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Taylor Handley
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Taylor Laurence Handley (born June 1, 1984) is an American actor.
Key Information
Early life
[edit]Handley grew up in Santa Barbara, California. With his parents driving him the 90 miles to Los Angeles for auditions and jobs, he worked as a child actor as a young teenager. At age 18, after graduating from high school in Santa Barbara, he moved to Santa Monica and attended Santa Monica City College while continuing to seek acting opportunities.[2]
Career
[edit]In 1998, Handley played Rory Buck in the movie Jack Frost. In 2000, Handley starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Phantom of the Megaplex. Handley appeared in three episodes during the last season of Dawson's Creek and guest starred during an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. In 2003 and 2004, Handley appeared as Oliver Trask in six episodes of the first season of The O.C. In 2005, he starred in Zerophilia, a speculative-fiction romantic comedy exploring gender identity. In 2006, Handley appeared in two films: The Standard and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Handley's next film, September Dawn, was released to theaters on August 24, 2007.
Also in 2007, Handley starred as Johnny Miller in the short-lived series Hidden Palms, on The CW.
On April 9, 2009, he guest-starred in the pilot of Southland, playing Wade. He returned as Wade in the second episode of the second season.
Handley also co-starred alongside Dennis Quaid in the series Vegas, playing the character Dixon Lamb.
In 2013, he appeared in the commercial "Greatness Awaits" for the PlayStation 4 console, and in 2020 in the State Farm Insurance commercial "Not the One", in which he played a rejected contestant from a Bachelorette-esque program who is comforted by "Jake from State Farm".[3]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jack Frost | Rory Buck | |
| 2005 | Zerophilia | Luke | |
| 2006 | The Standard | Ryan | |
| 2006 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Dean | |
| 2007 | September Dawn | Micah Samuelson | |
| 2010 | Skateland | Kenny Crawford | |
| 2011 | Battle: Los Angeles | LCpl. Corey Simmons | |
| 2011 | Sink Into You | John D | Short |
| 2012 | Chasing Mavericks | Sonny | |
| 2013 | Channeling | Wyatt Maddox | |
| 2013 | Greatness Awaits | Short | |
| 2013 | Mentryville | Dean | |
| 2015 | Toxin | Dean | |
| 2018 | Bird Box | Jason | |
| 2024 | Outbreak | John Gibson |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sons of Thunder | Joseph McNulty | Episode: "Fighting Back" |
| 1999 | Odd Man Out | Roberto | Episode: "Punch Line" |
| 2000 | Phantom of the Megaplex | Pete Riley | TV movie |
| 2001 | Go Fish | Hazard | Main role; 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Frasier | Trent | Episode: "Juvenilla" |
| 2002 | NYPD Blue | Nick Bowen | Episode: "Oh, Mama!" |
| 2002 | Touched By An Angel | Ricky Collette | Episode: "A Rock and a Hard Place" |
| 2002 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Max Newman | Episode: "Let the Seller Beware" |
| 2003 | Becker | Brad | Episode: "Bad to the Bone" |
| 2003 | Dawson's Creek | Patrick | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Then Came Jones | TV Movie | |
| 2003–04 | The O.C. | Oliver Trask | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Blind Justice | Tyler Mills | Episode: "Under the Gun" |
| 2005 | Cold Case | Steve Jablonski | Episode: "One Night" |
| 2006 | In from the Night | Bobby | TV Movie |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Travis Peck | Episode: "Born to Kill" |
| 2007 | Hidden Palms | Johnny Miller | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | Numb3rs | James Arthur | Episode: "Animal Rites" |
| 2009 | Southland | Wade | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | The Cleaner | Travis Nathanson | Episode: "The Turtle & The Butterfly" |
| 2010 | CSI: NY | Billy Travis | Episode: "Damned If You Do" |
| 2011 | The Glades | Trey Lancer | Episode: "Moonlighting" |
| 2011 | Law & Order: LA | Eric Kentner | Episode: "Westwood" |
| 2012 | Vegas | Dixon Lamb | 21 episodes |
| 2013 | Horizon | George Howl | TV movie |
| 2016 | Scorpion | Cody Decker | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | APB | Officer Roderick Brandt | |
| 2018 | Imposters | Fluke | Episode: "Fillion Bollar King" |
| 2019 | Proven Innocent | Ronnie Peterson | Episode: "Cross to Bear" |
| 2019 | The I-Land | Jordan | Mini series; 1 episode |
| 2019 | Hawaii Five-O | Agent Coen | Episode: "Ka 'i'o" |
| 2021 | Animal Kingdom | Liam | 2 episodes |
