Bio
Taylor Lautner is an American actor and martial artist best known for hisroles in the feature films The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2, also in 2005.
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 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 ranked 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 advertisement 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.
Since moving to Los Angeles, Taylor has had roles on My Wife and Kids, Summerland, and The Bernie Mac Show.
In addition to television, Taylor has been very successful in voice-over work. Taylor had a recurring role as Youngblood on the cartoon Danny Phantom as well as recording two episodes of What's New, Scooby-Doo? and Charlie Brown.
Taylor was also booked as a series regular of the pilot called Which Way Is Up? along with performing as 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 landed the role of Shark Boy in the Robert Rodriguez film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. He spent three months filming on location in Austin, Texas, 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.
In his spare time, Taylor loves playing football and baseball, both sports in which he is very strong. In football, he is a running back on offense and middle-line backer on defence 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 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.