Anya Taylor-Joy
Taylor-Joy in 2015, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Anya-Josephine Taylor-Joy
Place of Birth: Miami, Florida, U.S.
Date of Birth: April 16, 1996
Ethnicity: English, Scottish, one quarter Catalan Spanish, distant French and Irish
Anya Taylor-Joy is an Argentinian and British actress and model. She has starred in the films The VVitch, Morgan, Barry (2016), Split, Thoroughbreds, Marrowbone, Glass, Playmobil: The Movie, Radioactive (2019), Emma. (2020), Here Are the Young Men, The New Mutants, Last Night in Soho, The Northman, The Menu, Amsterdam, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in voice performance; and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; and on the series Atlantis, The Miniaturist, Peaky Blinders, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, in voice role; and The Queen’s Gambit.
She was born in Miami, Florida, then grew up in Argentina, and moved to London, England, at age six. Her name Anya is Russian. Her parents, Jennifer Joy and Dennis Taylor, are conservationists. She is fluent in Spanish. Anya is married to American musician and actor Malcolm McRae, who is the frontman of rock band More*.
Anya’s father, a banker, was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by his English-born father and Buenos Aires-born mother, both of whom were of Scottish and English descent. Dennis has an MBE and the OBE.
Anya’s mother, a psychologist, was born and raised in Zambia, Africa, the daughter of an English diplomat father and a Catalan Spanish mother. She was raised partly in London, with her own parents, Anya’s grandparents, eventually moving to Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. A picture of Anya with her mother can be seen here. Through her maternal grandfather, Anya is a descendant of Henry Cromwell (1628-1674), who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and of his father, statesman Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658). Her grandfather had distant French and Irish ancestry.
Anya’s paternal grandfather was Alfred Royal Taylor (the son of Henry William Taylor and Janette/Jeannette Liddle McDonald). Alfred was born in Romford, Essex, England, and lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Henry was the son of John Taylor and Caroline Howell. Janette was born in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, the daughter of William Robertson and Jessie McDonald.
Anya’s paternal grandmother was Violet Mary Forrest (the daughter of Alexander Gibson Forrest and Mabel Carter). Violet was born in Buenos Aires. Alexander was born in Pettinain, Lanark, Scotland, the son of George Forrest and Mary MacMinn/McMinn. Mabel was born in Reading, England, the daughter of George Thomas Carter and Annie Wheeler.
Anya’s maternal grandfather was David Joy (the son of Harold Oliver Joy and Doris Kate Buxton). David was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, and was a British Crown Civil Service officer/diplomat. Harold was the son of Leopold Oliver de Blaquiere Joy, who was born in Akron, Ohio, U.S., to English parents, from Kent, and had a small amount of Irish and French ancestry; and of Leah Crossley. Doris was the daughter of George Earl/Earle Buxton and Frances/Fanny Elizabeth Harmer.
Anya’s maternal grandmother is Montserrat Morancho Saumench (the daughter of Ángel Morancho Garreta and Marina Josefa/Josefa Marina Saumench Castells). Montserrat was born in Barcelona, Spain.
Anya has said:
…the political situation in Argentina was getting so dire that [my parents] wanted their children to grow up in an environment without fear. We all really resented them for [leaving Argentina] and now we look back, we’re like thank you so much because they gave us such an opportunity in life.
Sources: http://www.interviewmagazine.com
http://www.goldenglobes.com
https://www.youtube.com
https://www.culturalweekly.com
Genealogy of Anya Taylor-Joy – https://www.geni.com
Article about Anya’s mother’s family – https://thecanadian.news
Anya’s paternal grandfather, Alfred Royal Taylor, on the 1911 England and Wales Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Birth record of Anya’s paternal great-grandfather, Alexander Gibson Forrest – https://www.familysearch.org
Marriage record of Anya’s paternal great-great-grandparents, George Thomas Carter and Annie Wheeler – https://www.familysearch.org
She surely has viking blood from her English and Scottish roots, given her face. She remaids me of Natalie Dormer.
She is 25% Spanish (Catalan). Her grandmother’s name is Montserrat Morancho Saumench she was born in Barcelona in 1931.
https://thecanadian.news/2021/03/07/the-spanish-family-of-anya-the-actress-of-gambito-de-dama-her-grandmothers-shop-in-zaragoza/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anya_Taylor-Joy
“Her father was awarded an MBE in the 1982 New Year Honours (for services to the British community in Buenos Aires) and an OBE in 1998 (for services to British trade with Argentina)”
Her fathers name is Dennis Alan Taylor, I think he was born in Argentina to Scottish parents.
That makes sense. It looks like it’s first generational.
What a super weird and confusing way to describe one’s ancestry. None of it makes sense/is clear.
She is just a British/Spanish mix under an ethnic point of view. Simple.
“My mother is from London, England and from Zaragoza, Spain, she was born and raised in Africa, in Zambia. My dad is Scottish-Argentine from Buenos Aires.”
https://www.culturalweekly.com/anya-taylor-joy/
That makes sense, her mom is Spanish (from Spain) and English and her dad is Scottish from Argentina.
She may be 75% British 25% Spanish, even though I am not convinced about an Argentine with 100% Scottish ancestry.
There were plenty of white people in Zambia-Rhodesia back then so her tale makes sense.
I don’t know what you mean, but there are people who have just European background living in Argentine. Argentine has a very high European population. Or do you mean the dad is of other European background?
I dont think her father is 100% Scottish, unless he is a recent immigrant to Argentina.
I have noticed it’s also regional. There are places in Argentine where it’s pretty secluded/have high (enter European country) population. This is usually southern parts. Northern Argentine is a lot less homogenous.
Yes, like Welsh enclaves in Patagonia.
It turns out he is indeed fully Scottish/English and has parents/grandparents straight from England and Scotland.
So it seems she is 75% British and 25% Spanish if her mother is an English/Spanish mix instead of fully Spanish.
You probably don’t know about this because you’re not argentinian, but Anya is from a pretty wealthy family, she assisted to a british school and her dad is a banker. There are historical ties between the elite of Buenos Aires and British people and culture, gathered communities are full of british schools and rugby players. It could sound weirder if she was an average citizen because British immigration here was not as common as Italian or Spanish, but considering her economic and social situation it just makes sense. I can’t stay if she has recent ancestry or not but you probably know immigration in the XX was the strongest one.
Stat*
Yes, Argies with some British/Irish ancestry stand in mid-upper class sectors of society. You cited rugby and I think to the classist tweets of Pablo Matera and all the shistorm after.