| 2021–present | Mayor of Kingstown | Kyle McLusky | Main cast |
| 2023 | Magnum P.I. | Tate Walker | Episode: "Consciousness of Guilt" |
| 2024 | Griselda | Detective Bill | |
| 2026 | The Pitt | Paul Hamler | Episode: "11:00 A.M." |
Producer
[edit]- Sink Into You (2011)
References
[edit]- ^ "Taylor Handley on Instagram: "Dang, Ana Maria. You're special. We appreciate you. - ❤️ the Handley Fam."". Archived from the original on October 28, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Luaine (June 16, 2007). "For Hidden Palms star, success is hard work". The Ottawa Citizen. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. McClatchy-Tribune News. p. K 3. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gianatasio, David (February 14, 2020). "The New 'Jake From State Farm' Has a Bigger Role, Including Soothing Spurned Bachelors". Muse by Cio. Archived from the original on 2020-02-29.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
Taylor Handley
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life
Upbringing
Taylor Laurence Handley was born on June 1, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California.[9][10] Handley grew up in Santa Barbara, a community that offered early exposure to the performing arts through its local theater scene.[11] His parents actively supported his creative interests, driving him the 90 miles to Los Angeles for auditions, rehearsals, and classes starting in his early teens, which facilitated his initial steps into acting.[12] At age eight, Handley began participating in local summer stock productions in Santa Barbara, marking the start of his engagement with theater and nurturing his passion for performance.[11][13] This environment, combined with familial encouragement, laid the groundwork for his artistic development in a supportive, artistic locale.[10]Acting beginnings
Handley began his acting journey at the age of eight through participation in a summer stock theater program in Santa Barbara, California, where he performed in various productions that honed his skills and sparked his interest in the craft.[14] This early exposure, supported by his family, led to him securing representation from an agent and beginning to audition for professional roles in film and television.[14] By his early teens, these efforts culminated in his motion picture debut. In 1998, at age 14, Handley made his film debut portraying Rory Buck, the son of the protagonist played by Michael Keaton, in the holiday comedy Jack Frost, directed by Troy Miller.[5] The role marked his entry into feature films and showcased his ability to handle supporting parts in family-oriented narratives.[11] Handley's initial foray into television came shortly after, with a guest appearance as Joseph McNulty in the 1999 episode "Fighting Back" of the CBS crime drama Sons of Thunder.[5] This early TV credit demonstrated his versatility in dramatic roles alongside established actors like James Coburn. In 2000, he starred as Pete Riley in the Disney Channel Original Movie Phantom of the Megaplex, a teen comedy-thriller directed by Sean McNamara, where he played a key supporting character navigating chaos at a movie theater on opening night.[15] These projects solidified his presence in both film and television during his formative years in the industry.[16]Career
Early roles
Handley gained prominence in television with his role as Oliver Trask in the first season of the Fox drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2004. Portraying a troubled and obsessive teenager who becomes entangled in the life of protagonist Ryan Atwood, Handley's performance across six episodes marked his first significant recurring arc and introduced audiences to his ability to embody complex, darker characters.[17][3] In 2005, he guest-starred as Graham Miller, a young terrorist operative, in five episodes of the Fox action series 24 during its fourth season. Transitioning to film, Handley took the lead in the 2005 independent romantic comedy Zerophilia, where he played Luke, a young man who discovers he can change genders after a sexual encounter, exploring themes of identity and sexuality. The role showcased his versatility in handling speculative fiction and emotional depth, earning praise for navigating the character's internal conflicts.[18][19] In 2006, Handley appeared in two horror projects that further diversified his portfolio. He portrayed Dean, the younger brother of a soldier caught in a nightmarish encounter with the Sawyer family, in the prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, contributing to the film's intense survival thriller elements amid graphic violence.[20][21] That same year, he played Ryan in the coming-of-age drama The Standard, a story of adolescent rebellion and friendship in a small town.[22] Handley's early television momentum continued in 2007 with the starring role of Johnny Miller in the short-lived CW mystery drama Hidden Palms, created by Kevin Williamson. As a grieving teenager relocating to Palm Springs and unraveling family secrets, the series—canceled after one season—highlighted his lead-man potential in teen-oriented narratives blending suspense and personal trauma.[23]Breakthrough and mid-career
