Early life

Taylor was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Virginia (Davis), a painter, and C. Tracy Taylor, an attorney. She is the youngest of three girls in the family; her sisters are Patricia and Pamela, and through Patricia, she is the aunt of director Brad Anderson. Taylor attended high school at Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. She then majored in drama at Bennington College graduating in 1964, before moving to New York City to become an actress.

Career

Taylor's long career began in the theatre. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s she appeared in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including starring roles in Simon Gray's Butley and A. R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour; for the latter she was nominated for a Drama Desk award. Taylor also has the dubious distinction of having starred in Broadway's most infamous flop, Moose Murders, where she filled in, with less than a week's rehearsal, for veteran character actress Eve Arden who had jumped from the sinking ship.

In 1983 Taylor had one of her greatest theatrical moments in Breakfast with Les and Bess, which prompted the New York magazine theatre critic John Simon to sing, "...Miss Taylor is one of the few utterly graceful, attractive, elegant and technically accomplished actresses in our theatre...seeing her may turn you, like me, into a Taylor freak..."

Concentrating on theatre, television took a backseat but she did take on the role of Denise Cavanaugh on the long running soap opera, The Edge of Night, who was so evil, she killed herself just to frame her husband. Then encouraged by her acting coach, the legendary Stella Adler, Taylor took a role that would make her well known: Tom Hanks' sexy, demanding boss in the 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies.

The actress' rising fame, built slowly over many years, led her to roles that made her a well known name in the industry. She proved herself to be equally adept both at comedy and at drama. In 1985, she co-starred with Lisa Eilbacher in the ABC detective series Me and Mom. Two years later, she played opposite Alan Arkin in the short-lived ABC sitcom Harry, in which she received "starring" billing. Then, in 1990, Taylor reunited with former Bosom Buddies executive producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett for a role on their ABC sitcom Going Places, playing grand dame television producer Dawn St. Claire for the show's first thirteen episodes. From 1992 to 1993, she starred in Norman Lear's The Powers That Be with John Forsythe and David Hyde Pierce, playing the wife of Forsythe's character, a U.S. senator. In early 1994, she joined the cast of Saved by the Bell: The College Years as Dean Susan McMann, just episodes before its cancellation. Following this was her role as high-powered newspaper editor Camilla Dane on the ABC/NBC sitcom The Naked Truth; Taylor was one of the few cast members to last all the way through the show's run, from 1995 to 1998.

She played the part of rapacious Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice. Originally intended to be a one-time appearance, the role lasted from 1998 to 2003. She won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in 1999; in her acceptance speech, she is remembered for claiming the statue and exclaiming, "Overnight!" Taylor thanked David E. Kelley, The Practice's producer/writer and creator, for "giving me a chariot to ride up here on: A woman who puts a flag on the moon for women over 40—who can think, who can work, who are successes, who can cook, and who can COOK!".

Taylor was also nominated for an Emmy for her recurring role on AMC's The Lot, and has been nominated four times since 2003, for Best Supporting Actress for her role on the TV series Two and a Half Men, playing Evelyn Harper, the snobbish, overbearing mother of Charlie Sheen's and Jon Cryer's characters. Taylor's television movie and series guest roles have been extensive and include appearances on ER, Veronica's Closet, and recurring roles on Ally McBeal; Monk and as billionaire Peggy Peabody on The L Word.

Taylor's movie roles have included Reese Witherspoon's character's tough Harvard law professor in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde; Tina Fey's character's mother in Baby Mama; The Truman Show; Happy Accidents; Next Stop Wonderland; George of the Jungle; The Wedding Date; How to Make an American Quilt; Romancing the Stone; D.E.B.S.; Cop and a Half; and One Fine Day;

Taylor's animated roles include that of Prudence, the castle's majordomo and love interest of the Grand Duke, in Disney's Cinderella II and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. She also played a role in the animated show American Dad! as Francine's biological mother.

Taylor's first love remains the theatre and she began researching, writing and producing a one-woman play about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards in 2009. The two-act play, originally titled Money, Marbles, and Chalk, starring Taylor as Richards, was first workshopped in May 2010 at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas. It was later retitled Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards and opened in Chicago November 16, 2011 and was billed as a "pre-Broadway" engagement. It is scheduled to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. December 17, 2011 through January 15, 2012. Ann next opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on March 7th, 2013 and is scheduled to run until September 1st, 2013. For this role, Taylor was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play.

