Noah Taylor (b. 1969) left school at 16 to join Melbourne's St Martin's Youth Theatre. He had a small role in Richard Lowenstein's Dogs in Space (1986), but his breakthrough came when he was cast to play Danny in John Duigan's semi-autobiographical The Year My Voice Broke (1987). In 1991 he appeared in the film's sequel, Flirting, with a young Nicole Kidman. His many other Australian films have included The Nostradamus Kid (1993) and Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995). His performance as the young David Helfgott in Shine (1996) attracted international attention; many observers believed it deserved an Oscar nomination. Taylor's first major Hollywood role came in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000). He has since worked with directors Wes Anderson and Tim Burton.
