Biography
Appearing to be a blend of
Steve Buscemi and
Nick Cave, Noah Taylor made his name playing Danny Embling, a young man juggling inner torment and sexual anxiety in
John Duigan's
The Year My Voice Broke (1987) and
Flirting (1991). In 1996, he gained further international recognition and respect for his role as the younger version of piano prodigy David Helfgott in
Scott Hicks'
Shine.
The son of journalists, Taylor was born in Melbourne, Australia, on September 4, 1969. Although he spent his early years wanting to be a spy or a commando, he began his acting career at the age of 16 when he left school and joined the city's St. Martin's Youth Theatre. His work with the theater led to his casting as Danny Embling in
The Year My Voice Broke. Following the critical success of both
Year and its sequel,
Flirting, Taylor became known as one of his country's most promising actors. His widely praised performance in
Shine further solidified this status, and he was able to do steady work in a number of diverse projects both at home and abroad. In 1998, Taylor starred in
Ben Hopkins' acclaimed period drama
Simon Magus, and the following year he starred alongside
Daniel Auteuil in
Michel Blanc's
Mauvaise Passe and won a coveted role in
Cameron Crowe's
Almost Famous, the semi-autobiographical tale of an aspiring teen rock journalist. Taylor would work again with Crowe the very next year, taking a role in the director's remake of
Alejandro Amenábar's
Open Your Eyes, entitled
Vanilla Sky. Heading into action territory with the high-profile video game-to-screen adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, Taylor straddled the line between big-budget excess and independent credibility with an appearance in the little seen but curiously titled
He Died With a Felafel in His Hand that same year.
In 2002, Taylor gained notable media attention for his controversial portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the independent drama
Max. The film presented an intimate view of the future Nazi leader as a young aspiring artist, leading numerous groups to protest its humanization of such a feared and monstrous figure. Though the reviews of the film itself were generally fairly positive,
Max soon disappeared from arthouse screens with Taylor's performance going largely unseen. If audiences had missed Taylor in
Max, however, they would no doubt have a chance to catch him on the screen the very next year in the Tomb Raider sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Taylor next showed up in the anticipated
Wes Anderson adventure comedy
The Life Aquatic alongside an all-star cast, including
Bill Murray,
Cate Blanchett,
Owen Wilson,
Anjelica Huston, and
Willem Dafoe. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide