Taylor Kinney Biography

Taylor Jackson Kinney, better known as Taylor Kinney, was born on July 15, 1981, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, US, to Daniel and Pamela (Heisler) Kinney. While his father was a banker, his mother was a dental hygienist.

Kinney is of English and German descent through his father and has German, Swiss-German, and distant French roots from his mother’s side. He and his 3 brothers, Adam, Ryan, and Trent, grew up in Neffsville, Pennsylvania, where they lived with their mother after their parents’ divorce. Ryan passed away in 2008.

Kinney initially attended the Lancaster Mennonite High School in Lancaster County, from where he graduated in 2000. He then joined the West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he studied business management.

In 2006, Taylor Kinney got his first breakthrough in MyNetworkTV’s night-time telenovela Fashion House. He appeared in the main role of Luke Gianni in 35 episodes of the series. This was followed by his film debut as Frank in the 2007 movie White Air.

He then gained appreciation with his role of Glenn Morrison in the medical drama Trauma (2009-2010), before gaining international fame with his performance as Mason Lockwood in The CW supernatural teen drama The Vampire Diaries (2010-2011).

Kinney’s career took off in 2012, when he appeared as Navy SEAL Jared in the film Zero Dark Thirty, Katherine Bigelow's thriller showcasing the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The same year, he earned the lead role of Lieutenant Kelly Severide in the NBC drama Chicago Fire, which centered around the lives of firefighters, paramedics, and rescue personnel of the Chicago Fire Department’s fictional Firehouse 51. The role was not just physically and emotionally challenging but also showcased his versatility.

Kinney reprised the role in the police procedural drama Chicago P.D. (2014-present) and the medical drama Chicago Med (2015-present). His Chicago Fire role earned him 3 People's Choice Award nominations for Favorite Dramatic TV Actor (2015, 2016, and 2017), of which he won one (2016).

Apart from this, he has also been seen in movies such as the 2012 short film compilation Stars in Shorts (as Brad Searcy), the 2014 romantic comedy The Other Woman (as Phil Hampton), the 2015 political thriller Consumed (as Eddie), the 2016 supernational horror The Forest (as Aiden), and the 2018 romantic drama Here and Now (as Jordan).

He has appeared in minor roles in series such as the crime procedural comedy-drama Bones (as Jimmy Fields, 2008), the police procedural CSI: NY (as Jason Locke, 2011), the comedy drama Shameless (as Craig Heisner, 2012), the crime drama Castle (as Darren Thomas, 2012), and the drama Breakout Kings (as Perry, 2012).

Taylor Kinney is known for his sensual appeal and masculine good looks and infuses the "Old Hollywood" leading man charm into his characters. He has been managed by Principal Entertainment.

Taylor Kinney dated Brittany Sackett from 2010 to late 2011. However, after working in Lady Gaga’s music video You and I in Nebraska, he began dating the pop star in July 2011. The couple had not made it official back then.

Their dating rumors began in September 2011, after the two were photographed together in Mission Viejo, California. Lady Gaga confirmed their relationship in a 2013 interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Kinney and Gaga made their red-carpet debut at the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards in 2014. Gaga later revealed that Kinney was her first boyfriend who cried when she sang on stage.

The two got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2015. In July 2016, reports stated that they had broken up after being together for 5 years. Gaga confirmed the same in a statement. Gaga’s 2016 single Million Reasons was said to be about Kinney, though Gaga denied the rumors.

In April 2022, Taylor was said to be dating model Ashley Cruger, after the two were photographed together at a charity event for Operation Smile in Utah’s Park City. The couple were seen together again in New York City in May 2022.

In June 2022, they attended the red-carpet event at the Monte Carlo TV Festival. The same month, their relationship went Instagram official when Cruger posted a picture of them in Nice, France. In April 2023, the couple were confirmed to be together after Cruger posted their photo on Twitter.

Apart from acting, Taylor Kinney likes surfing and biking. He is also a boxing lover and began training in the sport in college. He was apparently drawn to the sport because his grandfather was a huge boxing fan.

In his leisure time, he enjoys watching movies. He is also a fitness freak and often includes running in his workout regimen. He once stated he is extremely restless and is not particularly fond of vacationing.

In addition to his acting career, Kinney is also a talented musician and plays the guitar.

Kinney is a sports enthusiast and enjoys staying active through activities like surfing, hiking, and playing basketball.