Taylor was born in 1932 to American parents living in London. Her father was an art dealer who had his own gallery in a trendy part of London, and her mother was an actress who had done well under the stage name Sara Sothern. As a young girl, she attended the private school Byron House and took ballet lessons with Madame Vacani, instructor to the royal family. At age 3, she performed in a dance recital at London’s Hippodrome in front of royalty.