Taylor Lautner Actor and martial arts enthusiast Date of Birth: 11.02.1993 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Career
2. Martial Arts and Television Debut
3. Breakthrough Role in "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl"
4. "The Twilight Saga" and Global Fame
5. Post-"Twilight" Career and Current Projects

Early Life and Career

Taylor Daniel Lautner was born on February 11, 1992, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Daniel Lautner, a commercial airline pilot, and Deborah Lautner, a software developer. Lautner has a younger sister, Makena, and his ancestry includes Austrian, English, German, Swiss, French, Irish, Dutch, and Native American roots.

Martial Arts and Television Debut

At age six, Lautner began practicing karate and excelled in the sport. A year after starting, he won a local karate tournament. At age eight, he was invited to train under seven-time world karate champion Mike Chat. Lautner went on to represent the United States in the International Karate Association and earned titles as World Junior Forms and Weapons Champion. In 2003, 11-year-old Lautner won the NASKA Black Belt Open Championships in four different categories, and the following year, he won the Junior World Championships.

Simultaneously with his athletic pursuits, Lautner began acting at the encouragement of his karate instructor. He made his television debut at age nine with a small role in the film "Shadow Fury" (2001). This was followed by guest appearances in "The Bernie Mac Show" (2003, 2004), "My Wife and Kids" (2004), and "Summerland" (2004), as well as the television movie "The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour" (2004).

Breakthrough Role in "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl"

Lautner landed his first lead role in Robert Rodriguez's 2005 action-fantasy film "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl." Despite receiving negative reviews, the film showcased Lautner's talents and earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor.

"The Twilight Saga" and Global Fame

In 2008, Lautner was cast in the highly anticipated fantasy romance film "Twilight," based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer. While the first film primarily focused on Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Bella Swan and Edward Cullen respectively, the sequel, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (2009), introduced Lautner's character, Jacob Black, as a prominent figure. Lautner underwent a significant physical transformation for the role, transforming from a lanky teenager to a muscular, alluring young man.

Lautner's performance as Jacob Black catapulted him to global fame and earned him numerous nominations, including the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance Male and nominations for Best Male Performance and Best Kiss (with Kristen Stewart) the following year.

Post-"Twilight" Career and Current Projects

After the conclusion of the "Twilight" franchise, Lautner struggled to find success in subsequent projects. He appeared in "Valentine's Day" (2010), "Field of Miracles: Miracle at St. Anna" (2011), and "Abduction" (2011), but none of these films garnered significant critical or commercial attention.

In 2014, Lautner landed the lead role in the British comedy series "Cuckoo," replacing Andy Samberg. The show has since been renewed for additional seasons, further solidifying Lautner's status as a leading man.

Recent film projects include "Tracers" (2015) and "Run the Tide" (2016). Lautner also stars in the television series "Scream Queens" (if renewed for a third season) and "Cuckoo," which is set to return for its fourth and fifth seasons.