Meshach Taylor (April 11, 1947 – June 28, 2014) was an American actor. He was widely known for his role as Anthony Bouvier on the CBS sitcom Designing Women (1986–93), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He was also known for his portrayal of Hollywood Montrose, a flamboyant window dresser in the 1987 film Mannequin and its 1991 sequel. Taylor also appeared as Sheldon Baylor on the CBS sitcom Dave's World (1993–97), Tony on the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill, and social studies teacher (and later school principal) Alastair Wright on the Nickelodeon sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.