Taylour Paige
Actress and dancer Taylour Paige rose to fame as a newly minted basketball cheerleader on the popular VH1/BET series "Hit the Floor" (2013- ) before embarking on a film career with roles in the drama "White Boy Rick" (2018), among others. Born Taylour Dominique Paige in Santa Monica, California on October 5, 1990, she was raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, where she honed interests in acting and sports. Dance eventually became her primary focus, and Paige honed her talents at the Westside Ballet Academy and two summers with the Kirov Ballet in Washington, D.C. In 2001, she began studying with choreographer Debbie Allen and performing with her troupe, including a production of Allen's "Alex in Wonderland" where Paige met producer Stan Rogow. He arranged for her to audition for a featured dancer role in "High School Musical 3" (2008), which launched her screen career. After graduating from St. Bernard Catholic High School that same year, Paige attended Loyola Marymount University while also working as a Laker Girl, but parted ways with the organization in 2010 to focus on her acting career. The decision proved fruitful, as Paige landed appearances in a slew of national commercials, including Best Buy and Cheerios, before earning her big break on "Hit the Floor." Cast as the newest member of the cheerleading squad for a fictional basketball team, Paige was able to showcase her acting and dancing talents, and remained with the series until the close of its third season and move to BET. While Paige did not return for the fourth season of "Floor," she had already found steady work away from the series, including the lead in the indie drama "Jean of the Jones" (2016) and a plum role in "White Boy Rick" (2018), a drama based on the life of Rick Wershe, a high schooler who became entangled with the drug trade in Detroit during the 1980s.