1. Taylor Russell McKenzie was born on July 18,1994 and is a Canadian actress and filmmaker.
39 Facts About Taylor Russell
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Taylor Russell rose to prominence with her roles in the drama film Waves, and the horror film Escape Room and its 2021 sequel.
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Taylor Russell performed onstage in the play The Effect from 2023 to 2024.
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Taylor Russell directed the 2020 short documentary film, titled The Heart Still Hums, which she co-directed along with Savanah Leaf, which was the base for a movie adaptation by Leaf titled Earth Mama.
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Taylor Russell McKenzie was born on July 18,1994, in the small community of Deep Cove, North Vancouver, located near Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Taylor Russell has an older brother and a younger brother.
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Taylor Russell, who was born to a white mother and a black father, an actor of Jamaican descent, grew up mostly with her mother's side of the family.
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Taylor Russell's father lived in England until he was seven and then moved to Montreal.
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Taylor Russell is from a large family on her father's side.
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Taylor Russell recalled that growing up she felt unaccepted by her peers due to the color of her skin.
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Taylor Russell's parents faced financial struggles, leading the family to rely on welfare, and they were frequently compelled to relocate, uprooting their lives a total of sixteen times to accommodate her father's professional pursuits.
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Taylor Russell strived to pursue a career in ballet, and later as a painter.
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At twelve, Taylor Russell learned to play the bass guitar and carried it on the bus to school every day.
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When Taylor Russell was thirteen she sang Happy Face by the girl group Destiny's Child in front of her entire school.
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At eighteen, Taylor Russell took her first acting class, which led her to become interested in pursuing acting.
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Taylor Russell used her work savings to buy a car, and would drive to Los Angeles to audition.
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Some jobs that Taylor Russell worked were at restaurants, a jewelry store, and a butcher's shop.
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Taylor Russell had roles in the teen drama film Before I Fall and the supernatural horror film Down a Dark Hall.
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In 2018, Taylor Russell earned recognition for her starring role as Judy Robinson in the science fiction series Lost in Space, a Netflix remake of the original 1965 series, for which she received critical praise and a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Presentation.
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In 2019, Taylor Russell had her film breakthrough with the leading role of Zoey Davis in the psychological horror film Escape Room, which was a major commercial success, surpassing initial expectations and grossing $155.7 million.
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Also in 2019, Taylor Russell garnered critical acclaim for her starring role in the drama film Waves, which was released by A24 Films on November 15,2019.
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Taylor Russell starred in Thor Freudenthal's romantic drama Words on Bathroom Walls, alongside Charlie Plummer, Andy Garcia, and AnnaSophia Robb, which earned positive responses both from critics and audiences.
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Taylor Russell co-directed, wrote, and produced the documentary short film The Heart Still Hums, which earned acclaim and numerous awards, including the Palm Springs International ShortFest Award for Best Documentary Short.
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In 2021, Taylor Russell starred in the comedy-drama film Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets, and reprised the role of Zoey Davis in the Escape Room sequel Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, which grossed $65.8 million.
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Taylor Russell directed part of the music video for her Waves co-star Alexa Demie's "Leopard Limo ", which features her voice.
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In 2023, Taylor Russell began starring as Connie in the play The Effect by Lucy Prebble at the Royal National Theatre in London.
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The play was nominated for Best Revival at The Laurence Olivier Awards and Taylor Russell was nominated for her role at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the WhatsOnStage Awards.
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Taylor Russell starred in the comedy film Mother, Couch opposite Ewan McGregor which premiered at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival.
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Taylor Russell is set to appear in the thriller Hope, from director Na Hong-jin, alongside HoYeon Jung, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.
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Taylor Russell made her modeling debut opening the SS23 Loewe show in 2022.
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Creative director of the Spanish luxury brand Jonathan Anderson chose Taylor Russell after meeting her through mutual friend Luca Guadagnino.
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Taylor Russell has modeled in campaigns for Loewe, Chanel, BYRDIE, and Prada.
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Taylor Russell has appeared in the magazines V, W, Fantastic Man, HommeGirls, Vogue, Dazed, Harper's Bazaar, The Face, The New York Times and Vogue Italia.
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Taylor Russell made her Met Gala debut in 2024 as part of the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibition and received overwhelming acclaim from Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar, who described her as "Hollywood's newest It girl" and her debut "long awaited".
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Taylor Russell is a fan of Patti Smith and has a small lightning bolt tattooed on her inner wrist, emulating the one Smith has on her knee.
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Taylor Russell called Smith "one of her heroes" and has read Smith's memoir Just Kids around 10 times.
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Taylor Russell rented a harp during the COVID-19 lockdowns in New York and learned to play the instrument through virtual lessons.
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Taylor Russell is trained in ballet and dances for 15 minutes every morning after waking up.
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From June 2023 to May 2024, Taylor Russell dated English singer Harry Styles.