This past Wednesday, Australian actor Rod Taylor passed away in his Los Angeles home. Taylor was known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and the film "The Time Machine," as well as the more recent "Inglorious Basterds." The cause of his death remains undisclosed.

According to BBC, Taylor got his first leading role in the 1960 adaptation of HG Wells' science-fiction classic "The Time Machine," and went on to star in several hit films in the 1960s and 1970s. He also voiced one of the Dalmatians, Pongo, in the Disney hit "101 Dalmatians."

Some of his other films include "Sunday in New York" (1963), "Young Cassidy" (1965), "Do Not Disturb" (1966), "Hotel" (1967),  and "The Picture Show Man" (1977). The New York Times reports that for most of the next three decades, Taylor made only occasional appearances save for his role as Winston Churchill in "Inglorious Basterds" (2009).

Taylor married three times and divorced twice. His first marriage was to Peggy Williams, an Australian model. His second marriage was to Mary Hilem, an American fashion model. His third and final marriage was to Carol Kikumura, an American actress, in 1980. He is survived by Kikumura as well his daughter Felicia Rodrica Sturt Taylor, who is a TV presenter in the US.

 He is remembered fondly by his friends. Tippi Hedren, his co-star in "The Birds," stated, "Rod was a great pal to me... He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy. There was everything good in that man."

Felicia Taylor also said of her father, "My dad loved his work. Being an actor was his passion - calling it an honorable art and something he couldn't live without."