Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson (né Johnson; born 13 June 1990) is an English actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and an Empire Award in addition to nominations for two British Academy Film Awards and a British Independent Film Award.
As a child actor, Taylor-Johnson performed in films including Shanghai Knights (2003), The Illusionist (2006), and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008). He had his breakthrough performance as John Lennon in the biopic Nowhere Boy (2009), directed by Sam Taylor-Wood whom he married in 2012, adding her surname. He gained recognition for his portrayal of the title character in Kick-Ass (2010) and its sequel Kick-Ass 2 (2013), as well as performances in the crime thriller Savages (2012), period drama Anna Karenina (2012), and monster film Godzilla (2014).
Taylor-Johnson next portrayed the Marvel Cinematic Universe character Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). For playing a psychopathic drifter in the thriller film Nocturnal Animals (2016), he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since appeared in the action films Tenet (2020), Bullet Train (2022), and The Fall Guy (2024), as well as starring roles in the horror films Nosferatu (2024) and 28 Years Later (2025).
Early life Aaron Perry Johnson was born in High Wycombe on 13 June 1990. His father, Robert, was a civil engineer and his mother, Sarah, "stayed at home [and] worked odd jobs here and there so [they] could get by." He has a sister named Gemma, who later had a small role in his film Tom & Thomas (2002). Johnson is Jewish.
He went to Holmer Green Senior School and attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School in High Wycombe, studying drama, tap, jazz, acrobatics, and singing. He left school at 15.
Career Beginnings and rise to fame (1999–2015)
Johnson began acting at the age of six. On stage, he appeared in a London production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, playing the son of Macduff alongside Rufus Sewell, who played Macbeth, in 1999. He appeared in Arthur Miller's All My Sons in 2000. His television roles have included Niker in the 2004 BBC adaptation of the novel Feather Boy, Aaron in Danny Brocklehurst's ITV1 serial Talk to Me, and Owen Stephens in Nearly Famous. In 2003, Johnson appeared as a young Charlie Chaplin in Shanghai Knights alongside Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, with Chaplin depicted as a member of a London gang of street hooligans. That year, he guest starred in "Fatal Consequences", a special live episode of the ITV drama The Bill. In 2006, he appeared in The Illusionist, appearing in the early flashback scenes as Edward Norton's character, Eduard Abramovicz, as a teenager. The scenes show the young Eduard as he first learns magic. To do this, Johnson had to learn how to perform the ball trick that his character performs. He learned how to balance the egg on the stick, although that was mechanically effected.Writer/director Neil Burger explains this on the film's DVD commentary. Also in 2006, he starred in the film The Thief Lord as Prosper.
Johnson appeared as John Lennon in the 2009 biographical film Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, whom he later married. His performance won him the Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and he was nominated for Young British Performer of the Year by the London Film Critics' Circle. In 2010, Johnson appeared as David "Dave" Lizewski/Kick-Ass, the lead character in Kick-Ass, based on the superhero comic book of the same name by Scottish writer Mark Millar. His performance in Kick-Ass saw him nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. He has also appeared as the central character, William, in Hideo Nakata's Chatroom. In December 2010, Johnson joined the cast of Albert Nobbs as a replacement for Orlando Bloom. Johnson starred in R.E.M.'s 2011 music video "Überlin", which was directed by his then-fiancée.
In 2012, Taylor-Johnson played Count Vronsky in Anna Karenina. Later that year, he starred as Ben in Oliver Stone's Savages. HitFix film critic Drew McWeeny was positive of the bond between Johnson and co-star Taylor Kitsch, which "seems not only credible but lived in and authentic throughout the film," and noted the evolution in maturity of Johnson since Kick-Ass. Taylor-Johnson starred in the Godzilla reboot, released in May 2014. Taylor-Johnson played Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), the sequel to 2012's The Avengers, as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Taylor-Johnson first appeared as the character in a post-credits scene of the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). The role reunited him with Elizabeth Olsen, who played his wife in Godzilla.
