Biography

Taylour Paige was born and raised in Inglewood, California. Paige started her career at a young age training at the Westside Ballet Academy, and spent two summers at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC. In 2001, she became a student of the choreographer, director, executive producer, and actress, Debbie Allen. That year, she was cast in Debbie Allen's Pearl, and went on to do every musical with the Academy from 2001-2009.

Taylour starred in A24's Zola (2020), Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) and Eddie Huang's (Fresh Off The Boat) Boogie (2021).

Taylour is best known for stand out performances in the SXSW film Jean of the Joneses (2016), directed by Stella Meghie for which The Hollywood Reporter and LA Times praised her performance, and for her role as "Cathy Volsan-Curry" in Sony's White Boy Rick (2018), directed by Yann Demange.
- IMDb mini biography by: anonymous

Taylour Paige is a spiritual vessel for story. An artist who bridges the mystical and material worlds with ease. She is a multidisciplinary creative gifted with multiple intelligences. And a technically trained artist with endless empathy, immense fearlessness, and an intuitive pull towards the truth.

Paige's work spans film, television, music, dance, and digital media, making her oeuvre one of the most dynamic and culturally relevant in contemporary entertainment. Her genre-fluid and form-defying choices weave together an artistic legacy that is completely unparalleled.

Paige stunned as the titular character in A24's "Zola," (2021) the film adaptation of the viral Twitter thread that sent shockwaves through the internet and around the world. Directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Janicza Bravo and co-starring Riley Keough, Paige's performance as a resourceful, sardonic stripper caught up in a crime spree earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in 2022. For her work in this role, she was also honored as an Outstanding Lead Performance nominee at the 2021 Gotham Awards.

Paige went head-to-head with Kendrick Lamar as his co-star in the "We Cry Together" (2022) short film. Shot live without a single camera cut, and featuring her live vocals with his, the film is a voyeuristic window into an emotionally complicated exchange that verbally eviscerates both characters, not only exposing the toxicity in their own relationship, but also laying bare societal frustrations in terms of gender, communication, and human misunderstanding at large. Paige's brutally gorgeous performance can also be heard on Lamar's album, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," which was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy awards.

She played Dussie Mae in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," (2020) co-starring alongside Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role before his untimely death later that year. The New York Times called it a "potent adaptation" of August Wilson's biographical play about the so-called "Mother of the Blues." While her character is on the quieter side of the cast, Paige's full-bodied expression gave it palpable power. In 2021, she went on to receive an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her contributions to the film.

This October, Paige returns to television as the star of HBO's horror-drama "Welcome to Derry," the much-anticipated prequel to the classic Stephen King book "IT." Paige plays Charlotte Hanlon, who moves to Derry with her husband Leroy (Jovan Adepo) and their young son, only to discover it possesses sinister secrets. Set in the 1960s, "Welcome to Derry" explores the origin of the town's supernatural tragedies and its cultural weaponization of fear, especially in terms of racial prejudice and political tension.

Director Andy Muschietti, whose vision reinvigorated the franchise with the films "IT" (2017) and "IT Chapter Two" (2019), directs the pilot. He also produces the series with his sister Barbara. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as the nefarious clown Pennywise, who the series reveals is far from the only source of evil in Derry.

Paige also stars with Peter Dinklage and Elijah Wood in September's film "The Toxic Avenger," a retelling of the 80s cult-classic horror comedy. In an action-packed role in which she got to do many of her own stunts, Paige dazzled the devoted crowds at Comic Con along with the rest of the cast this summer.

Next year, her movie with the legendary iconoclast Boots Riley, "I Love Boosters," will premiere in theaters. Paige joins a star-studded cast that includes Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, LaKeith Stanfield, and Demi Moore in the fashion heist adventure.

Paige is a generous creator whose range cannot be contained by any one genre or style. Time and time again, Paige proves she can hold her own alongside bonafide acting legends, including playing the girlfriend of Matthew McConaughey's FBI informant son in "White Boy Rick" (2018), Eddie Murphy's lawyer-daughter in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" (2024) and Diane Keaton's best friend in "Mack & Rita" (2022). She's also had the pleasure to work with beloved actors like Dinklage, Colman Domingo, and Kevin Bacon multiple times.

Adored by filmmakers, Paige has collaborated with auteurs like Tony Kaye on "The Trainer" (2024) and Lena Dunham on "Sharp Stick," (2022) which she also executive produced.

Paige's first role ever was as the leading actress in the VH1 dance drama "Hit the Floor," which she starred in for three seasons before choosing to exit to focus on film in 2016. The casting felt synchronistic to Paige, who had already spent time with the Los Angeles Laker Girls, widely known as the most competitive and professional dance team in the NBA, before choosing to leave the organization after just a few months to focus on school and acting. She booked "Hit the Floor" right as she earned her bachelor's degree in communication at Loyola Marymount University.

Paige's film debut came in the cutting comedy "Jean of the Joneses" (2016), which premiered at SXSW. She plays the eponymous character Jean Jones, a writer who confronts her irreverent, matriarchal family about their various stories and secrets. In "The Hollywood Reporter," critic Michael Rechtshaffen referred to her work as "a sparkling lead performance." In discussing the ensemble cast, he states that "...it's Paige who shines brightest here, dispensing just the right, gently jaded mix of dry wit and affecting vulnerability."

An LA-native who wanted to be a "moving star" before she became a movie star, Paige spent a decade of her childhood training with the renowned dancer, director, and producer Debbie Allen at her celebrated dance academy. This not only set the foundation for her exceptional discipline and work ethic, but also cultivated her essence as an embodied yet enigmatic performer.

Paige considers Allen a forever inspiration, along with archetypal influences like Jesus and Mary Magdalene. An avid reader, she also looks to the work of luminary writers like August Wilson, Toni Morrison, Anaïs Nin, Marguerite Duras, Marcel Proust, and the psychoanalyst Carl Jung.

Paige is a master of craft preparation, someone who reveres the process of acting, but at the end of the day, she recognizes her biggest task is to always trust her instincts. She knows what makes her own soul dance, and how to find the art within herself. She understands how to use her rich inner resources to build artistic worlds and bring visions to life. Paige is a strong presence, but also a clear channel for artists to project their fantasies onto. Her performances are poetry. Her talent is timeless.

Now a mother, Paige's sense of purpose as a philanthropic soul, endometriosis advocate, and community builder only deepens. All the while, she continues to thread the needle of a once-in-a-generation artistic journey. Her commitment to making the unconscious conscious is stronger than ever, while the scope of her career is still just beginning to unfold.
- IMDb mini biography by: Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis

She has a son.