Personal life

On November 30, 2015, while answering a question about marriage in a radio interview with WNYC, Taylor revealed that she was in a relationship with a younger woman, and that most of her relationships have been with women. Her partner was later reported to be the actress Sarah Paulson.

Taylor has been a long-time, major supporter of Aid For AIDS in Los Angeles, serving on their Honorary Board and as an ongoing participant in their largest annual fundraiser, Best In Drag Show, among other fundraising efforts.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Awards
Year	Category	Title of Work	Result
1999	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series	The Practice	Won
2000	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series	The Practice	Nominated
2000	Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy Series	The Lot	Nominated
2005	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series	Two and a Half Men	Nominated
2007	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series	Two and a Half Men	Nominated
2008	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series	Two and a Half Men	Nominated
2010	Outstanding Supporting Actress - Comedy Series	Two and a Half Men	Nominated
Tony Awards
2013	Best Actress in a Play	Ann	Nominated

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role
1969	J.T.	Mrs. Arnold
1976	The Next Man	TV Interviewer
1979	3 by Cheever: O Youth and Beauty!	Beverly
1980	Fame	Claudia Van Doren (Uncredited)
1982	The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana	Frances Shand Kydd
1982	I Was a Mail Order Bride	Dottie Birmington
1983	Reuben, Reuben
1984	Concealed Enemies	Mrs. Marbury
1984	Romancing the Stone	Gloria Hart
1985	Key Exchange	Mrs. Fanshaw
1985	Perry Mason Returns	Paula Gordon
1985	The Jewel of the Nile	Gloria Hart
1987	Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson	Ernestine King
1988	She's Having a Baby	Sarah Briggs
1990	People Like Us	Dolly
1990	Alice	Helen
1990	Big Deals
1991	The Rape of Doctor Willis	Dr. Greenway
1993	Cop and a Half	Captain Rubio
1994	Betrayal of Trust	Mary Shelton
1994	In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness	Florence Newsom
1994	The Counterfeit Contessa	Wallace Everett
1994	The Favor	Maggie Sand
1995	A Walton Wedding	Aunt Flo
1995	Awake to Danger	Dr. Joyce Lindley
1995	With Hostile Intent	Lois Baxter
1995	To Die For	Carol Stone
1995	How to Make an American Quilt	Mrs. Rubens
1995	Last Summer in the Hamptons	Davis
1995	Steal Big Steal Little	Mona Rowland-Downey
1996	One Fine Day	Rita
1997	George of the Jungle	Beatrice Stanhope
1997	Just Write	Emma Jeffreys
1997	Betty	Crystal Ball
1998	The Unknown Cyclist	Celia (Uncredited)
1998	The Truman Show	Truman's Mother
1998	Next Stop Wonderland	Piper Castleton
1999	My Last Love	Marnie Morton
1999	The Sex Monster	Muriel
2000	The Spiral Staircase	Emma Warren
2000	Happy Accidents	Therapist, Maggie Ann "Meg" Ford
2000	Mail to the Chief	Katherine Horner
2000	Keeping the Faith	Bonnie Rose
2000	The Deadly Look of Love	Evelyn McGinnis
2001	Strange Frequency	Marge Crowley (segment "Room Service")
2001	Town & Country	Mistress of Ceremonies
2001	Legally Blonde	Professor Stromwell
2001	The Day Reagan Was Shot	Nancy Reagan
2002	Fits and Starts	unknown
2002	Cinderella II: Dreams Come True	Prudence (voice)
2002	Home Room	Dr. Hollander
2002	Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams	Grandma Avellan
2003	Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over	Grandma Avellan
2003	Intent	Judge Cavallo
2004	D.E.B.S.	Mrs. Petrie
2005	The Wedding Date	Bunny
2007	Cinderella III: A Twist in Time	Prudence (voice)
2008	Baby Mama	Rose
2010	The Chosen One	Ruth

