Birth Name
Taylor Daniel Launter
Height
5' 10½" (1.79 m)
Mini Biography
Born on February 11th, 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Taylor Daniel
Lautner has shown he was destined for a successful life from a very
young age. He began studying karate at the age of six, training at
Fabiano's Karate School, and by the following year, he was already
winning tournaments. He was soon invited to train with seven-time world
karate champion Mike Chat and, when he was eight, he was asked to
represent his country in the twelve years and under division in the
World Karate Association where he proved himself by becoming the Junior
World Forms and Weapons champion, winning three gold medals. He
continued to flourish in the martial arts circuit; in 2003, at only
eleven years old, he was ranks number one in the world for NASKA's
Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons and
Traditional Forms and and, by the age of twelve, he had three Junior
World Championships under his "black belt".
However, in addition
to his love for karate, Taylor was bitten by the acting bug when he was
seven years old, after his martial arts instructor persuaded him to
audition for a part in a Burger King advert in Los Angeles. Although he
was unsuccessful, he enjoyed the experience so much that he told his
parents he wanted to pursue a career in acting. Soon, he and his family
were traveling back-and-forth from their home in Michigan to California
so Taylor could audition for acting roles on a regular basis. When he
was ten, with the frequent traveling and air fares starting to drain
them out, his family made the hard decision to relocate to Los Angeles
where Taylor would have the advantage of being able to audition on a
full-time basis. Although it was a wrench to leave behind friends and
family, the move gave him the added bonus of being able to compete on a
more intense level in football and baseball.
Since moving to Los Angeles, Taylor has booked roles on "My Wife and Kids" (2001), "Summerland" (2004), "The Bernie Mac Show" (2001), and the The Nick & Jessica Variety Hour
(2004) (TV). In addition to television, Taylor has been very successful
in the voice over work. Taylor has booked a recurring role as
Youngblood on the cartoon "Danny Phantom" (2004) as well as he has recording two episodes of "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" (2002) and 'Charlie Brown'. Taylor has also booked a series regular of a pilot presentation called Which Way Is Up? (1977) along with the voice of Silas in an animation series entitled 'Silas and Brittany'.
His big break came in 2005 when, at the age of thirteen, Taylor won the role of Shark Boy in the Robert Rodriguez film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D
(2005). He spent three months on location in Austin, Texas filming,
which he thoroughly enjoyed. Within months, he then successfully
auditioned to play Eliot, the son of the Bakers' rival, in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005).
In
his spare time, Taylor loves playing football and baseball, both sports
which he is very strong in. In football, he running back on offense and
middle line backer on defense and, in baseball, he takes part in the
Hart Baseball Program where he is positioned at center field and second
base. He also participates in the LA Hip Kids, a hip-hop dance group.
Taylor also enjoys making home movies with his friends, including
'Sharkboy and Lava Girl' co-star Taylor Dooley, who coincidentally lives near his Los Angeles home.
Although,
he wants to continue acting into adulthood, he wouldn't mind becoming a
film scriptwriter and director. Certainly, this is one young boy who is
bound to do well in whatever he sets his mind to!
