Benedict Taylor(I)
- Actor
Born in Hampstead, London, the son of BBC documentary features producer Richard Taylor and writer & musician Allegra Taylor. His father was the son of a traditional English farming family and his mother descended from a Polish, Jewish refugee father and a Protestant English mother. Benedict has five brothers and sisters, 3 of them adopted. Throughout their childhood they were immersed in filmmaking, arts and music leading nearly all of them to develop careers in the creative industries
Benedict made his debut as an actor at the age of nine at the Aldwych Theatre in London with the Royal Shakespeare Company as Mamillius in 'A Winter's Tale' with Judi Dench. He continued to work with the company throughout the 1970s, appearing in productions both in London and Stratford. This was the golden age of the Royal Shakespeare Company; the era of some of their finest productions, with legendary directors like John Barton, Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn at the helm
His first proper film role was in the 1974 feature film 'The Turn of the Screw' but his film career really took off in 1980 when he starred alongside Bette Davis in Walt Disney's A Watcher in the Woods, which helped score the lead role in Barriers, a long running, award winning TV series for British ITV company Tyne-Tees and Germany's ZDF
Throughout the 80s and 90s Benedict worked predominantly on UK & international film and TV projects but kept his passion for theatre alive with several UK tours and a stint at Covent Garden's Donmar Warehouse while Sam Mendes was artistic director
Benedict and his wife Kate, a video and film editor, met in their 20s. They have two daughters, Freya, born in 1996 and Kalila born in 1998. He also has a son, Jay, born in 1981, from an earlier relationship with Marinka Watts. He took a break from theatre touring and location filming while his daughters were in their early years, concentrating on projects that allowed him to be close to his family. During this time he developed and produced a mix of various festival style music event projects and documentary films
He continues to perform, produce and direct across a variety of creative platforms; He is CEO of GIVE production & House of Honey, delivering high quality music and arts events in a wide variety of mainly UK based locations, supporting and nurturing established artists and emerging talent
Benedict made his debut as an actor at the age of nine at the Aldwych Theatre in London with the Royal Shakespeare Company as Mamillius in 'A Winter's Tale' with Judi Dench. He continued to work with the company throughout the 1970s, appearing in productions both in London and Stratford. This was the golden age of the Royal Shakespeare Company; the era of some of their finest productions, with legendary directors like John Barton, Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn at the helm
His first proper film role was in the 1974 feature film 'The Turn of the Screw' but his film career really took off in 1980 when he starred alongside Bette Davis in Walt Disney's A Watcher in the Woods, which helped score the lead role in Barriers, a long running, award winning TV series for British ITV company Tyne-Tees and Germany's ZDF
Throughout the 80s and 90s Benedict worked predominantly on UK & international film and TV projects but kept his passion for theatre alive with several UK tours and a stint at Covent Garden's Donmar Warehouse while Sam Mendes was artistic director
Benedict and his wife Kate, a video and film editor, met in their 20s. They have two daughters, Freya, born in 1996 and Kalila born in 1998. He also has a son, Jay, born in 1981, from an earlier relationship with Marinka Watts. He took a break from theatre touring and location filming while his daughters were in their early years, concentrating on projects that allowed him to be close to his family. During this time he developed and produced a mix of various festival style music event projects and documentary films
He continues to perform, produce and direct across a variety of creative platforms; He is CEO of GIVE production & House of Honey, delivering high quality music and arts events in a wide variety of mainly UK based locations, supporting and nurturing established artists and emerging talent
