Rod Taylor was indeed likeable. I've always liked him, going back to my childhood days; first, on television, in the solidly made
Hong Kong
series; then, on the big screen, in
The Time Machine
. He was a first rate actor, and there was that amiable quality he had. For a few years he enjoyed an A list career, seemed destined for superstardom, but then the times changed, and he missed the top tier.
If I had to guess what he lacked to reach the highest level, it was, likely, charisma. That's where Steve McQueen more or less blew him away. McQueen was more the anti-hero; a good guy, usually, but with an attitude. Paul Newman was another star with an attitude, though less edgy than McQueen. Rod Taylor didn't have that, and while on the surface that might seem to have been an advantage (a hero who really came off as a nice guy), it actually worked against Rod, as it did against Cliff Robertson.
Just a little musing regarding an actor, and a gifted one, whose star quality wasn't equal to his talents. I don't find it sad that Rod Taylor didn't reach the highest echelons of stardom in Hollywood. He did well enough. It just didn't last very long. I recently watched a late in life interview with Taylor, and while the years weren't kind to his looks, he seemed content enough; good humored, charming. Life was kind to him as a private person, and I felt happy for him.

Agreed! There was something so noble and sincere about him! I would loved to have met him. Unfortunately, I didn't necessarily become a huge fan until close to his passing.
Funny, he didn't really make a positive impression with "The Birds," so didn't care for him much in "The Glass Bottom Boat." (Looking back though, very few men come off as little more than aggressive brutes in Hitchcock films).
"Sunday in New York" definitely did it for me. He was his usual virile, masculine self, but was also very funny and showed some vulnerability as well that I had never seen in him before. After seeing his dramatic chops in "Young Cassidy," there was no going back for me! Now he's one of my favorites actors.

I agree- he was cool.