Media outlets everywhere are reporting the unfortunate news that 'The Time Machine' actor, Rod Taylor, has died in Los Angeles on Wednesday, at the age of 84.

For those that may not know, Taylor was born in Sydney, Australia. He was always inclined to the arts, working as a painter, sculptor, and illustrator before he found his niche in theater. His acting in theater quickly got him noticed in the world of big-time films.

The Aussie actor found fame in 1960 when Taylor's British inventor transports himself into the future in his own machine. The hit film was called 'The Time Machine', and brought a message of hope.

Rod Taylor moved onto Westerns with John Wayne in which he starred in 'The Train Robbers'. He eventually found himself in the haunting thriller, 'The Birds', as well as a series of romantic comedies.

Towards the end of his career, Taylor's found the star in television shows like 'Hong Kong', 'Masquerade', and 'Outlaws', although many of his shows were only one season long. Nevertheless, he found himself a new audience and a new genre of interest when he played Pongo in Disney's '101 Dalmatians'.

The Australian actor's final film brought him out of retirement when Quentin Tarantino asked Taylor to play Winston Churchill in 'Inglorious Basterds'.

Taylor was a master of accents, often switching to a more American accent to take on his roles in Hollywood films. Despite his fame in the U.S, Taylor stuck true to his roots and made two films in Australia. In fact, it was his Australian movie, 'Long John Silver', which attracted U.S talent company MCA and brought him to Hollywood screens.

The Aussie had a reputation for something of an untamed, outspoken man, but he had true passion for his career. As Rod Taylor said in 1977, "I'm serious about my work."