Eliza Taylor

Australian actress Eliza Taylor starred as a rebellious teenager on the soap opera "Neighbours" (Seven Network, 1985- ) before landing "The 100" (The CW, 2014- ), the science fiction series that established her as a talent to watch in the United States. Born Eliza Jane Taylor-Cottor on October 24, 1989 in Melbourne, Australia, she is one of four children born to her father, a stand-up comedian, and her author/graphic designer mother. Taylor initially wanted to be a marine biologist, but decided to pursue a career in acting while attending high school. Her first major acting role came as one of three siblings pulled into an adventure video game in the children's series "Pirate Island" (Network Ten, 2003). Taylor continued in kid-friendly television projects, including "The Sleepover Club" (Nine Network, 2002-2008) before graduating to a decidedly more mature role in her breakout project, the long-running daytime soap "Neighbours" (Seven Network, 1985- ). As Janae Timmins, a headstrong teenager with an unfortunate knack for landing in trouble - attempted sexual assault, an underage marriage - made her a favorite with viewers, but Taylor left the series in 2007 when she discovered that the actors who played her mother and sister had been written out of the series. She migrated to the United Kingdom, where she appeared on television series and the occasional short film, and soon divided her efforts between British media projects, including the Pierce Brosnan thriller "The November Man" (2014), and episodes of Australian television series. In 2013, Taylor tried her hand in Hollywood, and earned the lead role in the CW science fiction series "The 100." Cast as Clarke Griffin, the leader of a group of juvenile prisoners exiled to a post-apocalyptic Earth, Taylor drew critical praise for her performance, as well as numerous nominations from teen-oriented award shows, including the MTV Fandom Awards and Teen Choice Awards. In 2017, she parlayed her popularity into leading roles in two features: in "Thumper" (2017), she played a teenager who becomes involved in a drug ring, while in the Netflix comedy "Christmas Inheritance" (2017), she was an heiress who learned lesson about love and community while stranded in a small town.