Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy, a British-American actress, was born on April 16, 1996, in Miami, Florida. As the youngest of six children, her father, a Scottish national, was born in South America, while her mother, a Spanish-English national, was born in Zambia, Africa, to an English diplomat father and a Spanish mother from Barcelona.
Taylor-Joy spent her childhood between Argentina and England, where her father worked as a banker and a powerboat racer, and her mother as a psychologist. She was raised in Argentina until the age of six, before moving to London, where the family resided in Victoria. She attended various schools, including Northlands School in Buenos Aires, Hill House and Queen's Gate School in London, and was a former ballet dancer.
Taylor-Joy's passion for acting began at a young age, and it wasn't long before she landed her first modeling job. At 14, she used her savings to move to New York, and at 16, she left school to pursue her acting career.
Taylor-Joy's breakout performance came in Robert Eggers' period horror film The Witch (2015),which received widespread critical acclaim at the Sundance festival. Her performance as Thomasin garnered international recognition, and she went on to star in various films, including Morgan (2016),Barry (2016),and Split (2016).
In 2017, she headlined M. Night Shyamalan's horror-thriller film Split, playing Casey Cooke, a girl abducted by a mysterious man with split personalities. She reprised her role as Casey in the film Glass (2019). Taylor-Joy was also the lead actress in the music video for Skrillex's remix of GTA's song Red Lips.
Taylor-Joy has received numerous accolades for her performances, including the Cannes Film Festival's Trophée Chopard and a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. She is set to star in Nosferatu, a remake of the film of the same name, directed by Robert Eggers, and The Sea Change.