Sam Taylor-Johnson British director, screenwriter, producer, actress, photographer and artist Date of Birth: 04.03.1967 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Artistic Career
3. Filmmaking Debut
4. Adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey"
5. Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Samantha "Sam" Taylor-Johnson (née Taylor-Wood) was born on March 4, 1967, in Croydon, Surrey, England. Her father left the family when she was nine years old, and her mother, Geraldine, is a yoga teacher and astrologer. Taylor-Johnson was raised with her younger sister, Ashley, and half-brother, Christian, from her mother's previous marriage.

The family eventually moved to an old schoolhouse in Jarvis Brook, East Sussex, where Samantha attended the Beacon Community College. She first exhibited her photographs in the early 1990s and presented several multi-screen video installations, including "Killing Time" in 1994.

Artistic Career

Taylor-Johnson's video installations garnered attention, leading to solo exhibitions at London's Chisenhale Gallery in 1996. She was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1998 but lost to Chris Ofili. In 1997, she won the "Most Promising Young Artist" award at the Venice Biennale's Illy Caffè Prize.

In 2000, Taylor-Johnson created a photo mural for London's Selfridges department store, featuring 21 iconic figures including Elton John, Alex James, Richard E. Grant, and Ray Winstone. In 2002, she was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to make a video portrait of David Beckham.

Filmmaking Debut

In 2006, Taylor-Johnson's "Crying Men" installation, featuring Hollywood stars like Robin Williams, Sean Penn, and Paul Newman, brought her wider recognition. In 2008, she was chosen to direct "Nowhere Boy," a biopic about the childhood of John Lennon of The Beatles.

Taylor-Johnson had previously directed several short films, including "Death Valley" for the "Destricted" compilation in 2006 and "Love You More" in 2008. She also directed the music video for R.E.M.'s "Überlin" in 2011, which featured her then-fiancé, Aaron Johnson.

Adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey"

In 2013, Taylor-Johnson competed with directors like Angelina Jolie, Stephen Soderbergh, and Joe Wright to helm the film adaptation of E. L. James's erotic novel "Fifty Shades of Grey," which was released in 2015.

Personal Life

Taylor-Johnson has twice battled cancer. In 1997, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and in 2000, she underwent treatment for breast cancer. She practices yoga and transcendental meditation, stating that meditation "saved her from going insane."

She was married to art dealer Jay Jopling from 1997 to 2008, with whom she had two daughters: Angelica (born 1997) and Jessie Phoenix (born 2005).

Taylor-Johnson began a relationship with "Nowhere Boy" star Aaron Taylor-Johnson on set. They announced their engagement in 2009 and married in Somerset in 2012. They have two daughters together: Wylda Rae (born 2010) and Romy Hero (born 2012).

In 2011, Taylor-Johnson was awarded an OBE for her services to the arts.