Taylor Zakhar Perez
American actor (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taylor Zakhar Perez (born Taylor James Zakhar;[1] December 24, 1991)[2] is an American actor.[3] He began his career by appearing in several series, before his breakthrough role in the romantic comedy films The Kissing Booth 2 (2020) and The Kissing Booth 3 (2021).[4] Perez had a supporting role in the sex comedy series Minx (2022) and a starring role in the romantic comedy film Red, White & Royal Blue (2023).[5][6]
Taylor Zakhar Perez | |
|---|---|
Perez in 2025 | |
| Born | Taylor James Zakhar December 24, 1991 |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life
Perez was born in Chicago on December 24, 1991, and grew up in Chesterton, Indiana.[7] He attended Chesterton High School and he has been a national level swimmer.[8] Perez has a diverse ancestry, ranging from Mexican and Middle Eastern to Mediterranean.[9] He is partially Croatian through his mother and partially Hungarian through his father.[10]
His mother is an aesthetician and he is the sixth of eight children.[11] Perez used to change tires at the family auto-body shop on weekends.[12] When he received a swimming scholarship to Fordham University, he turned it down to attend UCLA, where he majored in Spanish culture and community and minored in film and television.[13] Perez started off his acting career by performing at musicals in opera houses at an early age.[14]
Career
Beginnings and breakthrough (2012–2023)
After a series of television guest roles since 2012, Perez starred as Marco Valentin Peña in Netflix's The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020.[15] For his role, he took choreography and guitar lessons.[16] It became the most-streamed film on Netflix during its opening weekend.[17] The series was the second most streamed during its second weekend, with Forbes noting it as "one of the most popular movies ever on the platform."[18][19] In October that year, Netflix reported that 66 million households watched the film over its first four weeks of release.[20]
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Perez partnered with Variant Malibu, a 3D tech company to make face masks. They cut 90% of traditional manufacturing waste.[21] He also designed masks with The Kissing Booth 2 co-stars Joel Courtney, Joey King, Meganne Young and Maisie Richardson-Sellers. The proceeds went to a Chicago organisation that helps disabled kids, adults and families with disabled kids in the Hispanic community.[22] In 2021, Perez reprised the role of Marco Valentin Peña in The Kissing Booth 3.[23]
In 2022, Perez starred in HBO Max's comedy series Minx as Shane Brody, a firefighter who becomes the frontrunner for debut-issue cover star of the first erotic magazine for women in Los Angeles.[24] Talking about the challenges he faced playing the character, Perez said, "The biggest thing was grounding him, making him likable, and also playing against the line."[25] Perez went on to star in gaming comedy film 1Up alongside Ruby Rose where he played Dustin.[26]
In 2023, Perez starred in Amazon Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue as Alex Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the United States, opposite Nicholas Galitzine.[27] The film was released on August 11.[28] For the first three weeks after its release, it was the top watched film worldwide on the platform.[5][6] The Observer's Wendy Ide praised the charisma of Perez and Galitzine and credited it for the film's appeal: "It turns out that watching two impossibly beautiful boys making cow eyes at each other might be just the escapist pulp we need right now."[29] A sequel is in development.[30][31]
2024–present
In February 2024, Perez was appointed the ambassador for that year's SAG Awards ceremony.[32][33] In March 2024, he signed with talent agency Paradigm.[34] In April 2025, Perez voiced Johnny Stompanato in the Audible audio drama The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery.[35]
Other ventures
Perez has discussed environmental sustainability and Latin representation in the entertainment industry in interviews. He has participated in supply-chain visits with Eco-Age and The Woolmark Company, an Australian wool industry organization.[36]
In January 2025, Perez was named global brand ambassador for Lacoste, and starred in their new underwear ad campaign.[37][38]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Alpha House | Trent | Direct-to-video | |
| 2020 | The Kissing Booth 2 | Marco Valentin Peña | [39] | |
| 2021 | The Kissing Booth 3 | [40] | ||
| 2022 | 1Up | Dustin | [41] | |
| 2023 | Red, White & Royal Blue | Alex Claremont-Diaz | [42] | |
| TBA | Red, White & Royal Wedding | Post-production | [43][44] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | iCarly | Keith[45] | Episode: "iGet Banned" | |
| 2013 | Suburgatory | Renaldo | Episode: "Chinese Chicken" | |
| 2014 | Awkward | Hot guy | Episode: "Auld Lang Party" | |
| 2015 | Young & Hungry | Benji Rodriguez | Episode: "Young & Oh Brother" | |
| 2016 | Code Black | Ari Stricks[46] | Episode: "The Fifth Stage" | |
| 12 Deadly Days | Zac | Episode: "Singers Slaying" | ||
| Cruel Intentions | Mateo De La Vega | Unsold pilot | ||
| 2017 | Embeds | Noah Torres[47] | Main role | |
| High Expectasians | Jonathan Price | Episode: "The Audition" | ||
| 2018 | Scandal | Calvin | Episode: "Army of One" | |
| 2022 | Minx | Shane Brody[48] | 2 episodes | |
Podcast
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery | Jonathan Stompanato | 7 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Role | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Imagen Awards | Best Actor Comedy (Television) | Red, White & Royal Blue | Nominated | [49] |