Tate Taylor
Tate Taylor is an American actor and director, recognized primarily for his work on films such as *Pretty Ugly People* (2008), *The Help* (2011), *The Girl on the Train* (2016), and *Breaking News in Yuba County* (2021). Born on June 3, 1969, in Jackson, Mississippi, he was raised by a single mother alongside his sisters, and his upbringing included significant influence from an African American domestic worker named Carol Lee. Taylor's close friendship with Kathryn Stockett during childhood eventually led to his adaptation of her novel *The Help* into a successful film, which explores themes of race and societal roles in 1960s Mississippi.
Taylor began his career in the film industry as a production assistant and gradually transitioned into directing, with *Pretty Ugly People* marking his first feature-length project. His adaptation of *The Help* received critical acclaim and garnered multiple Academy Award nominations, highlighting his ability to tackle challenging themes with sensitivity and depth. In addition to directing, he has also acted in various projects throughout his career, including collaborations with notable actors like Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy.
Residing between Los Angeles and Mississippi, Taylor is openly gay and has been in a relationship with producer John Norris as of 2024. His work continues to reflect a blend of personal experience and cultural commentary, making him a significant figure in contemporary cinema.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Tate Taylor
Director
- Born: June 3, 1969
- Place of Birth: Jackson, Mississippi
Contribution: Tate Taylor is an actor and director best known for his films Pretty Ugly People (2008), The Help (2011), The Girl on the Train (2016), and Breaking News in Yuba County (2021).
Background
Tate Taylor was born on June 3, 1969, in Jackson, Mississippi. He and his sisters were raised by a single mother and Carol Lee, an African American domestic worker. His parents were divorced, and to support the family, his mother worked as a real estate agent.
While attending Mothers’ Morning Out preschool when he was five years old, Taylor became good friends with Kathryn Stockett. She would later write the book The Help (2009), which Taylor would adapt for the big screen. The two remained close through high school, where they were outsiders who often enjoyed instigating trouble.
Taylor attended college at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Upon graduation, he began to pursue a career in the film industry.
Career
Taylor started out as a production assistant on the set of A Time to Kill (1996), which was filming in Mississippi. On the set, he became friends with Octavia Spencer, a fledgling actor who would go on to star in many of his films. When shooting was over, Taylor and Spencer were invited by actor Sandra Bullock to be assistants on a short film in Los Angeles. The two decided they would have better luck pursuing a film career in Los Angeles than in Mississippi, so they moved there together.
In Los Angeles, Taylor joined the Groundlings comedy troupe, where he quickly became friends with actor and comedian Melissa McCarthy. He also began obtaining small acting roles, making his film debut with a small role in the comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) and his television debut in a 1999 episode of the television series Charmed. In 2001, he appeared in the western film The Journeyman and the remake of the science-fiction classic Planet of the Apes.
After appearing in the film I Spy and an episode of the popular sitcom The Drew Carey Show in 2002, Taylor wrote, directed, and starred in the short comedy film Chicken Party (2003). The short also stars Spencer and McCarthy. It screened at numerous film festivals and won awards for best short film at eight of them.
Following Chicken Party’s acclaimed festival run, Taylor returned to acting in the comedy Breakin’ All the Rules (2004). After appearing in the television series Queer as Folk and the film Wannabe—the latter of which also featured Spencer—in 2005, he took a break from acting to work on his first feature-length film, Pretty Ugly People (2008). He reunited with actors Spencer and McCarthy to tell the comedic story of a woman who brings six of her estranged friends together for a weekend in the woods of Montana.
Pretty Ugly People had a critically acclaimed run on the festival circuit, winning the Festival Prize for best feature film at the Central Florida Film Festival and the Audience Award at Mississippi’s Crossroads Film Festival. The film was given a limited theatrical release in April 2008. Two months later, in June 2008, Taylor was granted the film rights to his friend Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help. Fearing that another director would ruin Stockett’s source material, Taylor had pleaded for her to give him the rights; she conceded, and he began working on the screenplay before the book was even published. Filming began in July 2010. Prior to this, Taylor briefly returned to acting with an appearance in the critically acclaimed 2010 film Winter’s Bone.