Career progression (2016–present) In 2016, he played Ray, a menacing Texan, in Tom Ford's thriller Nocturnal Animals. For the role, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Taylor-Johnson also became first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor winner since Richard Benjamin who did not receive an Academy Award nomination. For the role, he received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2017, he played an American soldier in Doug Liman's thriller The Wall, and in 2018, he appeared in Outlaw King, a British-American historical action drama about Robert the Bruce and the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In 2020, Taylor-Johnson had a supporting role in Christopher Nolan's film Tenet. In 2022, he appeared in David Leitch's Bullet Train, an action-thriller film based on the novel Mariabītoru by Kōtarō Isaka. In 2023, he appeared in a commercial for Armani's Acqua di Giò fragrance, shot in Telašćica Nature Park. He reunited with Leitch in the 2024 action film The Fall Guy. Also in 2024, Taylor-Johnson played another Marvel character in Kraven the Hunter, as part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. He featured in Robert Eggers' horror film Nosferatu.
Taylor-Johnson starred in 28 Years Later, a sequel to the 2002 film 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle.
Personal life Johnson met filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood in 2008 when he auditioned for her film Nowhere Boy. He was 18 and she was 41 at the time. They began dating soon after filming wrapped and became engaged in October 2009. Johnson stated he asked her to marry him a year after they met.
They married in the chapel at Babington House on 21 June 2012. They changed both their surnames to Taylor-Johnson. They have two daughters, born in 2010 and 2012, and Johnson is stepfather to Sam's two daughters from her previous marriage.
Taylor-Johnson was named one of GQs 50 best dressed British men in 2015. In a 2019 interview with GQ Australia, he defined his style as "elegant" and "timeless".
Taylor-Johnson lives with his wife and their two daughters on a farm near Bruton, Somerset, and he spends his time vegetable farming.
Filmography Film
Year Title Role Notes 2000 The Apocalypse Johanan 2002 Tom & Thomas Tom Sheppard / Thomas 2003 Behind Closed Doors Sam Goodwin Shanghai Knights Charlie Chaplin 2004 Dead Cool George 2006 Prosper Young Eisenheim Fast Learners Neil Short film The Best Man Michael (Aged 15) 2007 The Magic Door "Flip" 2008 Dummy Danny Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging Robbie Jennings 2009 Bennett Brewer Nowhere Boy John Lennon 2010 Kick-Ass Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass Chatroom William Collins 2011 Albert Nobbs Joe Mackins 2012 Savages Ben Leonard Anna Karenina Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky Final credit as Aaron Johnson 2013 Kick-Ass 2 Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass First credit as Aaron Taylor-Johnson 2014 Captain America: The Winter Soldier Pietro Maximoff Uncredited cameo; mid-credits scene Godzilla Lieutenant Ford Brody 2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Pietro Maximoff 2016 Nocturnal Animals Ray Marcus 2017 The Wall Sergeant Allen "Ize" Isaac 2018 Outlaw King James Douglas, Lord of Douglas A Million Little Pieces James Frey Also writer and producer 2020 Tenet Ives 2021 The King's Man Archie Reid 2022 Bullet Train Tangerine2024The Fall Guy Tom Ryder Nosferatu Friedrich Harding Kraven the Hunter Sergei Kravinoff / Kraven the Hunter 2025 28 Years Later Jamie Fuze Major Will Tranter 2026 Post-production 2027 Olav Post-productionTBACry to Heaven Carlo TreschiPost Production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2001 Armadillo Young Lorimer Black 2003 Zac Clough Episode: "162" 2004 Family Business Paul Sullivan 1 episode Feather Boy Niker 3 episodes 2006 I Shouldn't Be Alive Mark 4 episodes Casualty Joey Byrne Episode: "Silent Ties" 2007 Talk to Me Aaron 4 episodes Coming Up Eoin Episode: "99,100" Nearly Famous Owen Stephens 6 episodes Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars Finch Television film 2021 Calls Mark (voice) Episode: "The Beginning" TBA Enigma Variations Paul Limited series
Video games
Year Title Voice role 2010 Kick-Ass: The Game Kick-Ass
Awards and nominations +YearAssociationWorkCategoryResult2009 London Film Critics Circle Awards Nowhere Boy and Dummy Young British Performer of the Year British Independent Film AwardsNowhere Boy Best Actor 2010 Empire Awards Best Newcomer Scream AwardsKick-Ass Best Breakout Performance - Male Best Fantasy Actor Best Superhero Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star 2011 Empire Awards Best Actor British Academy Film Awards Rising Star Award 2012 EDA Awards Anna Karenina Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction (shared with Keira Knightley) 2016 San Diego Film Critics Society AwardsNocturnal Animals Best Supporting Actor 2017 Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award British Academy Film Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2022 Locarno Film Festival Himself Excellence Award Davide Campari
References
External links