Regina Taylor is a Dallas-born actress and playwright who has made a lasting impact on the entertainment industry. Born on August 22, 1960, she was raised in Oklahoma, where she was acutely aware of racial bias at a young age due to attending a newly integrated school in Muskogee.
Taylor's early career began with her study at Southern Methodist University, where she graduated in 1981. She then moved to New York and made her professional acting debut in the CBS made-for-TV movie "Crisis at Central High" in 1981.
Taylor's breakthrough role came when she played the character of Lilly Harper in the critically acclaimed series "I'll Fly Away" (1991),for which she won a Golden Globe for best actress, an NAACP Image Award, and two Emmy nominations.
In addition to her work on TV, Taylor has also had a successful career on Broadway, becoming the first Black woman to play William Shakespeare's Juliet thanks to the non-traditional casting efforts of Joseph Papp. She has also played Cecilia in "As You Like It" and the First Witch in "Macbeth" during the same season.
Taylor has also appeared in several films, including "Lean on Me" (1989),"Losing Isaiah" (1995),"Clockers" (1995),"Spirit Lost" (1996),and "The Negotiator" (1998). She has also made guest appearances on TV shows such as "Law & Order" (1990),"Grey's Anatomy," "Elementary," "The Blacklist," "The Good Fight," "The Red Line," and "Lovecraft Country."
As a playwright, Taylor has won the American Critics' Association new play award for "Oo-Bla-Dee," which detailed the story of Black female jazz musicians of the 1940s. She has also adapted Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" into a play called "Drowning Crow," which premiered on Broadway in 2004.
Taylor's other works include "A Night in Tunisia," "Escape from Paradise," "Watermelon Rinds," and "Inside the Belly of the Beast." She has also conceived and appeared in the one-woman play "Millennium Mambo" (2001),which featured selections of works from various African American female writers.
Taylor is an esteemed member and Artistic Associate of the Goodman Theater, where many of her plays have come to fruition. Throughout her career, she has continued to push boundaries and challenge herself as an actress and playwright, leaving a lasting impact on the entertainment industry.
