Aaron Taylor-Johnson Biography

Aaron Taylor-Johnson (born Aaron Perry Johnson; 13 June 1990) is an English actor. He began performing at age six, appearing in films such as Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and The Illusionist. He then moved onto starring roles in Nowhere Boy, in which he played John Lennon, and Kick-Ass and its 2013 sequel, Kick-Ass 2, in which he played David "Dave" Lizewski / Kick-Ass. Initially credited as Aaron Johnson, he began being billed as Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kick-Ass 2. He took the new legal name after marrying director Sam Taylor-Wood.

Early life

Johnson was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, the son of a housewife mother and a civil engineer father.

Career

Johnson began acting at the age of six, performing as the son of Macduff alongside Rufus Sewell playing the lead role in Macbeth in 1999, and in Arthur Miller's All My Sons in 2000. His television roles have included Niker in the 2004 BBC adaptation of the novel Feather Boy, Aaron in Danny Brocklehurst's ITV1 serial Talk to Me, and Owen Stephens in Nearly Famous. In 2003, Johnson appeared as a young Charlie Chaplin in Shanghai Knights. In 2006, he appeared in The Illusionist, appearing in the early flashback scenes as Edward Norton's character, Eduard Abramovicz, as a teenager. The scenes show the young Eduard as he first learns magic, and to do this, Johnson had to learn how to perform the ball trick displayed by his character. He learned how to perform the balancing of the egg on the stick, although that was effected mechanically.

Johnson appeared as John Lennon in the 2009 biopic film Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood. In 2010, Johnson appeared as David "Dave" Lizewski/Kick-Ass, the lead character Kick-Ass, based on the superhero comic book of the same name by Mark Millar, and has appeared as the central character, William, in Hideo Nakata's Chatroom. In December 2010, Johnson joined the cast of Albert Nobbs as a replacement for Orlando Bloom, who dropped out of the production due to his wife's pregnancy. Johnson starred in R.E.M.'s 2011 music video "Überlin", which was also directed by his then-fiancée.

In 2012, Johnson played Count Vronsky in Anna Karenina. Later that year, he starred in Oliver Stone's Savages. HitFix film critic Drew McWeeny was positive of the bond between Johnson and co-star Taylor Kitsch, which "seems not only credible but lived in and authentic throughout the film", and noted the evolution in maturity of Johnson since Kick-Ass. Johnson will also star in the upcoming Godzilla reboot scheduled for release on May 2014. In June 2013, it was reported that Johnson is in early talks to play the role of Quicksilver in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is scheduled to be released in 2015.

Personal life

Johnson has cited actor Daniel Day-Lewis as one of his idols. In a September 2012 interview, he stated that he had few friends from his hometown.

Johnson began a relationship with his Nowhere Boy director, Sam Taylor-Wood, who is more than twenty years his senior. The couple announced their engagement at the film's premiere in October 2009. The couple have two children. Johnson and Taylor-Wood married in 2012. Johnson adopted part of his wife's surname (maiden name) as part of his professional name.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Tom & Thomas	Tom / Thomas
	The Apocalypse	Johanan
2003	Behind Closed Doors	Sam Goodwin
	Shanghai Knights	Charlie Chaplin
2004	Dead Cool	George
2006	'	Prosper
	'	Young Eisenheim
	Fast Learners	Neil
	'	Michael (aged 15)
2007	'	Flip
2008	Dummy	Danny
	Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging	Robbie
2009	'	Bennett Brewer
	Nowhere Boy	John Lennon	Empire Award for Best Newcomer Nominated "? British Independent Film Award for Best Actor
2010	Kick-Ass	David "Dave" Lizewski / Kick-Ass	Nominated "? Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated "? Orange Rising Star Award Nominated "? Scream Award for Best Fantasy Actor Nominated "? Scream Award for the Best Breakthrough Performance - Male Nominated "? Scream Award for Best Superhero Nominated "? Teen Choice Award for Breakout Male
	Chatroom	William
2011	Albert Nobbs	Joe
2012	Savages	Ben
	Anna Karenina	Count Vronsky
2013	Kick-Ass 2	David "Dave" Lizewski / Kick-Ass
2014	Godzilla	Lieutenant Ford	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Armadillo	Young Lorimer Black
2003	'	Zac Clough	Episode: "162"
2004	Family Business	Paul Sullivan	1 episode
	Feather Boy	Niker	3 episodes
2006	I Shouldn't Be Alive	Mark	1 episode
	Casualty	Joey Byrne	Episode: "Silent Ties"
2007	Talk to Me	Aaron	4 episodes
	Coming Up	Eoin	Episode: "99,100"
	Nearly Famous	Owen	6 episodes