Who Is Helen Mirren's Husband? All About Taylor Hackford

Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford have been married since 1997

Helen Mirren and her husband, Taylor Hackford, are both Oscar winners.

The actress starred in her first movie, The Age of Consent, when she was 22. She became a household name in TV during her time on Prime Suspect, which earned her an Emmy for outstanding actress in a mini-series or movie. Other major roles in her career include The Madness of King George, which earned her an Oscar nomination; Gosford Park, which earned her a second Oscar nomination; and The Queen for which she won an Oscar.

Hackford also has an impressive résumé, earning his first Academy Award in 1979 for the film Teenage Father. He and Mirren dated for a decade before getting married in Scotland in 1997 and they've been together ever since.

So, who is Helen Mirren's husband? Here's everything to know about Taylor Hackford.

He went to USC

Hackford grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and attended the University of Southern California but did not study film, despite becoming a successful director. Instead, he studied international relations and went to the Peace Corps. He also went to law school for two weeks and eventually got a job in the mail room at a public television station in Los Angeles.

"Every night I'd go around to the repertory cinemas and see whatever I could, every Fellini film, every Godard, every Truffaut, Bergman, all the stuff you have to see," he told the Director's Guild of America in 2015. "And whenever I had a moment, I'd experiment a little with my Super 8 camera. One day someone at the station asked me if I could shoot film, and I said sure — though I'd never shot 16 mm film in my life. I didn't screw up too badly, so they put me on camera doing political reporting, cultural affairs and music shows. As long as I didn't sleep or eat, I could do everything."

He is an award-winning director

Hackford has directed and produced many films. In 1979, he won the Academy Award for Best Live-Action Film for Teenage Father. His second film, An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), which starred Richard Gere and Debra Winger, garnered five Academy Award nominations. His other films include Against All Odds (1984), Blood In, Blood Out (1993), Dolores Claiborne (1995) and Ray (2004). Hackford was nominated for Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year for Ray.

He was also the president of the Director's Guild of America for two terms.

He's shot multiple music videos

Hackford has directed award-winning movies, but that's not all. He's also directed multiple music videos for Lionel Richie and Phil Collins. "In documentaries as in any film project, I want to tell a story, and part of the story here is understanding what the performer is saying, whether it's a vocal or a guitar solo," he told the Director's Guild of America. When two or three or four guitarists are playing together, something's happening there, dialogue is being exchanged. Why would you cut any differently, when you're trying to understand what's being said?"

The Oscar winner said he's loved music from an early age and recalled the moment he discovered Ray Charles' songs. "The first time I heard Ray Charles, I knew he was a cut above. He was my guy. That's why I spent 13 years trying to raise the money to make a biography of him."

He has two sons from previous marriages

The director welcomed his first son, Rio Hackford, with his first wife Georgie Lowres. After splitting from Loewres in 1972, he went on to wed Lynne Litman, with whom he shares son Alexander Hackford.

Hackford's elder son Rio starred in a variety of TV shows and movies including Pretty Woman, The Mandalorian, Treme, American Crime Story, Fred Claus, Swingers, True Detective and Pam & Tommy. He died in April 2022 at age 51 from uveal melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Hackford and Mirren said they were "both inspired by the life of our son and stepson, Rio Hackford, and heartbroken by his loss. His life showed us how to live in generosity and community." They added, "He shared his life's journey with so many who now mourn him, and at the same time, celebrate their fortune in knowing him."

He dated Mirren for a decade before getting married

Mirren and Hackford were together for 11 years before they got married in 1997 in Scotland. "I did very consciously choose my work over my relationships right up to the time that I met Taylor. I was 38 when I met Taylor, pretty late in life," Mirren told AARP in 2016.

"We got married in the end because we realized that we were going to be together forever," she explained. "We got married, ultimately, for legal reasons more than anything else. Estate planning and other complicated things like that. And our families, we sensed, wanted us to be married. I always said I have nothing against marriage; it just wasn't to my taste, like turnips. It took me a very long time to come round to acquiring the taste. I just had to meet the right turnip."

In February 2024, Hackford told PEOPLE that there was "instant passion" when he met Mirren.

“She’s a very sexy girl and she still is. But the reality is, over a period of time, you start to — you mature," he said. “She’s just a fantastic person to live with, to have a family with. We don’t have children [together], but I had children and she has nieces and nephews and we are all a very close-knit group and that’s lovely.”

He's very supportive of Mirren's acting career

Hackford has joined his wife of over 20 years on dozens of red carpets. He accompanied her to the 1999 Emmys, where Mirren won outstanding lead actress in a limited series for her role in The Passion of Ayn Rand. He was also present at the 2007 Academy Awards when she won Best Actress for her role in The Queen.

In 2010, the pair hit the red carpet for Mirren's action comedy Red. Hackford also visited Mirren's wax figure at Madame Tussauds in London that same year. When Mirren got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, he posed for photos with her as well.

In January 2024, Hackford accompanied Mirren to the 81st annual Golden Globes, where she was nominated for best female actor in a TV series for her work in Taylor Sheridan's 1923.

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