Handley recurred as Officer Ben Sherman, a rookie cop learning the ropes of policing in Los Angeles, in the TNT police procedural Southland from 2009 to 2013, appearing in 29 episodes across Seasons 2 through 5. In the early 2010s, Taylor Handley took on a lead role as Kenny Crawford in the coming-of-age drama Skateland (2010), portraying a young man navigating personal relationships and the decline of a local skating rink in 1980s Texas, which highlighted his ability to anchor character-driven stories. This role represented a step toward more mature narratives following his earlier teen-focused work. The film received moderate acclaim for its nostalgic tone and ensemble performances, with Handley's portrayal contributing to its exploration of adolescence and change. Handley expanded into action territory with his supporting role as Lance Corporal Corey Simmons, a dedicated Marine, in the sci-fi war film Battle: Los Angeles (2011), directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Aaron Eckhart, where he depicted the intensity of urban combat against extraterrestrial invaders.[24] This performance marked a genre shift for Handley, showcasing his physicality and ensemble chemistry in high-stakes military scenarios amid the film's focus on a platoon's desperate defense of Los Angeles. Building on this momentum, he appeared as Dixon Lamb in the CBS Western drama series Vegas (2012), playing the son of a casino owner opposite Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis, which allowed him to delve into complex family dynamics and moral dilemmas in a 1960s Las Vegas setting over 21 episodes.[3] In 2012, Handley portrayed Sonny, a rival surfer and friend to the protagonist Jay Moriarity, in the biographical sports drama Chasing Mavericks, directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, emphasizing themes of ambition, rivalry, and brotherhood in the world of big-wave surfing.[25] His character's arc involved challenging the young surfer while ultimately supporting his pursuit of the legendary Mavericks wave, adding tension to the inspirational narrative based on real events. This period saw Handley transitioning to roles depicting young adults confronting adult responsibilities, such as in the 2013 indie thriller Channeling, where he played Wyatt Maddox, a man grappling with supernatural visions and personal loss.[5] A significant opportunity came in 2017 when Handley starred as Officer Roderick Brandt, a Marine veteran turned police officer struggling with post-combat adjustment, in the Fox procedural drama APB, which reimagined a police precinct with cutting-edge technology funded by a billionaire.[8] The series, also featuring Justin Kirk and Natalie Martinez, premiered to mixed reviews but was canceled after one season on May 11, 2017, due to low ratings despite its innovative premise.[26] Throughout the mid-2010s, Handley balanced film and television projects, including a supporting turn as Jason in the Netflix horror-thriller Bird Box (2018), portraying a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world threatened by unseen entities, further demonstrating his versatility in genre work.[27]Recent work
In the early 2020s, Taylor Handley solidified his presence in prestige television with a recurring role as Lieutenant Kyle McLusky in the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown, created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon.[28] Portraying the youngest McLusky brother, a detective navigating the corrupt underbelly of a prison-dominated town, Handley appeared in all episodes across Seasons 1 through 3, which premiered in 2021, 2022, and 2024, respectively. His character's arc deepened in Season 4, which premiered on October 26, 2025, exploring themes of personal sacrifice and family loyalty amid escalating violence, with Handley describing it as providing "a far more in-depth, personal look" at the ensemble's struggles.