When Kelly Hope Taylor was a young(er) girl, she and her mother would playfully argue about the acting profession. “You lie for a living!” her mom would say and Kelly would reply “No, Mom. I am just living within a different truth!”. And with every character she meets along the way, she continues to do so. Kelly is originally from Ontario; and trained in theatre at the University of Toronto. There was a moment in time when she almost hung up her hat for good, but the call to create and perform began to haunt her- it’s a good thing she listened! When Kelly got back into it, with a new agent and new outlook, she booked 15+ film and television projects in the span of 6 years. Living and working near Montreal, Quebec for many years was a surprising gift before coming to Calgary. While in Quebec, Covid forced her to finally set up a voice-over booth at home, which led her to several delightful projects- if you happen to go to the Energy Museum in Leduc, you may hear her narrating some select documentaries. Kelly has coached burgeoning artists from across Canada and as far away as Nigeria and the Philippines!
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Which ’hood are you in?
In the very well-appointed 80’s constructed neighbourhood of Strathcona Park in the SW! The word that comes to mind is “sturdy”. It is conveniently located close to downtown and so quiet… except for the coyotes.
What do you do?
I am an actor for film and television and a voice-over artist for commercial radio and animations. It’s been a minute since the theatre scene, but I am entertaining getting back on stage to test the chops once more. I keep having stressful dreams about it in my sleep.
What are you currently working on?
I am developing some audio content with my husband and producing partner, Mark Day. I am also audio-producing an animated web series coming out this year on YouTube about a boy who loves science and inventions, but his curiosity sometimes gets the better of him.
A film I shot with StudioCanal in 2022 has just been distributed in the United States. “Autumn and the Black Jaguar” is a family-friendly adventure set against the beautiful backdrop of Mexico (standing in for the Amazon rainforest).
I call my character the “Cruella da Ville of the Jungle”. It is now available to stream in Canada on Apple TV, Prime Video, Crave, and Telus TV+.
Where can we find your work?
Netflix, CBC, ABC Spark, Prime… you will really have good luck catching me on Lifetime TV (streaming or cable)- Ottawa’s speciality projects are thrillers with strong female leads! I’m either getting into trouble or causing trouble in those films. If you want to stay updated with my news, check out IMDB, my website, or my Instagram!
