Sam Taylor-Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Taylor-Johnson OBE
Taylor-Johnson in September 2010
Born	Samantha Louise Taylor-Wood (1967-03-04) 4 March 1967 (age 58) Croydon, London, England
Alma mater	Beacon Community College Goldsmiths, University of London
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Jay Jopling ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2008)​ Aaron Taylor-Johnson ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	4

Sam Taylor-Johnson is a talented British filmmaker. She was born on March 4, 1967, and is known for directing movies and creating art. Her first big movie was Nowhere Boy in 2009. This film was about the early life of John Lennon, who was a famous singer from the Beatles. Sam Taylor-Johnson is also part of a group of artists called the Young British Artists.

Early Life

Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose birth name was Samantha Taylor-Wood, was born in Croydon, a part of London, England. Her father left the family when she was nine years old. Her mother, Geraldine, teaches yoga and studies astrology. Sam has a younger sister named Ashley and a half-brother named Kristian.

She grew up in south London before her parents divorced. After that, her family moved to a small town called Jarvis Brook in East Sussex. Sam went to Beacon Community College there. Later, she studied at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Career

Sam Taylor-Johnson has had a busy career in both fine art and filmmaking.

Fine Art

Sam Taylor-Johnson started showing her fine-art photographs in the early 1990s. One of her early works was a photo with Henry Bond. It showed them pretending to be Yoko Ono and John Lennon. This picture was like a famous photo taken of the couple.

In 1994, she showed a video artwork called Killing Time. In this piece, four people acted out an opera song without sound. After this, making multi-screen video art became a big part of her work. She had her first solo art show in the United Kingdom in 1996. In 1998, she was nominated for the important Turner Prize for her art. She also won an award at the Venice Biennale in 1997.

In 2000, she created a huge photo mural for the Selfridges department store in London. It wrapped around the building while it was being fixed. The mural featured 21 famous people, including Elton John and actor Richard E. Grant. Their poses looked like famous artworks or movie scenes. The next year, she took the photos for Elton John's 2001 album, Songs From the West Coast.

In 2002, the National Portrait Gallery asked her to create a video portrait of David Beckham. She filmed him sleeping for this artwork. She is also well-known for her work called 'Crying Men'. This series of photos shows many famous Hollywood actors crying. Some of these actors include Robin Williams and Sean Penn. In 2014, she had a new photo exhibition at The Saatchi Gallery. It showed 34 pictures of Coco Chanel's private apartment in Paris.

Directing Nowhere Boy

In August 2008, Sam Taylor-Johnson was chosen to direct Nowhere Boy. This movie tells the story of John Lennon's childhood. The film was shown at the London Film Festival in October 2009. It was released in the UK in December 2009 and received good reviews. Sam Taylor-Johnson was nominated for a BAFTA award for her directing in 2010.

Other Film and TV Work

Sam Taylor-Johnson has directed many other projects. In 2008, she directed a short film called Love You More. It was written by Patrick Marber. This film featured two songs by the band Buzzcocks.

In 2011, she directed the music video for the R.E.M. song "Überlin". Her husband, Aaron Johnson, starred in the video. He did many fun and energetic moves.

In 2015, she directed the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. She later decided not to direct the sequel to this film.

In March 2021, it was announced that she would direct and produce a movie called Rothko. This film is based on a famous legal case involving the artist Mark Rothko.

In July 2022, it was shared that Sam Taylor-Johnson would direct Back to Black. This movie is a true story about the life and music career of the British singer Amy Winehouse. Filming for this project started in January 2023 in London.

Personal Life

Sam Taylor-Johnson has faced health challenges. She had colon cancer when she was 30 years old in 1997. In 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has recovered from both.

She practices yoga and Transcendental Meditation. She says that meditation helps her deal with the busy parts of her life.

In 2011, she was given an award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award recognized her great contributions to the arts.

Family Life

Sam Taylor-Johnson married art dealer Jay Jopling in 1997. They had two daughters together, born in 1997 and 2005. They separated in 2008 after 11 years of marriage.

She then started a relationship with actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. They met while filming Nowhere Boy in 2008. Aaron auditioned for the role of John Lennon in the movie.

They announced their engagement in October 2009. They got married on June 21, 2012, and both decided to use the last name Taylor-Johnson. They have two daughters together, born in 2010 and 2012. The family divides their time between Los Angeles, California, and a farm in England.

Music Collaborations

Sam Taylor-Johnson has released three songs with the famous music group Pet Shop Boys:

• 1999: "Je t'aime... moi non plus"
• 2003: "Love to Love You Baby" (under the name Kiki Kokova)
• 2008: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star"

Filmography

Short Films

Feature Films

Television

Images for kids

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  Sam Taylor-Johnson in September 2010

See also

In Spanish: Sam Taylor-Wood para niños