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IMDbPro

Holland Taylor(I)

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000915
Holland Taylor
"The Chair" star Holland Taylor discusses the two roles that had the most impact on her acting career.
Play clip1:12
Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
34 Videos
99+ Photos
Holland Taylor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third-born (and last) daughter of her mother, Virginia (Davis), a painter, and the only child of her father, C. Tracy Taylor, an attorney. She spent her teen years in nearby Allentown, PA, where Holland got the nickname, "Penny Taylor" because of her coppery hair color. Holland attended Quaker schools, then majored in drama at Bennington College. At the age of 22 Holland moved to New York with the desire to become a "great big Broadway star." After fifteen years of "disappointments and near misses" in New York and California, Holland was cast as Ruth Dunbar in the sitcom Bosom Buddies (1980) with Tom Hanks. It was Holland's "breakout" role and it led to many other TV and film offers including the movie Romancing the Stone (1984) as Kathleen Turner's book publisher and friend. Holland had hesitated to accept the role but her acting coach and mentor Stella Adler encouraged her not to be so "stage minded." In 1992 Holland was still living in Greenwich Village, New York and traveling back and forth between a rented apartment in Hollywood and New York in order to work on both coasts. Holland has said her first love was the theater but the work for her in TV and films was better. However, by 1992, Holland said she was dealing with traveling back and forth "less and less well". Over the next few years, Holland moved to California full-time. In the last couple of years, she gave up her apartment in West Hollywood for her own home in the Hollywood Hills. Holland won an Emmy in 1999 for her work in The Practice (1997).
BornJanuary 14, 1943
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJanuary 14, 1943
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000915
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 4 wins & 9 nominations total

Photos234

Téa Leoni, Jack Coleman, Holland Taylor, and Tom Verica in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Except with Different Names
Holland Taylor and Tom Verica in The Naked Truth (1995)
Holland Taylor and Tom Verica in The Naked Truth (1995)
Holland Taylor and Tom Verica in The Naked Truth (1995)
Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
George Wendt and Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
George Wendt and Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)
Téa Leoni, David Huddleston, and Holland Taylor in The Naked Truth (1995)

Known for:

Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Luke Wilson, Matthew Davis, and Meredith Scott Lynn in Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde
6.4
  • Professor Stromwell
  • 2001
The Wedding Date (2005)
The Wedding Date
6.1
  • Bunny
  • 2005
Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan McDermott, Steve Harris, and Kelli Williams in The Practice (1997)
The Practice
7.7
TV Series
  • Judge Roberta Kittleson
Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher, Angus T. Jones, and Sergio Kato in Two and a Half Men (2003)
Two and a Half Men
7.1
TV Series
  • Evelyn Harper

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • The Naked Truth
    • Camilla Dane
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 1995–1998
  • Untitled Sister Comedy Project
    • Post-production
  • The Morning Show
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in The Morning Show (2019)
    The Morning Show
    • Cybil Richards
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Will Forte, Nick Offerman, Paul Rust, Jenny Slate, Dulcé Sloan, and Aparna Nancherla in The Great North (2021)
    The Great North
    • Goldie (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Sandra Oh in The Chair (2021)
    The Chair
    • Joan Hambling
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Drew Barrymore in The Stand In (2020)
    The Stand In
    • Barbara Cox
    • 2020
  • Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, and Brigette Lundy-Paine in Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
    Bill & Ted Face the Music
    • The Great Leader
    • 2020
  • Great Performances (1971)
    Great Performances
    • Ann Richards
    • Ernestine King
    • TV Series
    • 1987–2020
  • Hollywood (2020)
    Hollywood
    • Ellen Kincaid
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2020
  • Noah Centineo, Jordan Fisher, and Lana Condor in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
    To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
    • Stormy
    • 2020
  • Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie in Bombshell (2019)
    Bombshell
    • Faye (uncredited)
    • 2019
  • Brendan Gleeson in Mr. Mercedes (2017)
    Mr. Mercedes
    • Ida Silver
    • TV Series
    • 2017–2019
  • Pamela Adlon in Better Things (2016)
    Better Things
    • Holland Taylor
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Sydney Park, Amber Frank, and Bailey Gambertoglio in Spirit Riding Free (2017)
    Spirit Riding Free
    • Madame Gummery (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Christopher Lloyd, Hector Elizondo, Beth Lacke, Adrian Martinez, Holland Taylor, and Stacey Yen in Guess Who Died (2018)
    Guess Who Died
    • Patricia
    • TV Movie
    • 2018
  • Julianne Moore and James J. Zito III in Gloria Bell (2018)
    Gloria Bell
    • Hillary
    • 2018
  • Hollywood Mom (2015)
    Hollywood Mom
    • Mary Lou Lively
    • TV Series
    • 2018

Writer

  • Great Performances (1971)
    Great Performances
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 2020

Soundtrack

  • The Naked Truth
    • performer: "Sloop John B."
    • Released
    • TV Series
    • 1995–1998
  • Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher, Angus T. Jones, and Sergio Kato in Two and a Half Men (2003)
    Two and a Half Men
    • performer: "Jingle Bell Rock"
    • performer: "Unchained Melody"
    • performer: "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", "Love Me Tender"
    • TV Series
    • 2003–2009
  • Téa Leoni in The Naked Truth (1995)
    The Naked Truth
    • performer: "The Fountain in the Park"
    • TV Series
    • 1998

Videos34

Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
Clip 1:12
Holland Taylor on the Roles That Changed Her Life
How Sandra Oh and the Cast of "The Chair" Learned to Play College Professors
Clip 2:59
How Sandra Oh and the Cast of "The Chair" Learned to Play College Professors
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Clip 0:59
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Clip 0:48
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Clip 0:57
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:37
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:43
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:25
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:01
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 0:40
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:32
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:42
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True: Special Edition 2-Movie Collection

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • ANN - The Ann Richards Play
    • Facebook
  • Height
    • 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
  • Born
    • January 14, 1943
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Spouse
    • Sarah Paulson2015 - present
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Virginia Taylor (Davis)
  • Relatives
      Sibling(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Starred with Christopher Lloyd in the play "The Unexpected Man" at The Geffen Playhouse - Los Angeles, California.
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Wrote and starred in her own one-woman show about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards, "Ann" and performed it on Broadway in 2013.
  • Quotes
    "I'm just cutting a swath of bitchiness through the world!." (on her propensity for playing cantankerous women)
  • Trademark
      Often plays classy or ritzy characters
  • Nickname
    • Penny Taylor

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