Julie Taymor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julie Taymor
Taymor, 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival
Born	(1952-12-15) December 15, 1952 (age 72) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education	L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq Oberlin College (BA)
Occupation	Film and stage director, screenwriter
Partner(s)	Elliot Goldenthal (1980–present)
Relatives	Danya Taymor (niece)

Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer. She creates amazing shows for the theatre, opera, and movies.

She is most famous for directing the musical The Lion King on Broadway. This show opened in 1997 and won many awards. Julie Taymor herself won two Tony Awards for her amazing direction and costume designs.

She also directed the 2002 movie Frida, which was about the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. This film was nominated for five Academy Awards. Another well-known film she directed is Across the Universe (2007). This musical movie used the songs of the Beatles.

Early Life and Inspiration

Julie Taymor was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Her mother was a professor, and her father was a doctor who studied fertility. Julie became interested in theatre at a very young age. By the time she was ten, she was already acting in plays with the Boston Children's Theatre. She was often the youngest person in her theatre groups.

When she was 15, her parents sent her on trips to Sri Lanka and India. After high school, at 16, she went to Paris to study at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. There, she learned about mime, which is a type of acting without words. She also started working with masks for the first time. These experiences helped her develop her unique visual style. She also watched many films by famous directors like Fellini and Kurosawa.

In 1970, Julie went to Oberlin College in Ohio. During her studies, she learned about Indonesian topeng masked dance-drama and wayang kulit shadow puppetry. These traditional art forms had a big impact on her future work. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1974.

After college, Julie traveled to Japan and Indonesia. From 1975 to 1979, she lived in Indonesia. There, she started a mask and dance company called Teatr Loh. This group included actors, musicians, dancers, and puppeteers from many different countries. They performed their original shows all over Indonesia. In 1980, she met Elliot Goldenthal, who would become her long-time partner and collaborator.

Career Highlights

Theatre Work

When Julie Taymor returned to New York, she continued to create amazing theatre. She is known for her special visual style. She uses many puppets and masks in her shows. This style was greatly influenced by her time working in Indonesia.

Her most famous theatre work is The Lion King. This musical opened on Broadway in 1997. It has become one of the most successful shows ever. It has been performed in over 100 cities in more than 20 countries. Over 100 million people worldwide have seen it!

Julie Taymor made history with The Lion King. She was the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. She also won a Tony Award for her amazing costume designs for the show. She even helped design the masks and puppets and wrote some extra song lyrics.

In 2010, Julie Taymor directed a musical called Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway. This show was very expensive and had many delays and injuries. Julie Taymor was later replaced as director. However, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2015 for her lifetime achievements in theatre.

Film Work

Julie Taymor has also directed many films. Her first film was Fool's Fire (1992), based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe. In this film, many characters were played by puppets or actors wearing masks, just like in her stage shows.

Her first major movie was Titus (1999). It was an adaptation of Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus. The film starred famous actors like Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.

In 2002, she directed Frida, a movie about the artist Frida Kahlo. This film was very popular and received many awards. Salma Hayek played Frida Kahlo and was nominated for an Academy Award for her role.

Her next film was the jukebox musical Across the Universe (2007). This movie used 33 songs by the Beatles to tell a love story set in the 1960s. It was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

In 2010, Julie Taymor directed another Shakespeare adaptation, The Tempest. This film starred Helen Mirren. She also directed a film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream (2014), which was filmed during her successful stage production.

Her most recent film is The Glorias (2020). This movie is about the life of the famous feminist writer Gloria Steinem.

Opera Direction

Julie Taymor has also directed many operas. An opera is a play where the story is told mostly through singing. She directed Oedipus rex in Japan in 1992. She also directed The Magic Flute by Mozart for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. This production was so popular that it is still performed there today. A shorter version of The Magic Flute was even made for children!

Works

Films

Recorded Plays and Operas

Awards and Recognition

Julie Taymor has won many awards for her work. In 1991, she received the special MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes called a "genius grant." She has also won two Obie Awards, which are for Off-Broadway theatre.

In 2017, she received a Disney Legend award for her work on The Lion King musical.

Film Awards

Television Awards

Theatre Awards

Images for kids

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  Taymor, 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

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  Taymor, Metropolitan Opera 2009

See also

In Spanish: Julie Taymor para niños