Rise to Fame
She spent three-plus decades grinding through TV guest spots before anyone paid real attention. The pivot came with The Practice, a one-time guest appearance as Judge Roberta Kittleson that kept getting extended. In 1999, her first Emmy nomination turned immediately into a win, beating series regulars who'd been in the conversation for years. She walked onstage and just said 'Overnight!' It was a joke, but not really.
In the Spotlight
Most people know her as Evelyn Harper, the imperious, self-absorbed mother on Two and a Half Men, a role that generated four Emmy nominations over a decade. Fewer know she wrote and starred in a one-woman Broadway show about Texas Governor Ann Richards in 2013 that earned her a Tony nomination. The Tony came 48 years after her Broadway debut. She's currently on The Morning Show and returned to Off-Broadway in 2024. Some people accelerate with age.
Side Notes
Coming out as a lesbian at 72 would be its own story. The specifics make it better: she and Sarah Paulson, who is 32 years younger, connected after Taylor slid into Paulson's Twitter DMs in 2015. They don't live together, which Paulson has said on record is 'the secret to it.' Taylor also holds a master's degree in spiritual psychology, which doesn't explain everything but does explain the vibe.