Julie Taymor (December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera and film. Since her stage adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997, 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people in over 100 cities in 19 countries, earning it the highest worldwide gross of any entertainment title in box office history. Lion King also received 11 Tony Award nominations, earning Taymor Tony Awards for Best Director and Costume Designer, and was honored with more than 70 major arts awards worldwide. Taymor made her directorial film debut with the William Shakespeare adaptation of the play Titus Andronicus, called Titus (1999), with Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Colm Feore, James Frain, Laura Fraser, Harry Lennix, Angus Macfadyen, Matthew Rhys, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Her next film was Frida (2002), with Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Valeria Golino, Mía Maestro, Roger Rees, Antonio Banderas, and Edward Norton; about revered Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was nominated for five Academy Awards (including a Best Original Song nod for her composition “Burn It Blue”). She followed that up with Across the Universe (2007), with Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, T.V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs, a “1960s Beatles jukebox musical” which won approval from both Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney. These films developed her reputation for respectful handling of the sensitive legacy of artists amongst their fans. In 2016 she created the Taymor World Theater Fellowship to provide opportunities for enterprising young theater directors to push their boundaries through travel, exposure to new experiences and experimentation.
Her other films include another Shakespeare adaptation The Tempest (2010), with with Helen Mirren, Russell Brand, Reeve Carney, Tom Conti, Chris Cooper, Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Felicity Jones, Molina, David Strathairn, and Ben Whishaw; and the Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias (2020), with Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Timothy Hutton, Lorraine Toussaint, Janelle Monáe, and Bette Midler.
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