Taylor, elder of two sons, was born in London, England, the son of Australian parents, Maggie (née Miller), a journalist and book editor, and Paul Taylor, a copywriter and journalist [REF].
After performing in plays at St. Martin's Youth Theatre in South Yarra for a year, he gained the attention of director John Duigan, who cast him in the 1987 film The Year My Voice Broke, the first part of a planned trilogy.