Taylor Zakhar Perez (born December 24, 1991) is an American actor best known for his role in The Kissing Booth 2 as Marco Valentin Pea.
Early years
Perez was born on December 24, 1991, in Chicago, and grew up in Chesterton, Indiana. He went to Chesterton High School and was a swimmer there. Perez's ancestors are from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Mexico.
He is the third youngest of eight children, and his mother is an aesthetician. He was offered a swimming scholarship to Fordham University, but he declined to attend UCLA, where he majored in Spanish, Culture and Community, with a minor in TV and Films.
Perez began performing musicals in opera houses at a young age. Modeling followed, and he relocated to Los Angeles. He photographed himself in his room with a sheet as a backdrop and sent them in manila envelopes with self tapes.
Perez began his career on popular shows such as iCarly, Suburgatory, Young & Hungry, Code Black, and Scandal.
Perez starred as Marco Valentin Pea in Netflix's The Kissing Booth 2 alongside Joey King in 2020. He studied choreography and guitar for his role. He returned to the role in The Kissing Booth 3 in 2021.
Perez played Shane Brody in HBO Max's comedy series Minx in 2022. He then played Dustin in the video game comedy film 1Up. Perez will also star as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Amazon Prime Video's Red, White, and Royal Blue, opposite Nicholas Galitzine.
Perez collaborated with Variant Malibu, a 3D tech company, to create masks at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reduced traditional manufacturing waste by 90%. He also collaborated with The Kissing Booth 2 co-stars Joel Courtney, Joey King, Meganne Young, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers to create his own masks. The proceeds from his masks were donated to a Chicago charity that assists disabled children, adults, and families with disabled children in the Hispanic community.
"I really like digging my heels into one social issue and being like, 'This is what I know. This is what I'm discovering.' And perhaps those who follow me will have read and understood everything along the way "Perez stated.
| Year | Film | Role | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Kissing Booth 2 | Marco Valentin Peña | Netflix |
| 2020 | Philanthropy | Taylor | |
| 2021 | The Kissing Booth 3 | Marco Valentin Peña | Netflix |
| 2022 | 1Up | Dustin | |
| 2023 | Red White & Royal Blue | Alex Claremont-Diaz | Amazon Prime Video |
| Year | Show | Role | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | iCarly | Keith | Nickelodeon |
| 2013 | Suburgatory | Renaldo | ABC |
| 2014 | Alpha House | Trent | Prime Video |
| 2014 | Awkward | MTV | |
| 2015 | Young & Hungry | Benji Rodriguez | ABC Family |
| 2016 | Code Black | Ari Stricks | CBS |
| 2016 | 12 Deadly Days | Zac | YouTube Red |
| 2016 | Cruel Intentions | Mateo De La Vega | NBC |
| 2017 | Embeds | Noah Torres | Go90 |
| 2017 | High Expectasians | Jonathan Price | YouTube |
| 2018 | Scandal | Calvin | ABC |
| 2022 | Minx | Shane Brody | HBO Max |
