Tate Taylor
Tate Taylor (born June 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker and actor. A frequent collaborator with his friends and prolific character actresses Allison Janney and Octavia Spencer, Taylor is best known for directing The Help (2011), Get on Up (2014), and The Girl on the Train (2016).
Tate Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Taylor in 2011 | |
| Born | June 3, 1969 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation | Director, writer, producer, actor |
Early life
Taylor was born on June 3, 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi, where he grew up.
Career
Taylor worked for 15 years in New York City and Los Angeles. Though he debuted as a feature film director in Pretty Ugly People (2008), he was primarily an actor for most of his career, in films such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Winter's Bone (2010), and on television in series such as Charmed, Six Feet Under, and The Drew Carey Show.
Taylor achieved mainstream success when he directed the film The Help (2011), based on Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help. Stockett gave him rights to make the film adaptation in June 2008, before the book was published.[1] In addition to receiving generally positive reviews, the film was a major commercial success, earning more than $200 million worldwide, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Tate Taylor has been nominated for and received industry awards including the 2013 Vail Film Festival Vanguard Award, the 2012 BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, the 2012 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the 2012 Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, the 2012 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture and for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, and the 2011 Chicago Film Critics Association nomination.[2] Taylor next directed the James Brown biopic Get on Up (2014), which starred Chadwick Boseman. Though the film was a critical success, it commercially underperformed. His next project The Girl on the Train, an adaption of the book by Paula Hawkins, was released to mixed reviews from critics, but was a box office success.
In August 2018, Taylor was announced to be directing Jessica Chastain in action thriller film Ava. Taylor replaced original director Matthew Newton, who stepped down after controversy over allegations of domestic violence and assault.[3]
In May 2019, Taylor released psychological horror film Ma, starring frequent collaborator Octavia Spencer. The film, produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner, was a critical and commercial success. That same month, Fox ordered Taylor's first television project, Filthy Rich, to series. An American adaption of the New Zealand series starring Kim Cattrall, it premiered in September 2020 and was cancelled after one season.[4]
Taylor's most recent film is Breaking News in Yuba County, starring frequent collaborator Allison Janney, scheduled to be released on February 12, 2021.[5]
Personal life
Taylor is openly gay and is in relationship with producer John Norris.[6] He resides on the Wyolah Plantation, an Antebellum plantation in Church Hill, Mississippi.[7][8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Chicken Party | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2008 | Pretty Ugly People | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2011 | The Help | Yes | Executive | Yes |
| 2014 | Get On Up | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | The Girl on the Train | Yes | No | No |
| 2019 | Ma | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2020 | Ava | Yes | No | No |
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Yes | Yes | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Grace and Frankie | Yes | Yes | No | Episode "Pilot" |
| 2020 | Filthy Rich | Yes | Yes | Yes | Developer |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Romy and Michele's High School Reunion | Casey | |
| 1999 | Charmed | Applicant #3 | Episode "The Painted World" |
| 2001 | Planet of the Apes | Friend at Leo's Party | |
| Six Feet Under | Job Applicant #1 | Episode "The New Person" | |
| 2002 | I Spy | Lieutenant Percy | |
| The Drew Carey Show | Jim | Episode "The Dawn Patrol" | |
| 2003 | A.U.S.A. | Gung-Ho A.U.S.A. | Episode "Pilot" |
| Chicken Party | Luke Smith | ||
| 2004 | Breakin' All the Rules | Attendant | |
| 2005 | Queer as Folk | Calvin | Episode "We Will Survive!" |
| Wannabe | Gunner Dillyn | ||
| 2008 | Pretty Ugly People | George's boyfriend | |
| Sordid Lives: The Series | Richie Miller | 3 episodes | |
| 2010 | Winter's Bone | Mike Satterfield | |
| 2019 | Ma | Officer Grainger | |
Recurring collaborators
| Artist | Chicken Party (2003) |
Pretty Ugly People (2008) |
The Help (2011) |
Get on Up (2014) |
The Girl on the Train (2016) |
Ma (2019) |
Ava (2020) |
Breaking News in Yuba County (2021) |
Total roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actors | |||||||||
| Octavia Spencer | Laqueta Mills | Mary | Minny Jackson | Aunt Honey Washington | "Ma" Sue Ann | 5 | |||
| Melissa McCarthy | Tot Wagner | Becky | 2 | ||||||
| Allison Janney | Barbara Strasser | Suzanne | Charlotte Phelan | Kathy | DS. Riley | Dr. Brooks | Sue Bottoms | 7 | |
| Missi Pyle | Lucy | Mercedes | 2 | ||||||
| Josh Hopkins | George | Ralph Bass | 2 | ||||||
| Viola Davis | Aibileen Clark | Susie Brown | 2 | ||||||
| Jessica Chastain | Celia Rae Foote | Ava | 2 | ||||||
| Nelsan Ellis | Henry | Bobby Byrd | 2 | ||||||
| Aunjanue Ellis | Yule May Davis | Vicki Anderson | 2 | ||||||
| Ahna O'Reilly | Elizabeth Leefolt | Reporter | 2 | ||||||
| Luke Evans | Scott Hipwell | Ben | 2 | ||||||
| Chris Lowell | Stuart Whitworth | Steve | 2 | ||||||
| Juliette Lewis | Erica Thompson | Gloria Michaels | 2 | ||||||
| Diana Silvers | Maggie Thompson | Camille | 2 | ||||||
| Dominic Burgess | Stu | Captain Riggens | 2 | ||||||
| Crew | |||||||||
| Sharen Davis | Costume Designer | Costume Designer | 2 | ||||||
| Stephen Goldblatt | Cinematographer | Cinematographer | Cinematographer | 3 | |||||
| Scott Millan | Re-recording Sound Mixer | Re-recording Sound Mixer | Re-recording Sound Mixer | 3 | |||||
| Thomas Newman | Composer | Composer | 2 | ||||||
| Mark Ricker | Production Designer | Production Designer | 2 | ||||||
| Michael McCusker | Picture Editor | Picture Editor | 2 | ||||||
References
- Hickman, Angela (August 10, 2011). "Q&A: The Help hits close to home for director Tate Taylor". National Post. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- "Tate Taylor – Awards". IMDb. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- McNary, Dave (August 27, 2018). "Tate Taylor Replaces Matthew Newton as Director of Jessica Chastain's 'Eve'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie; Pedersen, Erik (October 24, 2019). "Fox Midseason Premiere Dates: 'Last Man Standing', 'Flirty Dancing', 'Deputy', 'Duncanville' & More". Deadline.
- McNary, Dave (October 26, 2018). "Allison Janney, Laura Dern to Star in Tate Taylor's 'Breaking News in Yuba County'". Variety. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- Reed, Julia (February 2, 2016). "Tate Taylor, The Help Director, Renovates an 1830s Mississippi Mansion". Architectural Digest. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- Gregory, Vanessa (August 2011). "The Help Director – Tate Taylor". Garden and Gun. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- "Tour History Shows Will Continue Filming in North Carolina Despite Anti-LGBT Law". The Hollywood Reporter.
