Holland Taylor

The dry rhythm of New York stages

In 1943 Holland Taylor was born in Philadelphia. She didn't wait for the industry to knock on her door and moved to New York with the goal of treading the boards on Broadway. She got there soon.

In 1965 she made her debut in the play The Devils and shortly after joined the musical Breakfast at Tiffany's. Those years on stage shaped a voice and a presence known for a strange mix of authority and sarcasm. But film and television would take a little longer to tap into that potential.

In 1980 she shared the screen with a very young Tom Hanks in the series Bosom Buddies. It was her first real exposure to the American mainstream audience. That sitcom let her show she could keep up with the best comedians of the time without losing her elegance.

The industry took a long time to recognize her true value.

In 1984, she played the editor of Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone. That supporting role set a profile she would often repeat. She played the smart, somewhat cynical, sharp-tongued woman who doesn't need anyone's permission to walk into a room.

The million-dollar salary of the acid-tongued mother

In 1999, she won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the legal series The Practice. She brought Judge Roberta Kittleson to life with a coldness that disarmed the leads. Critics praised her ability to dominate scenes with just three short lines. She won the award over rivals with far more screen time that season.

For twelve seasons, she played Evelyn Harper in the comedy Two and a Half Men. The series began in 2003, and Taylor remained in the cast until the finale in 2015. The character was a mother who, deep down, despised her own children. That performance earned her four consecutive Emmy Award nominations.

In 2010 her salary per episode already exceeded the figures of many movie stars. Taylor managed to negotiate her place in one of the most profitable productions on cable television. She earned astronomical sums while maintaining a parallel career in much smaller, more personal projects.

The bet paid off.

In 2015 she made her relationship with actress Sarah Paulson public. There were no major announcements or exclusives in gossip magazines. Taylor simply spoke about her private life with the same ease she uses to choose her scripts (with a candor that sometimes unsettles the more conservative sectors of the industry).

The obsessive research behind 2013

She wrote and starred in the stage monologue Ann in 2013. She became so fixated on Texas governor Ann Richards that she spent years researching her life before premiering at the Lincoln Center in New York. She also took charge of the show's production and dramaturgy herself.

In 2021, she joined the cast of The Morning Show as Cybil Richards, an old-school executive clashing with the new era at the fictional network UBA. Taylor shot her scenes in Los Angeles and New York under strict health protocols that limited contact with the rest of the cast.

She never sought easy approval from critics.

In 2023 she appeared in the film Quiz Lady alongside Sandra Oh and Awkwafina. Filming took place mainly in Los Angeles during the summer of 2022. The production had an estimated budget of 25 million dollars and was released directly through digital platforms in several continents.