Holland Taylor has been lighting up the stage and screen for more than five decades.
The actress, who turns 83 on Jan. 14, 2026, kicked off her acting career in the late 1960s on Broadway before venturing into television with roles on shows such as Beacon Hill and Bosom Buddies.
Now, more than 50 years after making her screen debut, Taylor is a Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning actress who continues to captivate audiences with her performances and in her personal life, is happily in love with fellow actress Sarah Paulson.
In honor of her birthday, here’s a look back at her career and life in photos.
The Early Years
Taylor was born on January 14, 1943 in Philadelphia. She graduated from Bennington College in 1964 and shortly after kicked off her acting career on stage in New York City.
Her first Broadway credit came in 1965 as part of the ensemble and understudy for the role of Sister Louise in The Devils. In 1972, she was back on The Great White Way originating the role of Annie Butley in Butley.
According to Broadway World, she also scored a fair number of off-Broadway credits during that time, in shows like The Poker Session and Colette.
Television Breakthrough
After kicking her career off on stage in the late 1960s, Taylor’s onscreen career began around the same time with her first recurring role coming in 1975 on Beacon Hill and later on The Edge of Night.
In the ’80s, she landed a role opposite Tom Hanks in the sitcom Bosom Buddies which kicked her Hollywood career into full gear.
Emmy-Winning Performance
In the late ’90s, Taylor landed the role of Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice – a performance that earned her an Emmy win in 1999. She appeared on the show from 1998-2003.
Over the years, Taylor has been nominated for 9 Emmys for her roles in projects like Two and A Half Men, Hollywood and most recently, The Morning Show.
She stepped into the role of Charlie and Alan Harper’s mother on Two and A Half Men over the course of the show’s 12 season run.
Big Screen Success
In 2001, Taylor appeared as Professor Stromwell in Legally Blonde alongside Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair.
Her most recent onscreen credits have come in The Morning Show, where she plays Cybil Richards – a role that has earned her an Emmy nomination – as well as Fantasy Life, Motherland and The Great North.
Return to Broadway
In 2013, Ann, the one-woman show she wrote and starred in about former Texas governor Ann Richards, made its Broadway debut after runs in Texas, Chicago and Washington, D.C. It later went on to have a run in L.A.
Taylor attended the 2023 Tony Awards in New York City as a nominee for her performance in Ann. The award ultimately went to Cicely Tyson for The Trip to Bountiful.
In 2024, Taylor was back on stage in New York City, this time in the off-Broadway production of N/A.
“People say it’s about Nancy Pelosi and AOC [Ocasio-Cortez]. It’s just not about them as people,” Taylor explained of the show. “It evokes them in order to show a dialogue between generations and points of view politically, and also to show how politics actually works. What is it? What does it mean if you’re a politician? What do you do? How are you playing out what you want to happen in society?”
Love Story
Taylor has been dating fellow actress Sarah Paulson for 10 years – after she slid into the American Horror Story star’s DMs in 2015.
“It’s the most wonderful, extraordinary thing that could have ever possibly happened in my life,” Taylor has previously said of finding love with Paulson.
Back in 2024, in celebration of Holland’s birthday, the Ocean’s Eight actress paid tribute to her longtime love on Instagram writing “Happy Birthday to my one and only love. You are, quite simply- my world.”
And while Holland has kept relatively mum on her relationship with the Hold Your Breath actress, she sang her praises as Paulson was being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s an actress. She breaks the mold, throws assumptions out the window, does it her way. She will always surprise us,” she said.
“Sarah, the actress, is first of all a wild creature in the animal kingdom,” Taylor continued. “Warm-blooded, instinctive, mysterious. She is alert, her nose to the breeze. She is fast. Oh my God, super fast.” She joked, “Just try to catch her, she bolts ahead of you out of the car, across the street and into the road.”
At a Glance
- Holland Taylor turns 83 on January 14, 2026, after a 50+ year career in entertainment
- She has 9 Emmy nominations and 1 win for The Practice in 1999
- Her one-woman show Ann about Texas governor Ann Richards earned her a Tony nomination in 2023
- She’s been in a relationship with Sarah Paulson for 10 years since 2015
Why it matters: Taylor’s longevity in Hollywood showcases how talent and authenticity can sustain a career across multiple decades and mediums.