The Help, released in 2011, takes place during the 1960s civil rights era and follows a young White woman as she develops a relationship with African American domestic servants. The woman decides to write a tell-all book from the perspective of the servants, which incites controversy among the local White community in Jackson, Mississippi. Taylor again cast Spencer, this time as a character that Stockett had written with her in mind.
The film received mainly positive reviews, and the cast was particularly applauded. At the Academy Awards in 2012, The Help was nominated for awards for best picture, best actress, and best supporting actress. Both Spencer and Jessica Chastain were nominated for the latter, and Spencer ultimately took home the prize. Taylor won the Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) award for best adapted screenplay, and the BFCC also named The Help the best film of the year.
After the success of The Help, Taylor began to focus solely on directing. His next project, Get on Up, followed in 2014. A biographical drama depicting singer James Brown’s rise to fame, the film starred Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, and Dan Aykroyd. Get on Up earned five NCAAP Image Award nominations, including for Outstanding Motion Picture, outstanding actor for Boseman, and outstanding supporting actress for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. In 2016, he directed the crime drama The Girl on the Train, starring Emily Blunt.
Taylor reunited with Spencer in 2019 with the horror film Ma. Starring Spencer, the film follows a woman as she lures a group of teenagers into her home with promises of alcohol and parties. Taylor also made an appearance in a small role in the film. He directed the film Breaking News in Yuba County, starring Allison Janney, in 2021.
Taylor's first television project, Filthy Rich, premiered in September 2020 and starred Kim Cattrall. However, it was canceled after one season.
Impact
After one short film and one independent feature, Taylor adapted and directed one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2011. In The Help, he drew from his own experiences and the important relationships in his life to portray faithfully the Mississippi he grew up in, including its racism and the role of African American domestic servants in White society.
Personal Life
Tate divides his time between Los Angeles and Jefferson County, Mississippi, where he owns the nineteenth-century Wyolah Plantation. He bought the property in 2011 after spending time in Mississippi to film The Help. He later purchased a home in Natchez. Taylor is openly gay and, as of 2024, was in a relationship with John Norris, a producer.
Bibliography
Chakraborty, Deblina. "This Small Southern Town Isn't the New Hollywood, Director Says. It's Better." CNN, 1 June 2022, www.cnn.com/style/article/tate-taylor-natchez-hollywood-wyolah-nomad/index.html. Accessed 19 Sept. 2024.
Gregory, Vanessa. “The Man behind The Help.” Garden & Gun. Garden & Gun, Aug.–Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Marquez, Susan. "Tate Taylor Brings Hollywood to Natchez." Magnolia Tribune, 17 May 2023, magnoliatribune.com/2023/05/17/tate-taylor-brings-hollywood-to-natchez/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.
Ryzik, Melena. “A Director’s Kinship with the Deep South.” New York Times. New York Times, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Sluis, Sara. “The Help Chronicles: Tate Taylor Recalls His Mississippi Past in Film of ’60s Race-Themed Bestseller.” Film Journal International. Film Jour. Intl., 26 July 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Taylor, Tate. “Exclusive Interview: The Help Director Tate Taylor.” Interview by Eric Eisenberg. CinemaBlend.com. Cinema Blend, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Taylor, Tate, and Octavia Spencer. “The Help Interview with Octavia Spencer and Writer/Director Tate Taylor.” Interview by Steven Lebowitz. Examiner.com. Clarity Digital Group, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Taylor, Tate, and Kathryn Stockett. “Interview: Writer/Director Tate Taylor and Author Kathryn Stockett on The Help.” Interview by Damon Houx. Screen Crave. uCrave, 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.