Taylor John Smith is an American-born actor, who is possibly best known for his portrayal of J. Keene in the TV miniseries “Sharp Objects.”
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Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Taylor hails from Los Angeles, California, and was born under the Taurus zodiac sign on 13 May 1995, which makes him 28 years old as of 2023. His mother, Lauren Margaret Smith, is an accountant, whereas his father, whose name remains unknown, runs a small store in his hometown. Smith has a brother and two sisters – one of his sisters is Lexie James Smith. Inspired by his grandfather, Larry McDonald, who served in the US Navy, Smith grew up dreaming of joining the Marines. In 2012, Smith’s mom paid for acting classes for one of his sisters, and after she refused to attend school, he was asked to attend on her behalf, and ended up developing a strong interest in acting.
Smith hasn’t revealed where he attended high school and college. He was physically active during his high school days, and used to play basketball and soccer.
Hobbies and Interests
Smith is a huge fan of the American filmmaker Taylor Sheridan, and his best-loved films include “Hell or High Water,” “Sicario,” and “Wind River.”
In his spare time, he enjoys listening to house music and rap songs, and his favorite music group is the Swedish band, House Mafia. The actor has also disclosed that he’s fond of listening to sad acoustic music, especially Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker’s songs while working out.
Smith is keen on traveling, and has toured numerous international destinations including Australia and France both for work and leisure – he is fond of uploading his travel photos on his social media accounts.
The Californian actor is a fitness fanatic who hits the gym regularly to maintain his muscular body.
And were off 👌 @ShaneLotz pic.twitter.com/ptw5ZZs0b4
— Taylor John Smith (@_TaylorJSmith) March 22, 2014
Film Appearances
Taylor made his film debut with a small role in the Gary Ross-directed 2012 dystopian action “The Hunger Games.” He appeared in two films in 2014: the Marlon Wayans-starred satirical horror comedy, “Haunted House 2”, and the romantic comedy “Some Kind of Beautiful.” He landed minor roles in two films in the year that followed, and in 2016, he was cast as Brad in Jake Goldberger-directed comedy-drama, “Almost Friends” and in the same year starred as Anthony Keller, alongside Carla Gugino, Michael Shannon, and Chris Bauer in the sports drama “Wolves
2017 saw Smith star in two thriller films: “Lost Child” and “You Get Me,” which were directed by Ramaa Mosley and Brent Bonacorso respectively. His next noteworthy appearance was as 1st Lieutenant A. Bundermann in the war film “The Outpost.” In 2022, Smith landed his career-defining film role in the mystery drama “Where the Crawdads Sing,” based on an eponymous novel by Delia Owens. The Reese Witherspoon-produced film follows a defiant and abandoned girl, Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who raises herself to adulthood in a North Carolina swampland. When the city’s hotshot is found murdered, she becomes the main suspect, and is taken to court to be tried for the murder. The famed American singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift wrote the song “Carolina” for the film’s soundtrack.
TV Appearances
Smith made his TV debut in the 2013 episode “Toxic” of the crime drama “Perception.” In 2012 and 2015, he appeared in an episode or two of eight series including the teen drama “Twisted,” the medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” and the police procedural “Hawaii Five-0.” In 2016, Smith was cast as Luke in four episodes of the ABC anthology crime drama “American Crime,” which starred the likes of Regina King, Richard Cabral, Felicity Huffman, and Timothy Hutton.
One of Smith’s most important roles came in 2018 when he was cast to star as the emotional teenage boy John Keene, who is Natalie Keene’s (portrayed by Jessica Treska) elder brother in the HBO psychological thriller miniseries, “Sharp Objects.” The series revolves around the murder investigations of two teenage girls, which are conducted in Wind Gasp, Missouri, by the crime reporter, Preaker (Amy Adams), who suffers from alcoholism and has recently been discharged from a mental health facility after years of self-harming. Keene is singled out as a prime suspect when his younger sister is murdered. Smith shared the screen with Eliza Scanlen, Patricia Clarkson, Sydney Sweeney, and Chris Messina, and his performance brought him a joint Online Film & Television Association (OFTA) Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or a Limited Series in 2019.
Smith is active on Instagram (@taylorjohnsmith) with around 125,000 followers. He joined Twitter in April 2012, and is currently followed by around 4,000 fans (@_TaylorJSmith).
Personal Life
From 2017 to 2019, Smith dated the American model, internet personality, and sponsored competitive pistol shooter, Jamie Villamor. Villamor has graced the covers of various fashion magazines, and was named among the top 10 most popular lingerie and swimsuit models in the world in 2008. She is well-educated, and has a Bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in Art and Design. Smith is 15 years younger than the American model, born in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former lovebirds were fond of attending celebrity events together – they attended the October 2017 Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest country music festival together – and often posted their photos on their respective social media accounts. Smith is rumored to have dated the model Andreina Serrano, who is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He is seemingly single without any children, as of 2023.
Smith is good friends with his “Where the Crawdads Sing” co-star, Daisy Edgar Jones, who played his on-screen love interest. He revealed during an interview for an article in “Glamour” magazine that he often watched late-night movies, and went on nature walks with the actress to build their on-screen chemistry. Moreover, he disclosed that Daisy taught him how to DJ, and that they were fond of drinking tea together during the filming of the movie.
Smith follows the Christianity religion.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Smith is of White roots, has brown hair, and a pair of blue eyes. He stands 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall and weighs approximately 165lbs (75kgs). The actor wears shoe size 12(US).
Net Worth
Smith has carved a niche for himself in the American showbiz industry, and has accumulated a decent sum, which has enabled him to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle. He’s worth approximately $3.5 million as of 2023.