Television

Year	Show	Episode
1967	Love Is a Many Splendored Thing	Trish Wanamaker (1971)
1970	Somerset	Sgt. Ruth Winter (unknown episodes, 1973)
1975	Beacon Hill	Marilyn Gardiner (unknown episodes)
1975	Kojak	Elizabeth (1 episode, 1977)
1967	The Edge of Night	Denise Norwood Cavanaugh, R.N. (1977-1978, 1980)
1981	ABC Afterschool Special	Episode: "My Mother Was Never a Kid" Felicia Martin (1 episode, 1981)
1981	Bosom Buddies	Ruth Dunbar (21 episodes, 1980-1981)
1970	All My Children	Jill Ollinger (unknown episodes, 1981-1982)
1983	The Love Boat	Kathy Brighton (1 episode, 1983)
1984	Kate & Allie	Linda Cabot (1 episode, 1984)
1985	Me and Mom	Zena Hunnicutt (unknown episodes)
1987	Harry	Ina Duckett, R.N. (unknown episodes)
1987	Perfect Strangers	Olivia Crawford (1 episode, 1987)
1987	CBS Summer Playhouse	Fran Grogan (2 episodes, 1987-1989)
1989	Murder, She Wrote	Winifred Thayer (1 episode, 1989)
1990	Wiseguy	Allison Royce (1 episode, 1990)
1990	Going Places	Dawn St. Clare (3 episodes, 1990-1991)
1992	The Powers That Be	Margaret Powers (20 episodes, 1992-1993)
1993	Saved by the Bell: The College Years	Dean Susan McMann (7 episodes, 1993-1994)
1994	Diagnosis: Murder	Agent Gretchen McCord (2 episodes, 1994-1995)
1995	The Naked Truth	Camilla Dane (23 episodes, 1995-1998)
1996	Something So Right	Abigail (1 episode, 1996)
1998	The Practice	Judge Roberta Kittleson (29 episodes, 1998-2003)
1998	Veronica's Closet	Millicent (2 episodes, 1998)
1998	Buddy Faro	Olivia Vandermeer (1 episode, 1998)
1999	ER	Phyllis Farr (1 episode, 1999)
1999	The Lot	Letitia DeVine (unknown episodes)
1999	Ally McBeal	2nd Woman in Face Bra Infomercial / Judge Roberta Kittleson (2 episodes, 1999-2000)
2000	Strong Medicine	Lillian Pynchon (1 episode, 2000)
2000	DAG	Katherine Twigg (1 episode, 2000)
2000	The Living Edens	Narrator (1 episode, 2000)
2001	The Fighting Fitzgeralds	Rose (1 episode, 2001)
2001	Strange Frequency	Marge Crowley (1 episode, 2001)
2002	Fillmore!	Mrs. Cornwall (1 episode, 2002)
2003-15	Two and a Half Men	Evelyn Harper (105 episodes)
2004	The L Word	Peggy Peabody (8 episodes, 2004-2008)
2005	Monk	Peggy Davenport (2 episodes, 2005-2007)
2007	American Dad!	Mrs. Dawson (voice, episode "Big Trouble in Little Langley ")
2012	Electric City	Ruth Orwell
2012	McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade	Grand Marshal

Theater

Broadway

• The Devils, 1965/66
• Butley, 1972/73
• We Interrupt This Program..., 1975
• Murder Among Friends, 1975/76
• Something Old, Something New, 1977
• Moose Murders, 1983
• Ann, 2013

Off-Broadway

• The Poker Session, 1967
• The David Show, 1968
• Tonight in Living Color, 1969
• Colette, 1970
• Fashion, 1974
• Children, 1976
• Drinks Before Dinner, 1979
• Breakfast with Les and Bess, 1982/83
• The Perfect Party, 1986
• The Cocktail Hour, 1988/89
• Love Letters, 1989
• The Vagina Monologues, 1999
• Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards, 2011
• Ripcord, 2015

Regional

• The Philanthropist, 1971
• Passion Play, 1988
• Kindertransport, 1996
• A Delicate Balance
• Black Comedy
• Ann: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards, 2016

Los Angeles

• The Unexpected Man in The Geffen Playhouse, 2001
• Kindertransport in The Tiffany Theatre
• Narrator - LA Philharmonic "Persephone, Stravinsky, Essa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor"
• Narrator - LA Philharmonic "Ahknaten, Philip Glass, John Adams, Conductor"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]