style as much as audiences did decades ago.

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Nathaniel Taylor’s Television Career Beyond Sanford

Taylor kept working long after the original series ended. He briefly reprised Rollo in the Sanford spinoff and also appeared in Grady.

He reunited with Redd Foxx on the short-lived 1986 sitcom The Redd Foxx Show, this time playing a different character. His other television credits include Police Story, What’s Happening!!, Adam-12, Harry O, 227 and The Bill Cosby Show.

Each of these appearances showed that he could handle both comedy and drama. Few supporting actors of his era left such a varied body of television work.

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Blaxploitation Films and Big Screen Work

On the big screen, Taylor appeared in several blaxploitation films, including Dynamite and Trouble Man. These movies gave Black performers leading and supporting roles at a time when Hollywood offered them very little.

Taylor’s screen presence, confident and relaxed, suited the energy of that genre. Alongside his sitcom fame, these films helped establish him as a reliable and recognizable face in Black entertainment during a defining decade.

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Nathaniel Taylor and the L.A. Rebellion

Many casual fans do not realize that Taylor was also deeply respected in serious independent filmmaking. He collaborated with director Larry Clark, a key figure of the L.A. Rebellion, the group of Black filmmakers who reshaped American cinema.

In As Above, So Below (1973), Taylor played Jita Hadi. In Passing Through (1977), he played Warmack. He was also a member of PASLA, the Performance Arts Society of Los Angeles, a community that supported creative work across music, theater and film.

Clark and Taylor’s partnership on Passing Through was intense and mutually inspiring, and it remains one of the strongest examples of Taylor’s talent.

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Passing Through and the Work of liquid blackness

Passing Through is an experimental film built around the spirit of a jazz ensemble. Musician Horace Tapscott, who contributed part of the score, also appeared in the movie.

In 2015, the research project liquid blackness gave the film fresh attention with a screening, an artist talk and a symposium. The project ended with a journal issue titled Passing Through Film.

The group praised the sensitivity, range and power of Taylor’s acting, especially in a script that explored creativity, politics and masculinity. The film was also shown at Thelma Golden’s Black Male exhibition at the Whitney Museum in 1994. 👉 Read More: Kirsten Kutner

Filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson created two short works inspired by the actor. In Rita Larson’s Boy, ten actors audition for the role of Rollo, and each tries to capture Taylor’s distinct 1970s cool.

Everson’s later short, Auditioning for Nathaniel, was dedicated to Taylor himself. Everson was finally able to locate the actor with help from liquid blackness and Larry Clark.

Nathaniel Taylor as Mentor and Acting Teacher

Taylor did not only perform. He also passed on what he had learned. He opened a performing arts studio for young actors and worked as an acting teacher, guiding students who hoped to build careers of their own.

Alonzo “Lonzo” Williams, a hip-hop music promoter and one of Taylor’s longtime friends, described him as a mentor to many. According to Williams.

Taylor always had a wise word, a kind word and a joke ready to finish the moment. That generosity shaped many lives away from the cameras.

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Family and Friends Remember Nathaniel Taylor

Kaedi Taylor, who works behind the scenes in film and television, said his father never grew tired of being recognized as Rollo. To the family, being on TV as a Black man in that era was an honor, and being remembered decades later was an honor too.

Taylor is survived by his wife, Loretta Taylor, along with four daughters and three sons. Friends, fans and fellow artists have continued to share memories of his humor and warmth.

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Nathaniel Taylor’s Legacy in Black Cinema

As a Black actor on TV during the 1970s, Taylor helped change how audiences saw Black characters on screen. His legacy reaches across mainstream sitcoms, popular films and the experimental work of the L.A. Rebellion.

His scenes are still studied by film scholars, his television work is still enjoyed by families, and his students carry his lessons forward. Few performers connect so many corners of Black cinema and American television.

My Final Thoughts:

Nathaniel Taylor leaves behind far more than one famous character. He gave television a sidekick people still quote, gave independent cinema a performer of real depth and gave young actors a teacher who cared.

His death marks the end of a remarkable life, but his work remains easy to find in reruns, in film archives and in the memories of those he mentored. This tribute is a small way to honor him. Rest in peace, Nathaniel Taylor.

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