Holly Taylor
| Holly Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Holly Taylor October 31, 1997 Middleton, NS, Canada |
| Occupation | Actress, Dancer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Holly Taylor (born October 31, 1997) is a Canadian-born American actress and dancer. She began her career in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot at the age of 11 as Sharon Percy (Ballet Girl) and continued in the role for almost 2 years. She is currently playing the role of Paige Jennings in the FX television series The Americans. She had also been cast in several television ads.
Life and career
Taylor was born in Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Halloween 1997, the daughter of Margaret and Mark. She has one sibling, an older brother named Philip. After her family moved to New Jersey in early 2000, she was enrolled in a dance class at the age of 3. About a year later she surprised her parents by announcing that she was going to dance on Broadway when she grew up. By the time she was 11 years old Taylor was dancing 8 shows a week as a member of the cast of Billy Elliot at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.[1]
Taylor attended middle school in her home town in New Jersey as much as the Billy Elliot schedule would allow and kept up her academics at the gifted and talented level. She was invited to attend the Johns Hopkins program for Gifted and Talented Children and the following year was invited to the International Student Exchange program for Gifted Children.[1]
Billy Elliot lasted 22 months. After that, she started looking into acting more, although she was so shy it was difficult at first. “But then, the more I started to do it, the more I came out of my shell and the more I enjoyed it.” she said.[1]
She did an audition tape for the spy thriller television series The Americans in Los Angeles and booked the show after having a chance to "meet the producers and stuff" in New York.[1]
Taylor has lived in Wayne, New Jersey, since she was two years old; she studies at Wayne Hills High School.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Love and Zombies | Allie | Short |
| 2012 | The Cook | Gretchen | Short |
| 2013 | Ashley | Young Ashley | |
| 2013 | The Otherworld | Dannan | |
| 2014 | Worst Friends | Little Girl | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Celebrity Nightmares Decoded | Daughter | Television film |
| 2013–present | The Americans | Paige Jennings | 50 episodes |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Brioux, Bill (February 20, 2014). "Holly Taylor, the all-Canadian American girl". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ↑ Ung, Elisa. "Wayne teenager now a big part of The Americans", The Record (Bergen County), January 28, 2015. Accessed January 28, 2015. "As The Americans begins its third season tonight, the teenage character played by actress Holly Taylor will become a major focus of the critically acclaimed FX drama. But at Wayne Hills High School, Taylor is no big deal — just a petite 17-year-old junior who juggles honors English, AP environmental science, psychology and art.... 'Those are definitely spy qualities,' the actress said in a recent interview in the rental apartment in Wayne where her family has lived since she was 2."
