| Summary: | Actress, director, and producer Jacqueline Elizabeth Taylor was born on August 10, 1951 in Chicago. Raised in a public housing project, she rose from modest roots to become a distinguished actress, singer, director, playwright and theater founder. Taylor wrote and directed plays since elementary school. Working with Chicago's Free Street Theater in 1973, she earned her B.A. degree from Loyola University. She produced and starred in major theatrical productions, television shows and film. In 1976, she founded the Black Ensemble Theater, producing plays that cut across racial and cultural lines, bringing people together. She wrote and produced more than 100 plays and musical biographies, including The Other Cinderella and Hootchie Cootchie Man: The Muddy Waters Story. Taylor served as the president of the African American Arts Alliance. The city of Chicago honored her by naming a street after her. She was the mother of one daughter, Tynea.
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