Lauren-Marie Taylor | |
---|---|
Born | Lauren Marie Schwartz November 1, 1961 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1980–2013; 2024 |
Spouse | John Didrichsen (m. 1983) |
Children | 3 |
Lauren-Marie Taylor (born Lauren Marie Schwartz; [1] November 1, 1961) [2] [3] [4] is an American film and television actress. She is regarded as a "scream queen" for her roles in several horror films. [5] Born and raised in the Bronx, Taylor was scouted by a talent agent while performing in a high school production of Oklahoma! with classmate Ally Sheedy, and began pursuing acting in commercials. Her first major role was as Vickie in the slasher film Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). [1] [6] [7]
Subsequent film credits include in the black comedy Neighbors (1981), followed by the slasher film Girls Nite Out (1982). From 1983 until 1995, Taylor portrayed Stacey Donovan on the soap opera Loving . She returned to screen acting with a role in the horror film In a Violent Nature (2024). [8]
Taylor was born Lauren Marie Schwartz on November 1, 1961 [2] in the Bronx borough of New York City. [3] [9] She spent her childhood in the South Bronx. [1] She and her brother were raised by their maternal grandparents in a "very Catholic household". [10] [11] She graduated from Loyola School, a Jesuit school in Manhattan. [12] Prior to acting, Taylor considered pursuing a career as a veterinarian. [10] She attended Wagner College, New York University, and the Circle in the Square Theatre School. [12] [6]
As a teenager, while appearing as Ado Annie Carnes in a stage production of Oklahoma! with classmate Ally Sheedy, Taylor was scouted by Sheedy's agent who suggested that she audition for commercial acting work. [10] This led to Taylor appearing in commercials for Burger King before she made her film debut as Vickie in the horror film Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981). [2] [13] Taylor subsequently portrayed John Belushi's character's daughter in the dark comedy film Neighbors (1981), [6] [1] followed by another supporting role in the slasher film Girls Nite Out (1982).
She starred in the soap opera Loving as Stacey Donovan Forbes Alden from 1983 [2] to 1995, the only original cast member to stay with the show for its entire run. [14] [15] [16]
Prior to Loving, Taylor starred in Ryan's Hope as Eleanor Skofield from 1980 to 1981. After Loving, she hosted her own daily crafts series, Handmade by Design, for several years on the Lifetime channel. [17] She has also done numerous TV commercials and off-Broadway plays. [6] [12]
In 2000, she began her career as a kindergarten and first grade teacher, a role she worked full time in for 10 years. She was also active in local community theater, appearing onstage and later directing productions in the New York City metropolitan region. [18] In 2023, Taylor began hosting the Not the Final Girl podcast. [19] Taylor had her first onscreen acting role in over two decades with the slasher film In a Violent Nature , which was filmed in 2021. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival [20] before being given a wide theatrical release by IFC Films on May 31, 2024. [21]
Taylor has a supporting role in the upcoming Christmas-themed horror film He Sees You When You're Sleeping, co-starring with Caroline Williams. [22]
In 1983, Taylor married actor and singer John Didrichsen, [6] whom she met when they were both filming Girls Nite Out in 1981. [23] They have three children, Katherine, Wesley, and Olivia.
Taylor has been a vegetarian since she was a teenager. [10]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Manhattan | Dalton student | Uncredited | |
1981 | Friday the 13th Part 2 | Vickie | [24] | |
Neighbors | Elaine Keese | [24] | ||
1982 | Girls Nite Out | Sheila Robinson | [25] | |
2009 | His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th | Self | Documentary film | |
2013 | Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th | Self / Vickie (archive footage) | Documentary film | |
2024 | In a Violent Nature | The Woman | [26] | |
He Sees You When You're Sleeping | Sue-Ellen Galveston | [22] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1980–1981 | Ryan's Hope | Eleanor Skofield | 3 episodes | [2] |
1983–1995 | Loving | Stacey Donovan | Main cast | |
1985 | The Cracker Brothers | Cracker Girl | Television film | |
1987 | Pound Puppies | Various (voice) | 5 episodes | |
1996 | Handmade by Design | Host | [17] | |
2006 | My First Time | Self | Episode: "Soap Opera Starts" | |
A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.
Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, and Kevin Bacon. Its plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while they are attempting to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.
Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar is a retired English actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller The Collector (1965), which earned her a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Anne-Marie Martin is a Canadian retired actress, screenwriter and equestrian who is best known for playing Sgt. Dori Doreau in the American television comedy series Sledge Hammer! from 1986 to 1988, as well as her roles in several horror films, such as Prom Night (1980) and The Boogens (1981).
Laurie Jill "Lar" Park Lincoln is an American actress. She appeared in the 1987 film House II: The Second Story as Kate, the 1988 horror film Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood as Tina Shepard, and a 1988 episode of the anthology horror series Freddy's Nightmares as Karyn. Lincoln starred in the television series Knots Landing from 1987 to 1991.
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Julia Montgomery is an American film and television actress. She first gained public attention for her role as Samantha Vernon on the soap opera One Life to Live. She subsequently appeared in the slasher film Girls Nite Out (1982), followed by the role of Betty Childs in the comedy film Revenge of the Nerds (1984). Montgomery reprised her role of Betty in the film's third and fourth sequels (1992–1994).
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Friday the 13th Part 2 is a 1981 American slasher film produced and directed by Steve Miner in his directorial debut, and written by Ron Kurz. It is a direct sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), and the second installment in the franchise. Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Walt Gorney reprise their respective roles from the first film as Alice Hardy, Pamela Voorhees, and Crazy Ralph. Amy Steel and John Furey also star. Taking place five years after the first film, Part 2 follows a similar premise, with an unknown stalker killing a group of camp counselors at a training camp near Crystal Lake. The film marks the debut of Jason Voorhees as the series' main antagonist.
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Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 slasher film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford. Its plot revolves around six brutal murders occurring around a popular high school senior's birthday.
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