British film director and photographer Sam Taylor-Johnson is best known as the director of Fifty Shades of Grey.
Sam rose to prominence after directing the biographical drama film Nowhere Boy in 2006. The film is based on The Beatles songwriter and singer John Lennon’s childhood experiences.
The director was nervous about directing his first film, Nowhere Boy, but later with the team’s hard work, the film received positive reviews. He was also nominated for a BAFTA award on January 21, 2010.
Sam has since directed several films, including Love You More, Death Valley, and others. He has undeniably gained a lot of popularity as he has been active in the entertainment industry for over two decades. Therefore, many of his fans are curious about his personal and professional life.
Who are Sam Taylor-Johnson’s parents? ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ director’s early life
Sam was born in Croydon, London, to her parents, David Taylor and Geraldine Wood. Her father was a chartered surveyor before becoming treasurer of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Similarly, her mother is a yoga instructor and astrologer.
However, Sam’s father abandoned the family when she was only nine. Her mother eventually raised her along with her younger sister Ashley on her own. The family of three later relocated to an old schoolhouse in Jarvis Brook, East Sussex.
Sam Taylor-Johnson with her half-brother Kristian Taylor-Wood. (Source: Instagram)
After a few years, the director’s mother married the musician Peter Wood. She has a maternal half-brother named Kristian Taylor-Wood. Like Sam, Wood is also a well-known photographer.
Sam appears to have a close relationship with her half-brother. On December 30, 2018, she posted the picture with Wood and captioned, “Happy Birthday to my amazing brother @kristiantaylorwood.”
More on Sam Taylor-Johnson’s career
Sam began her career by exhibiting fine-art photography in the early 1990s. She displayed a multi-screen video piece called Killing Time in 1994, in which four people mimed an opera score.
Likewise, Sam was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to create a video portrait of David Beckham in 2002. She is best known for her work Crying Men, in which many of Hollywood’s glitterati cry, including Robin Williams, Sean Penn, Laurence Fishburne, and Paul Newman.
As mentioned above, Sam’s directing career began with her first film, Nowhere Boy, in 2006. Later, she directed the R.E.M. music video Überlin in 2011. The same year, she worked on the documentary Daydream with Solange Azagury-Partridge.
Sam Taylor-Johnson enjoys using cameras. (Source: Instagram)
The director has received numerous awards throughout his career, including Grammys for Best R&B Performance, Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Screenplay, and many more.
Moreover, in July 2022, the director announced that she would direct the feature film Back to Black, a new biopic based on Amy Winehouse’s life and career.
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is an actor
Sam is also well-known as the wife of actor Aaron. The director’s husband is best known for playing the title character in Kick-Ass in 2010 and its 2013 sequel. He also made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015.
Furthermore, the couple has appeared in a few movies together. Aaron made his film debut as John Lennon in the Nowhere Boy, which Sam directed. This was the first time the couple met.
