Taylor has appeared in dozens of films since 1988, including
Dogfight,
Mystic Pizza, and
Rudy. Her work has mostly been in
independent films and
theater. She played
Lisa Kimmel Fisher (mostly in the second and third seasons) in the
HBO drama
Six Feet Under for which she was nominated for an
Emmy Award. Taylor played supporting roles in
Mystic Pizza (1988) and
Say Anything... (1989). She starred in
Dogfight (1991) directed by
Nancy Savoca, in which she played an unattractive young woman who is taken to a cruel contest by a Marine (played by
River Phoenix) under the pretense of a date; in his 1993 book
Alternate Oscars,
Danny Peary argued that Taylor deserved a Best Actress
Academy Award for her performance in
Dogfight. In 1991, Taylor played Grace, the witty and romantic step-daughter of
Faye Dunaway, in
Arizona Dream (released 1993), directed by
Emir Kusturica, co-starring
Johnny Depp,
Vincent Gallo and
Jerry Lewis. In 1993 too, she re-teamed with Savoca for
Household Saints. Director
Robert Altman hired Taylor in 1993 for his epic Los Angeles drama
Short Cuts, in which Taylor shared scenes with
Lily Tomlin. Taylor portrayed
Valerie Solanas, who
attempted to assassinate Andy Warhol, in
Mary Harron's
I Shot Andy Warhol (1996). The same year, she co-starred in
Girls Town with Bruklin Harris and
Aunjanue Ellis, where three inner-city friends dealt with a friend's
suicide, and later in
Ransom, as caterer who helps her corrupt policeman boyfriend kidnap a rich man's son. In 1998 she appeared in the
X-Files episode "
Mind's Eye", and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. The same year, she appeared in
John Waters' film
Pecker, alongside
Edward Furlong,
Christina Ricci and
Mary Kay Place. In 1999, Taylor starred in
Jan de Bont's remake of
The Haunting. In 2001, Taylor appeared in the independent feature
Julie Johnson. The film, co-starring
Courtney Love, centered on a
Long Island mother and housewife who leaves her husband to pursue her dream of studying science. In early 2004, Taylor made her New York City stage debut in
Wallace Shawn's
Aunt Dan and Lemon in the role of Lemon. Taylor won the 2005 Best Actress award at the
Copenhagen International Film Festival for her role in
Factotum. In 2006, Taylor worked again with
Mary Harron in
The Notorious Bettie Page. She starred in the
Lifetime cable network's hour-long
comedy-drama series
State of Mind, as a
New Haven therapist dealing with a divorce and a parade of quirky clients. She played the daughter of
Frank Langella's character in Andrew Wagner's 2007 drama
Starting Out in the Evening. In the
2008 film
The Promotion, Taylor played Lori Wehlner, the wife of
John C. Reilly's character. In 2009, Taylor played Sheriff
Lillian Holley of
Lake County, Indiana, who incarcerates
John Dillinger (played by
Johnny Depp), in
Michael Mann's
Public Enemies. In 2011, Fence Books released Taylor's audio recording of poet Ariana Reines'
Save The World. In 2013, Taylor starred in the horror hit
The Conjuring. In 2014, Taylor starred alongside
Chloë Grace Moretz in the off-Broadway play
The Library directed by
Steven Soderbergh. The following year she co-starred in
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, as Dr. Mary Cooper, "a doctor who helps Thomas and his fellow Gladers". Filming began at the end of October, and the movie was released on September 18, 2015. In 2020, Taylor starred opposite
Stefania LaVie Owen in
Paper Spiders. Taylor will portray Mags in
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping set to be released in November 2026. Taylor also appeared in the
second season of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe television series
Daredevil: Born Again as
New York Governer Marge McCaffrey. ==Personal life==