Taylor Schilling

Taylor Schilling was born on July 27, 1984, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Patricia Miller, was an MIT administrator, and her father, Robert J. Schilling, was a prosecutor. Growing up in West Roxbury and Wayland, she divided her time between her divorced parents. Schilling’s interest in acting developed early, influenced by shows like “ER.” She began performing in her middle school’s theater program, notably appearing in “Fiddler on the Roof.” After graduating from Wayland High School in 2002, Schilling pursued higher education at Fordham University’s campus at Lincoln Center, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2006 while continuing to participate in stage productions. She then enrolled in the graduate acting program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts but left after her second year to pursue auditions. During this period, she supported herself by working as a nanny in Manhattan.

Schilling’s professional acting career commenced in 2007 with her feature film debut in “Dark Matter,” where she had a supporting role alongside Meryl Streep. Her career progressed significantly in 2009 when she was cast as Veronica Flanagan Callahan in the NBC medical drama “Mercy.” She impressed the show’s creator, Liz Heldens, during her audition, leading to her selection for the lead role. The series aired for one season from 2009 to 2010. She continued her film work, portraying Dagny Taggart in “Atlas Shrugged: Part I” (2011) and co-starring with Zac Efron in the romantic drama “The Lucky One” (2012). She also had a role in the political thriller “Argo” (2012), though many of her scenes were edited out.

A significant turning point in Schilling’s career came in 2013 when she was cast as Piper Chapman in the Netflix original comedy-drama series “Orange Is the New Black.” This role, based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, garnered her widespread recognition and critical acclaim. For her performance, she received a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2013 and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014. “Orange Is the New Black” concluded in 2019, but Schilling continued to work in both film and television. Her recent projects include the horror film “The Prodigy” (2019), the Hulu miniseries “Pam & Tommy” (2022), the Apple TV+ series “Dear Edward” (2023), and her return to stage acting in the Second Stage Theater production of “The Apiary” in 2024.