Who is Taylor Hackford? Helen Mirren slams fan comments about relationship with husband

While Helen Mirren commanded the screen as one of Britain’s most respected actors, her husband, film director Taylor Hackford, shaped his career behind the camera.

His first project came in 1973 with the television film Economic Love-In, followed by a documentary on Charles Bukowski the same year.

Taylor Hackford met Helen Mirren when she starred in his 1985 release, White Nights. They eventually got married in 1997.

Recently, Mirren spoke about the way people respond to older couples like herself and Hackford. Speaking about public reactions to people in their eighties showing affection, she described it as “insulting” and admitted the condescension made her want to tell people to “f**k off.”

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Helen Mirren hits back at patronizing comments about her and Taylor Hackford:

Marking her 80th birthday last month, Helen Mirren admitted the milestone had not been without challenges. For her, the most frustrating part was not age itself, but the “condescension” she felt when she and her husband, Taylor Hackford, showed affection in public.

Speaking to The Times during a press tour for The Thursday Murder Club, Mirren explained:

“It really annoys me. If my husband and I are holding hands, someone might say: ‘Oh, look. How sweet.’ It’s like, excuse my language: ‘F**k off.’ There’s something very condescending about some people’s attitudes and I think they think they are being kind and generous. But they’re not. They’re being insulting.”

She recalled advice from her mother, who urged her never to be afraid of ageing, and described how perspective changes over time.

“You lose certain stuff but you gain other stuff,” she explained.

Helen Mirren also aimed at tech billionaires chasing ways to extend youth.

“The tech bros think their billions are somehow going to hold back time, they haven’t learnt my mum’s lesson. It’s a natural wave of life that has been going on for billions of years and it’s beautiful to be part of that wave. It’s what humanity is all about in the end. So it’s important not to wimp out. You’re not going to be 30 when you’re 50. You’re just not.” she shared.

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Helen Mirren on grief, memory, and the ocean ritual that honors stepson Rio Hackford:

Helen Mirren’s younger brother Peter died of skin cancer at 54 in 2002, and two decades later, she and her husband, director Taylor Hackford, witnessed the death of Hackford’s son. Rio Hackford died in April 2022 at the age of 51 after being diagnosed with uveal melanoma.

In a report shared by People Magazine, Mirren shares about her loss,

“As you travel through life you realise death is absolutely part of life, and it’s always tragic and it can happen when you’re young.” she shared.

She said her family honored Rio in a way that matched his love for the ocean.

“He loved the ocean. He loved going into the ocean, the Pacific Ocean here in Los Angeles, so we go to the ocean and the men in the family jump into the ocean to memorialize him.” she explained.

Mirren also kept his presence close at hand. “So I look at his face all the time, every day,” she said, explaining that Rio’s photo had been set as her phone’s screensaver.

In the wake of his death, Mirren had used her platform to encourage regular eye checkups.

“We didn't know about that condition. And it was only through that awful experience that we learned that this is a melanoma that can grow at the back of your eye without you having any consciousness of it. So get your eyes checked twice a year, please,” she urged.