Who is Holland Taylor? Details analyzed as she praises Sarah Paulson at the Hollywood Walk of Fame event

The Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on December 2, 2025 offered a rare glimpse into a deep personal bond. The event honored Sarah Paulson, the acclaimed actress known for her Emmy-winning roles in American Horror Story and American Crime Story, with her star at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard. 

Attended by industry heavyweights like Ryan Murphy, Amanda Peet and Niecy Nash - the ceremony highlighted Paulson's decade-long impact on television. But it was Holland Taylor's speech that stole the spotlight, blending professional admiration with personal affection for her partner of 10 years. She shared -

“Sarah, the actress, is first of all a wild creature in the animal kingdom. Warm blooded, instinctive, mysterious. Nothing interferes with her laser perception of her character’s traits, its habitat, vulnerabilities, its heroism, its ugliness, terrible truths, its comic pathos. She zeros in to a story’s central struggle, where most of us aren’t even aware of our own.”

Holland Taylor is an 82-year-old American actress with a career spanning theater, TV and film. Born January 14, 1943, in Philadelphia, she studied at Bennington College and started in New York stage productions in the 1960s. 

She gained TV fame as Tom Hanks' boss in Bosom Buddies and earned an Emmy in 1999 for Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice. She has received a total of nine Emmy nominations throughout her career.

She ended her speech at the ceremony saying -

“Hollywood does well to honor her. And just in case she doesn't know it, she has a permanent shining star on my street. I love you, darling."

Taylor's words not only celebrated Paulson's craft but also underscored their unconventional yet enduring relationship which began in 2015. 

Who is Holland Taylor? - All about Sarah Paulson’s beloved partner and Emmy-winning actress

Holland Taylor's career kicked off in theater. After high school at Westtown School, she honed her skills at Bennington and moved to New York. She starred in Broadway shows like Butley and The Cocktail Hour, earning a Drama Desk nod. 

TV called in the 1980s with Bosom Buddies where she played sharp-tongued Isabelle Hammond opposite a young Tom Hanks. That led to steady work with films like Romancing the Stone, The Truman Show and Legally Blonde.

Her Emmy win for The Practice solidified her as a dramatic force. As Judge Kittleson, she brought authority and wit to the courtroom. Comedy followed with Two and a Half Men, where she played the biting Evelyn Harper for 12 seasons - earning three more Emmy nods. 

Later on, Taylor joined The Morning Show as Cynthia, a media mogul and reprised Angie Cooper in The L Word: Generation Q. She also wrote Ann, debuting it on Broadway in 2013 and reviving it in Pasadena in 2022.

On the personal side, Taylor values independence. Raised by a painter mother and attorney father, she moved to California full-time in the 1990s, settling in the Hollywood Hills. She avoids the spotlight off-screen, focusing on work and close ties. 

Taylor keeps her personal life private but has been open about her decade-long relationship with Sarah Paulson, which started in 2015 after Taylor messaged her on social media. The 32-year age gap drew attention.

Sarah Paulson’ heartfelt speech at her Hollywood Walk of Fame event

Sarah Paulson rose to fame through Ryan Murphy collaborations, earning five Emmys— most notably for Marcia Clark in American Crime Story and multiple American Horror Story seasons.
 
Known for fearless choices in complex, often damaged characters, she has also starred in films like 12 Years a Slave and on Broadway in The Glass Menagerie. Her upcoming legal drama All’s Fair reunites her with Murphy and casts Taylor alongside her.
 
In 2018, about her relationship with Holland Taylor, Sarah told Modern Luxury -

"If someone wants to spend any time thinking I'm strange for loving the most spectacular person on the planet, then that's their problem,  I'm doing just fine." 

At the ceremony, Paulson fought back tears while thanking her friends and partner -

“To the three perfect people who spoke today—Amanda, my bird, my best friend of over 25 years; Holland, my love and greatest champion; and Ryan, the man who changed my life—I will be forever indebted to all of you for taking the time to be here today, and most significantly, for being in my life so robustly, for always telling me the truth and loving me when it's not always easy to do.”

The praise stems from 10 years of shared life where Taylor and Paulson's bond is a testament to a partnership that defies norms, boundaries and is grounded in mutual respect.

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