Biography
Who is Anya Taylor-Joy?
Early life and background
Anya Taylor-Joy-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy was born on April 16, 1996, in Miami, Florida. Her birth in Miami was a temporary occurrence while her parents were vacationing, which granted her American citizenship. Her father, Dennis Taylor, is a former banker and offshore powerboat racer, while her mother, Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho, worked as a psychologist.
She spent her early childhood growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she attended Northlands School and learned to speak Spanish fluently. When she was six years old, her family relocated to London, England. The transition proved difficult for her, and she initially refused to learn English in hopes of returning to South America. In London, she attended Hill House International Junior School and Queen's Gate School, where she participated in school acting productions and faced social struggles.
How Anya became famous
Anya originally trained in dance and studied ballet until the age of fifteen. At seventeen, she was scouted as a model by Storm Management founder Sarah Doukas while walking outside Harrods in London. She signed with the agency on the condition that acting remained her primary career focus. While participating in a modeling shoot and reciting poetry for a screentest, she was noticed by actor Allen Leech, who introduced her to an agent.
Her breakthrough acting role arrived when she starred as Thomasin in Robert Eggers' period horror film The Witch in 2015. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, and critics praised her standout performance. For this breakout role, she earned a Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor and an Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer.
Career highlights and major roles
Following her breakout success, Anya starred in M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller Split in 2016 as Casey Cooke, a role she reprised in the 2019 sequel Glass. She also appeared in the black comedy Thoroughbreds, the period drama Emma, and the horror film Last Night in Soho. In 2019, she joined the cast of the BBC One crime drama series Peaky Blinders as Gina Gray.
She achieved widespread global recognition for starring as Beth Harmon in the Netflix period drama miniseries The Queen's Gambit in 2020. Her performance earned her critical praise, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She subsequently starred in the action films The Northman and The Menu, the apocalyptic film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as Imperator Furiosa, and voiced Princess Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Anya's height and personal life
Anya stands at a height of 173 centimeters. Due to her diverse upbringing across Miami, Buenos Aires, and London, she holds multicultural roots and speaks both English and Spanish fluently. She is married to Malcolm McRae.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades for her work in film and television, including a Trophée Chopard at the Cannes Film Festival. She continues to work across both film and television as an actress, voice actor, and executive producer.
Birthday and age
Anya Taylor-Joy was born on April 16, 1996, which makes Anya 30 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Anya shares the date with 36 other famous people.
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