Taylor Swift
Birthdate – December 13, 1989 (35 Years Old)
Birthplace – Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
Taylor Swift (birthname: Taylor Alison Swift) is her generation’s biggest pop music artist, having recorded several albums since 2006 which have reached platinum as well as concert tours (particularly her “The Eras Tour” in 2023 and 2024) which have broken every record for ticket sales and revenues.
At the same time, Swift has carved out an acting career in feature films, beginning with her first of several supporting roles under Garry Marshall’s direction in the hit ($216.5 million gross) ensemble rom-com, Valentine’s Day (2010), with Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, and Julia Roberts.
Swift had her first significant part in a voice role in the Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment animated version of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012), with Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Rob Riggle, and Betty White, and going on to gross $349 million worldwide. Taylor Swift’s first dramatic role was opposite Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, and Katie Holmes in the Phillip Noyce-directed dystopian drama, The Giver (2014).
Swift was the subject of her first theatrically-released music portrait and arguably her best film, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince (2020), directed by documentary filmmaker Lana Wilson, and premiering at the Sundance Film Festival before opening in theaters and streaming on Netflix.
While five of Swift’s concert-related movies were released on streaming services, the big-scaled concert film documenting a three-night stand at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023), was released in AMC and Cinemark Theatres chains and directed by Sam Wrench.
Swift delivered her first musical-comedy performance on film as Bombalurina in the generally lambasted Tom Hooper-directed movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical, Cats (2019), with James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellan, and Rebel Wilson.
Taylor Swift played support, in a darker and more satiric vein, to stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington in director/writer/producer David O. Russell’s sneaky comic mystery, Amsterdam (2022), which was a financial bomb for lead producer New Regency and distributors 20th Century Studios and Buena Vista International.
Swift showed signs of her filmmaking ambitions with her first short film as writer-director-producer-actor in All Too Well: The Short Film (2021)—based on Swift’s song—co-starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien and released theatrically by Universal Pictures after premiering at the Tribeca film festival, and which won several awards from the American Music Awards, Grammy Awards, the Art Directors Guild, and MTV’s VMA awards.
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Personal Details
Taylor Swift was born and raised in West Reading, Pennsylvania, by parents Scott Swift (former stockbroker, and Christmas tree farm owner) and mother Andrea Swift (former mutual fund marketing executive). Swift has a younger brother, actor Austin Swift. Swift’s maternal grandmother is opera singer Marjorie Finlay. Swift’s preschool and kindergarten were at Alvernia Montessori School and grade school at Wyndcroft School.
Swift’s family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. During this time, Swift performed in theater productions with Berks Youth Theatre Academy, and studied voice and acting in private lessons in New York City. Swift pursued a country music career in Nashville, prompting her family to move to the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, where Swift briefly attended Hendersonville High School before being home-schooled when she launched a touring career; Swift graduated from high school after her junior year. Swift is single.
Filmography
The Giver
Rosemary (2014)
The Lorax
Audrey (2012)
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Self (2023)
Amsterdam
Liz Meekins (2022)
Some Facts About Taylor Swift
What’s in a Name?: Taylor Swift was named after singer-songwriter James Taylor. Her name has been used by entomologists to name in her honor a millipede species as Nannaria swiftae.
AKA: Swift’s nicknames are “T-Swizzle” and “Tay-Tay.”
Record Records: According to record sales data analyst firm Luminate Data, Taylor Swift is the only recording artist in history to have five albums sold over a million units in a single week. Swift was the most-Googled woman in 2019 and the most-Googled musician in 2022.
Philanthropist Queen: Swift has ranked at the very top of the “Gone Good” list of the most generous philanthropists by the non-profit DoSomething. Her donations and charities have become the stuff of legend, ranging from many disaster relief efforts to cultural patronages to financial support to her fans for medical and academic needs.
Fat Cat: While Taylor Swift owns three cats—Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey, and Benjamin Button—it is Olivia who is rated as the third richest pet animal in the world, with an estimated net worth of $97 million.
The Price of Mega-Celebrity: Swift has been the target of several stalkers and some armed home break-ins.
Awards
Six-time Winner, Crystal Milestone Award/Album of the Year/Entertainer of the Year/Jim Reeves International Award/Video of the Year, Academy of Country Music Awards (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014); 40-time Winner, Favorite Country Female Artist/Favorite Country Album/Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist/Favorite Pop-Rock Female Artist/Artist of the Year/Dick Clark Award for Excellence/Song of the Year/Favorite Pop-Rock Album/Tour of the Year/Favorite Pop-Rock Female Artist/Artist of the Decade/Favorite Music Video/Favorite Pop Album/Favorite Female Pop Artist, American Music Awards (2008-2015, 2018-2022); Winner, Horizon Award/Album of the Year/Entertainer of the Year/Female Vocalist of the Year/Musical Event of the Year/Music Video of the Year/Song of the Year, Country Music Association Awards (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017); Winner, Best Creative Achievement in Interactive Media—Original Interactive Program, Emmy Awards (2015); Four-time Nominee, Best Original Song, Golden Globe Awards (2013, 2014, 2020, 2023); Twelve-time Winner, Best Female Country Vocal Performance/Album of the Year/Best Country Song/Best Country Album/Best Country Solo Performance/Best Song Written for Visual Media/Best Music Video/Best Pop Vocal Album, Grammy Awards (2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2021, 2023); Winner, Best Song, MTV Movie + TV Awards (2023); 22-time Winner, Best Female Vocal/Video of the Year/Best Collaboration/Best Pop Video/Best Female Video/Video for Good/Best Direction/Best Longform Video/Album of the Year/Show of the Summer/Best Cinematography/Best Visual Effects/Song of the Year/Artist of the Year, MTV Video Music Awards (2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023).