Taylor Russell

Taylor Russell McKenzie is a Canadian actress, filmmaker, and model. Born on July 18, 1994, in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, she was raised across Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal in a large family. Born to a white mother and a Black father of Jamaican descent, she grew up mostly with her mother's side of the family. Facing financial struggles and moving sixteen times during her childhood, Russell began working at age 13 at various jobs, including restaurants, a jewelry store, and a butcher's shop. Initially interested in ballet, painting, and music, she took her first acting class at age 18. An insurance settlement from a traffic accident while working at an Amazon warehouse eventually enabled her to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Russell made her professional acting debut in 2012 with a guest appearance on the medical drama series Emily Owens, M.D. In 2014, she starred in the television films The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story and Pants on Fire. Over the next few years, she made guest appearances on television series such as Strange Empire, Falling Skies, and Dead of Summer, alongside roles in the feature films Before I Fall (2017) and Down a Dark Hall (2018).

Russell achieved widespread recognition starring as Judy Robinson in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space from 2018 to 2021, earning a Saturn Award nomination. Her film breakthrough came in 2019 with the leading role of Zoey Davis in the psychological horror film Escape Room, a role she reprised in its 2021 sequel, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. Also in 2019, she earned critical acclaim for her performance in the drama film Waves, winning the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer and the Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

In 2020, Russell starred in the romantic drama Words on Bathroom Walls and co-directed, wrote, and produced the short documentary The Heart Still Hums with Savanah Leaf. The documentary won the Palm Springs International ShortFest Award for Best Documentary Short and later served as the basis for Leaf's feature film Earth Mama (2023). Russell gained further prominence starring in Luca Guadagnino's 2022 romance horror film Bones and All, receiving the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 79th Venice Film Festival for her performance.

In addition to her film and television work, Russell made her theatrical debut as Connie in Lucy Prebble's play The Effect, performing at the Royal National Theatre in London in 2023 and at The Shed in New York City in 2024. Her performance earned nominations at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the WhatsOnStage Awards. She also starred in the 2023 comedy film Mother, Couch and joined the cast of the thriller film Hope.

Russell made her modeling debut in 2022 by opening the SS23 Loewe show and was named a Loewe Global Ambassador later that year. She has appeared in campaigns for brands including Chanel, Prada, BYRDIE, and Loewe, was featured on the cover of Vogue Italia in March 2024, and made her Met Gala debut in 2024. Currently living between New York and London, Russell was named to the jury panel for Best First Work at the 81st Venice Film Festival in July 2024.