Christine Taylor, born Christine Joan Taylor on July 30, 1971, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is an American actress. She is widely recognized for her comedic roles, particularly her memorable portrayal of Marcia Brady, and for her frequent collaborations with her husband, actor and director Ben Stiller.
Taylor grew up in neighboring Wescosville, Pennsylvania, and was raised Roman Catholic, attending St. Thomas More School and Allentown Central Catholic High School. She began acting at a young age, participating in many community and regional productions from the age of three. Her professional career started in 1989 when, in her last year of high school, she was cast as the lifeguard Melody Hanson in the Nickelodeon children’s television series *Hey Dude*. She continued in this role until 1991, concurrently making guest appearances on other shows. By 1991, she had moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time.
Her definitive breakthrough came in 1995 when she was cast as the iconic Marcia Brady in *The Brady Bunch Movie*. Her portrayal was so uncannily similar to the original character that it garnered significant attention and critical praise. She reprised the role in the 1996 sequel, *A Very Brady Sequel*. This success led to more prominent comedic roles, including a recurring part as a dim-witted blonde in Ellen DeGeneres’s sitcom *Ellen*, and a memorable appearance as Jerry’s “too perfect” girlfriend in *Seinfeld*. She also had a supporting role in the cult horror film *The Craft* (1996) and played Drew Barrymore’s cousin, Holly Sullivan, in *The Wedding Singer* (1998).
Taylor’s career has been notably intertwined with her husband, Ben Stiller, whom she married in 2000. She has starred alongside him in several of his films, including *Zoolander* (2001) as Matilda Jeffries, *Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story* (2004) as Kate Veatch, and a cameo in *Tropic Thunder* (2008). She reprised her role in *Zoolander 2* (2016). On television, she had a recurring role as Sally Sitwell in *Arrested Development* (2005, 2013) and has made guest appearances on shows like *My Name Is Earl* (2006) and *Elementary* (2017).
While Taylor has enjoyed a successful career, she has faced the common challenges of the industry, including initial struggles to secure larger and more frequent roles despite early exposure. She also notably declined to do nudity on screen. In 2017, she and Ben Stiller announced their separation after 18 years of marriage, a period she described as needing “space to see what our relationship was.” However, they reconciled during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with Stiller moving back into the family home. They have both spoken openly about how this period of separation and reconciliation ultimately strengthened their relationship and fostered a greater appreciation for their family unit.
Some lesser-known facts about Christine Taylor include her early love for tennis; she played on her high school team and remains an avid fan and even an ambassador for the United States Tennis Association. She is a proud mother of two children with Ben Stiller: daughter Ella Olivia (born 2002) and son Quinlin Dempsey (born 2005). She has also spoken about the unique experience of her daughter Ella pursuing acting, given both parents are actors, and how she never discouraged her. Taylor and David Lascher, her former *Hey Dude* co-star, now co-host a podcast discussing their experiences as child stars and 90s pop culture.
Christine Taylor, born Christine Joan Taylor on July 30, 1971…Read more
