Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. She began her career as a model before transitioning to acting, gaining early recognition for the Australian television series headLand (2005–2006). She subsequently appeared in the films Man-Thing (2005), See No Evil (2006), Transformers (2007), Bottle Shock (2008), Shutter (2008), Cedar Boys (2009), Splinterheads (2009), Red Dog (2011), The Darkest Hour (2011) and Any Questions for Ben? (2012).
Taylor is best known for portraying Trish Walker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Luke Cage (2016) and The Defenders (2017). She also portrayed Dr. Lucy Fields on Grey's Anatomy (2011), an Angel in Charlie's Angels (2011), Jane Van Veen in 666 Park Avenue (2012–2013) and Susie Dunn in the NBC action/thriller series Crisis (2014).
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Early life
Rachael May Taylor was born on 11 July 1984 in Launceston, Tasmania. Her English parents, Christine and Nigel Taylor, emigrated to Australia from Dorset and Lancashire respectively.
Taylor attended Trevallyn Primary School and Riverside High School. She moved to Sydney at the age of 16 to become an actress, though later returned to Launceston to complete her high school education. She studied history and politics at the University of Sydney before leaving in 2006.
Career
Taylor modelled as a teenager, and reached the state finals of Miss Teen Tasmania and Miss Universe/Miss World. In 1998, she won the title of Miss Teen Tasmania. She stated in 2015: "I don't think that was a particularly healthy environment for a 14-year-old. I think women are asked to consider their beauty too much."
She made her acting debut in The Mystery of Natalie Wood, a 2004 television serial directed by Peter Bogdanovich. She appeared in a number of American productions – such as the television film Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure (2005) (where she played Catherine Oxenberg), and the horror movies Man-Thing (2005) and See No Evil (2006).
Taylor played Sasha Forbes on the short-lived Australian drama series headLand. On 3 April 2006, she was nominated for a Logie Award for Most Popular New Female Talent for her role on headLand.
Her most prominent role to date was as Maggie Madsen, a signals analyst, in the 2007 Transformers, where she appeared alongside Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Taylor confirmed that she would not be returning for the Transformers sequel. In 2008, Taylor scored a starring role in the US horror-thriller Shutter, a remake of the 2004 Thai film of the same name opposite Joshua Jackson. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box-office success.
In 2009, she completed the Australian feature Cedar Boys and starred in the comedy Splinterheads. In 2010, she starred alongside Alex Dimitriades in the Australian romantic drama Summer Coda. She has also signed to the HBO comedy series Washingtonienne and Melt, an Australian production. Taylor began a recurring role on Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Lucy Fields, an obstetrician and maternal-fetal fellow.
In 2011, Taylor joined the cast of the short-lived remake of the television series Charlie's Angels. Also in 2011, she had a major role in the film Red Dog and starred in the Russian science-fiction thriller film The Darkest Hour, directed by filmmaker Chris Gorak.
Taylor had a key supporting role in the 2012 Australian comedy Any Questions for Ben?, created by Working Dog Productions. Although the film performed disappointingly at the box-office and received lukewarm reviews, Taylor was praised for her role. Leigh Paatsch in the Herald-Sun wrote "Taylor exudes a warmth and assurance (in her performance). It is a shame she is missing in action for lengthy spells in the picture."
Personal life
In August 2010, Taylor took out an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against her fiancé, Australian actor Matthew Newton. This followed two domestic violence incidents at a hotel in Rome where Newton allegedly "punched Taylor in the face before being sedated by ambulance officers", leading to her suffering a concussion and a sprained jaw. Taylor later partnered with White Ribbon Australia to advocate to end men's violence against women.