Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho is the mother of award-winning actress, Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy. Jennifer’s daughter Anya Taylor-Joy is known for her roles as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit (2020), Thomasin in the horror film The Witch (2015), Casey Cooke in the horror-thriller Split (2016), and Lily Reynolds in the black comedy thriller Thoroughbreds (2017).
Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho: Bio Summary
| Name | Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho |
| Age | 62 years old as of 2023 |
| Born | March 1961 |
| Famous as | mother of Anya Taylor-Joy |
| Parents | Montserrat Morancho Saumench and David Joy |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Dennis Alan Taylor |
| Children | Anya Taylor-Joy |
| Occupation | Psychologist, photographer, interior designer |
Who Is Anya Taylor-Joy’s Mother, Jennifer?
Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho was welcomed into the world in March 1961, making her 62 years old as of 2023. She was born to an English diplomat father, David Joy, and a Spanish mother from Barcelona, Montserrat Morancho Saumench. She originally hails from Zambia, Africa but she was reportedly born in Northern Rhodesia. She was partly raised in London.
There isn’t a lot of information regarding her life as a child and her family background. Details of her education are not known. Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho is a psychologist. She is said to be a professional photographer and interior designer as well. She met and eventually fell in love with a man identified as Dennis Alan Taylor, a former banker.
Dennis is an Argentine of English and Scottish descent. The two began dating soon after meeting and decided to become husband and wife. Dennis Alan Taylor proposed to Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho and she said ‘yes’ to his proposal. The two got married in a beautiful wedding ceremony attended by loved ones.
However, the exact date and location of their wedding is unknown. Dennis Alan was a divorcee who had children already. As for Jennifer Marina, it is unknown if she had been married and divorced before marrying Dennis. Jennifer Marina became the stepmother of Dennis’ four children from his previous marriage. Eventually, Dennis and Jennifer also had their own children.
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They gave birth to two children. Jennifer has been a very loving and supportive wife and mother. She has loved and cared for all six children. She is reportedly an active member of her community and philanthropist who often volunteers at several hospitals, food banks, and other charitable practices.
Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho’s Famous Daughter Says Her Birth Was A Fluke
Among Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho and her husband Dennis Alan Taylor’s children, Anya Taylor-Joy is famous. Jennifer and Dennis welcomed Anya into the world on 16 April 1996, in Miami, Florida, U.S. She was born Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy. Anya has described her birth in Miami as a “fluke”.
According to Anya, her parents, Jennifer and Dennis had been holidaying in the city at the time and because of her birthplace, she holds American citizenship due to the country’s jus soli nationality law. The family lived in Buenos Aires but they relocated to the Victoria area of London. In an interview, Anya said of why they had moved:
“So my Dad’s Scottish-Argentine and my Mum’s African-Spanish – and the political situation in Argentina was getting so dire that they wanted their children to grow up in an environment without fear. We all really resented them for it and now we look back, we’re like thank you so much because they gave us such an opportunity in life.”
Anya Taylor-Joy became a student at Hill House International Junior School and Queen’s Gate School. She had struggled in school. Per Anya, she ‘didn’t really feel like I fit in anywhere. I was too English to be Argentine, too Argentine to be English, too American to be anything … The kids just didn’t understand me in any shape or form … I used to get locked in lockers.’
Jennifer Marina Joy-Morancho and Dennis Alan Taylor supported their daughter Anya Taylor-Joy’s decision to leave school to pursue an acting career. Anya said she decided to leave school also because, “I had a really tough time at school, I was bullied and it was all making me quite depressed so I just wanted to go out into the world, which, um, my parents were thrilled about…”
Anya said of how she informed her parents about her decision to leave school: “I wrote them an essay explaining why I was leaving school to become an actor. My dad was a world champion parapet racer and my mum studied psychology and I’m the baby of the family; number six. My youngest older sister is seven years older than me so I said to them,
‘look, I’m your youngest child, I’ve dropped out of school and you have no obligation to be here anymore. Go out and travel the world! Enjoy yourselves and spend time together’. I stayed at home in South West London with my sister – and my parents are still traveling to this day.”
At age 16, Anya left school to pursue her career in acting. She had played small television roles at the beginning of her career. She then landed her breakthrough role in the horror film The Witch (2015). “Everything changed really, really quickly after that movie and it’s continuing to change,” Anya said. “I went to Sundance and didn’t really go home.”
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Speaking of her audition for The Witch, Anya Taylor-Joy said in an interview: “I actually had about three auditions. In the original script, [the character] Thomasin was described as very plain-faced and very normal looking. I know look weird, so I walked into the audition and I saw this girl and she was perfect.
“I walked out and was like, “No, it’s not for me. I’m not gonna get it. That girl’s gonna get it instantly.” And then I met with Rob [Eggers, the director] and I was really emotional and kind of hysterical because the script had really gotten to me. I marched straight up to him and was like, “I don’t really know my lines and I’m really overwhelmed, but do you still want me to read?”
“And he was like, “Yeah, I do.” And then I did a chemistry test and it just it felt right.” Today, Anya Taylor-Joy is a well-known actress who has won several accolades. She has appeared in the horror film Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), and the black comedy Thoroughbreds (2017). She has appeared in several notable films and television series.
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