'The bloke who delivered the pizza to Spicoli'

Let's give a shout-out to comedian Taylor Negron, one of the most underappreciated actors of the 80s and beyond. In two 80s classics, he's just a mailman, delivering a copy of "How to Pick Up Trashy Women" to Badger in Better Off Dead and the bad news to Marlon in How I Got Into College. And in the epic Fast Times at Ridgemont High, he delivers the pizza to Spicoli during class.

An accomplished stand-up comedian, Negron has filmed his own HBO special and even played the role of an up-and-coming comedian with Tom Hanks in Punchline. He's appeared in more than 50 films and currently has four movies in post-production, including National Lampoon's Pledge This, co-starring Paris Hilton.

Raised in Southern California as Brad Negron, he's the cousin of Three Dog Night co-founder Chuck Negron. These days, "Taylor" supplements his acting and comedy with a successful career as an author of novels and short stories.

Five best Taylor Negron films of the 80s:
5. Punchline: The first movie when Tom Hanks is less than funny -- on purpose. Negron fits into the tight cast as another starving comic trying to make the big time.
4. Better Off Dead: "What's a little boy like you doing with big boy smut like this?"
3. Bad Medicine: An entertaining movie with Steve Guttenberg. Wow. Negron plays Pepe the cab driver at a Latin American medical school.
2. The Whoopee Boys: One of the funniest movies no one has heard of from the 80s, starring Michael O'Keefe and Paul Rodriguez. Taylor's signature line: "I've been peeeenalized."
1. Easy Money: Negron plays Julio, who tries to marry Rodney Dangerfield's daughter, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, offering her the Spanish version of The Joy of Sex and reassuring her: "I'll translate."

However, it's his role as the Fast Times pizza man that still to this day gets him kudos from  die-hard 80s fans. He did the small role as a favor to his friend, director Amy Heckerling, and was paid with as much pizza as he could eat. In the closing credits, he appears only as "Taylor." But hardly a day goes by when he's not recognized. "Once in England," Negron writes on his website, "a skinhead yelled out, 'Hey, you're the bloke who delivered the pizza to Spicoli.'"

Comments

[Bassnote]

For me, he will forever be the mailman in Better Off Dead.

[Anonymous]

I visted his webpage and he's a heck of a writer, too.

[Matt]

Whoa, no. Taylor Negron has always been strictly a benchwarmer, third-banana type. I actually remember his appearance on the Gong Show many many years ago and his act was so horrendous, Jaye P Morgan practically burst a blood vessel to gong him off the show first. Alexis Arquette has more cred in the nepotism sweepstakes than Taylor Negron

[Rick Gershman]

Sure, it didn't fall into his '80s work--though it was close, being relased in 1991--but I'll take Taylor as the creepy, fey henchman in the Bruce Willis-Damon Wayans thriller The Last Boy Scout.For my money, BTW, it's the only time Damon's ever been entertaining outside of In Living Color. And I'll be happy to debate all who disagree over at the Ill Literate (where else?)

[Rick Gershman]

Oh, and if you'd prefer: new post over at Ill Literate asking what you think is the main reason Tom Cruise's career is cooling off. (So many choices, so little time.)And yeah, as Chase says, I'm a whore. But I'm a whore with a heart of gold.

[Skippy]

"You don't want carpet, you want an area rug"

[Wendy O]

I always liked him as the cafeteria worker in "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation." I think that he may be right up there with Ron Howard's brother Clint as one of the best bit part actors of all time.

[CT]

Guys, guys, guys... You're neglecting Negron's jaw-dropping turn in The Aristocrats. Easily the high (low?) point of that filthy romp.

[Anonymous]

Does anybody remember which movie has the line "You don't want carpet, you want an area rug" and was it actually Taylor Negron who said it first?

[Barry Katzmann]

In the future, I would apprciate it if you would ask permission before misappropriating an image (in this case Taylor's) from our copyrighted site. Mr. Negron's picture was not a publicity photo, but a personal phot from our event's archieve. Thank you.