[29][30] Handley expanded into high-profile limited series with his 2024 role as Detective Billy Jensen in Netflix's Griselda, a biographical crime drama starring Sofia Vergara as drug lord Griselda Blanco. In the six-episode miniseries, which chronicled Blanco's rise and fall in 1970s-1980s Miami, Handley played a dedicated investigator unraveling her empire, contributing to the show's critical acclaim for its tense storytelling and period authenticity. The project marked Handley's entry into Netflix's streaming ecosystem, showcasing his versatility in ensemble-driven narratives. On the film front, Handley starred as John Gibson in the 2024 thriller Outbreak, directed by Jeff Wolfe. The movie follows a state park ranger (Billy Burke) and his wife confronting a viral crisis while searching for their missing son, with Handley's character adding layers of interpersonal tension amid the outbreak's chaos.[31] Released theatrically and on VOD in late 2024, the film highlighted Handley's continued work in genre pieces blending psychological drama and suspense. Marking a pivot toward creative control, Handley made his writing and directing debut with the short film REVV in 2025.[32] Premiering at the 2024 Beverly Hills Film Festival before its full release on YouTube in March 2025, the action-thriller follows a recently paroled man (played by Handley) seeking redemption through reconnection with his daughter, only to confront lingering threats from his past.[33] Clocking in at around 15 minutes, REVV explores themes of forgiveness and second chances, earning praise for its taut pacing and Handley's multifaceted involvement as lead, writer, and director. Handley's post-2020 output reflects a broader career resurgence fueled by streaming platforms and independent ventures, allowing him to balance steady television commitments with diverse, character-focused projects that leverage his experience in action and drama.[34] This phase has positioned him as a reliable ensemble player in premium content, from Paramount+'s serialized grit to Netflix's biographical spectacles and self-produced shorts, sustaining momentum amid industry shifts toward digital distribution.[35]Filmography
Film
Taylor Handley has appeared in a variety of feature films and TV movies throughout his career, often portraying supporting roles in genres ranging from comedy and horror to action and drama. His film credits are listed below in chronological order.| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jack Frost | Rory Buck | [36] |
| 2000 | Phantom of the Megaplex | Pete Riley | TV movie [37] |
| 2005 | Zerophilia | Luke | [38] |
| 2006 | The Standard | Ryan | Also known as The Trap [22] |
| 2006 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning | Dean | [39] |
| 2007 | September Dawn | Micah Samuelson | [40] |
| 2010 | Skateland | Kenny Crawford | [41] |
| 2011 | Battle: Los Angeles | LCpl. Corey Simmons | [42] |
| 2012 | Chasing Mavericks | Sonny | [43] |
| 2013 | Channeling | Wyatt Maddox | [44] |
| 2014 | Horizon | George Howl | TV movie [45] |
| 2015 | Toxin | Dean | Originally titled Mentryville [46] |
| 2024 | Outbreak | John Gibson | [47] |
| 2024 | Revv | John "Revv" Revere | Director and writer; short film [32] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sons of Thunder | Joseph McNulty | 1 episode[48] |
| 1999 | Odd Man Out | Roberto | 1 episode[48] |
| 2001 | Go Fish | Hazard | 5 episodes[48] |
| 2002 | Frasier | Trent | 1 episode "Juvenilia"[49] |
| 2002 | NYPD Blue | Nick Bowen | 1 episode[48] |
| 2002 | Touched by an Angel | Ricky Collette | 1 episode[48] |
| 2002 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Max Newman | 1 episode "Let the Seller Beware" |
| 2003 | Dawson's Creek | Patrick | 3 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | The O.C. | Oliver Trask | 7 episodes |
| 2005 | Blind Justice | Tyler Mills | 1 episode[48] |
| 2006 | In from the Night | Bobby | TV movie[50] |
| 2007 | Hidden Palms | Eddie Colm | 8 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Southland | Officer Wade Owen | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Vegas | Deputy Dixon Lamb | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Twisted | Cole | 1 episode[48] |
| 2013 | Suits | James Palmer | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Animal Kingdom | Liam | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | APB | Officer Roderick Brandt | 12 episodes |
| 2017 | The Long Road Home | Ben Patton | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Six | Alex Caulder | 12 episodes |
| 2021–present | Mayor of Kingstown | Kyle McLusky | Recurring role, 34 episodes as of November 2025[51] |
| 2024 | Griselda | Billy Jensen | Miniseries, 6 episodes |