The youngest of six siblings, Anya Taylor-Joy was born on April 16th, 1996, in Miami, where her parents were spending their holidays. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Argentina for six years before relocating to London, hence Taylor-Joy’s triple nationality – American by birthright, Argentinean, and British. Determined to become an actress from an early age, she left school at 16 and was soon scouted as a model, which helped her pave the way to the screen. Her acting career started in 2014, with roles in the television shows Atlantis and Endeavour. Only a year after, she landed a part in Robert Eggers’ feature directorial debut, The Witch, a critical success that won her the praise of The New Yorker as well as the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor and the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer. Thanks to her first performance and subsequent parts in other horror productions, Anya Taylor-Joy was quickly dubbed the “scream queen”, yet she proved her versatility by taking on roles in other genres, such as the period romantic comedy Emma (2020), based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel. That same year, she became an international sensation thanks to her leading role in Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, which won her a Golden Globe Award. Since then, Anya Taylor-Joy has become one of the most demanded actresses, playing in blockbuster hits such as The New Mutants (2020), Denis Villeneuve’s blockbuster hit Dune: Part Two (2024) or George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), presented at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
