Taylor Zakhar Perez

Taylor Zakhar Perez is an American actor who first gained widespread recognition through his breakout roles in Netflix’s romantic‑comedy franchise The Kissing Booth series. Born on December 24, 1991 in Chicago, Illinois, he grew up in Chesterton, Indiana as the sixth of eight children in a culturally diverse family with Mexican, Middle‑Eastern, Mediterranean, Croatian and Hungarian roots. His mother worked as an aesthetician and his father’s heritage contributed to his multilingual background; he later studied Spanish culture and community at UCLA while minoring in film and television. Before acting, Perez earned a national‑level swimming scholarship and turned it down to pursue his passion for performance, even working weekends changing tires at the family auto‑body shop. He began his career in 2012 with minor television parts before landing the role of Marco Valentin Peña in The Kissing Booth 2 (2020), a performance that required intensive choreography and guitar lessons and helped the film become the most‑streamed title on Netflix during its opening weekend. The sequel, The Kissing Booth 3 (2021), cemented his status as a teen‑romance favorite, while his supporting turn in HBO Max’s period comedy Minx (2022) showcased his ability to blend humor with dramatic grounding. In 2023 he headlined the Amazon Prime adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue as Alex Claremont‑Diaz, earning critical praise for his charismatic chemistry with co‑star Nicholas Galitzine and achieving top‑watch status worldwide for three consecutive weeks. Beyond acting, Perez is an outspoken advocate for sustainability, having partnered with Variant Malibu to produce eco‑friendly face masks and participating in supply‑chain trips for an Australian nonprofit focused on renewable wool fibers. His commitment to community work includes designing mask collaborations that benefit Hispanic families with disabled children in Chicago. In 2025 he expanded his profile as a global brand ambassador for Lacoste, fronting an underwear campaign and lending his voice to the Audible drama The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery.