Who Is Malcolm McRae? Everything to Know About Anya Taylor-Joy’s Husband

Malcolm McRae stepped into the public eye as the husband of Hollywood star Anya Taylor-Joy, but the Alabama-born musician had already been carving out his own path in music and acting long before their romance made headlines. He is one half of the indie-rock duo more*, a former child actor, and a songwriter whose work has been shaped by Los Angeles, London and everywhere in between. While Taylor-Joy’s fame has meant that Malcolm is frequently introduced simply as “the actress’s husband,” his own story is far richer than that single label suggests. From a childhood talent competition in the American South to a secret vampire-themed wedding in New Orleans, here is everything worth knowing about Malcolm McRae.

Malcolm McRae: Quick Bio Table

Detail	Information
Full name	Malcolm Wellman McRae
Date of birth	16 April 1994
Birthplace	Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Musician, singer, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Band	more* (with Kane Ritchotte)
Record label	Warner Records
Notable acting credits	Daisy Jones & the Six, Triton
Father	William Barry McRae (investment banker)
Mother	Lesley Rainier Wellman
Siblings	Alexander Keene McRae, Charlotte Rainier McRae
Spouse	Anya Taylor-Joy (married 2022)
Years married	Since 1 April 2022

Early Life and Family Background

Malcolm Wellman McRae was born on 16 April 1994 and raised in the Birmingham area of Alabama. He grew up in a household with strong creative and financial roots: his father, William Barry McRae, worked as an investment banker, while his mother, Lesley Rainier Wellman, brought an artistic sensibility to the family home. Malcolm’s father passed away in 2012, when Malcolm was just eighteen years old, a loss that came during a formative period of his life as he prepared to step into adulthood.

He is not the only performer in the family. His older brother, Alexander Keene McRae, went on to become an actor and filmmaker, and the two have collaborated on creative projects together, including directing music videos for Malcolm’s band. His sister, Charlotte Rainier McRae, has also supported his career publicly over the years.

Malcolm’s creative streak showed itself early. At the age of twelve, he was discovered at the AMTC talent competition, standing out among roughly 1,100 young competitors to win the “Overall Young Actor” award. That early recognition led to a role in the acclaimed short film Brotherly in 2008, as well as a turn as Evan in a Southeastern regional production of the musical 13. These childhood credits gave him his first real taste of performing in front of an audience, long before music became his primary focus.

From Alabama to Los Angeles

Like many young performers chasing bigger opportunities, Malcolm eventually left Alabama behind and relocated to Los Angeles. According to interviews he has given, the move was originally driven by a relationship rather than a grand career plan, and that relationship did not work out the way he expected. Still, the shift to California proved pivotal, because it placed him in the middle of a music scene that would soon reshape his career entirely.

Before music paid the bills, Malcolm worked a far less glamorous job: he was employed as a paralegal in Pasadena, California. In interviews with outlets such as American Songwriter, he has described writing song lyrics at his desk during quiet moments at work, including material that would later appear on his band’s early releases. It is a detail that adds a grounded, working-life dimension to a story that might otherwise read as a straightforward showbiz rise.

The turning point came when Malcolm met Kane Ritchotte, a musician and former member of the band Portugal. The Man, in Los Angeles’ Beachwood Canyon neighbourhood. The pair began writing songs together almost immediately, and within a week they both sensed that what they were creating together went beyond anything either had managed solo.

Building a Music Career With more*

Malcolm and Kane Ritchotte formed the two-person rock outfit more*, and their partnership quickly gathered momentum. After roughly three years of co-writing, the duo released their debut EP in 2020, followed by a second EP the following year and a further project called Another Change EP not long after. Their sound blends indie rock with pop sensibilities, and the band signed to Warner Records early in its development.

more* built its live reputation the traditional way, by touring alongside established acts. The duo supported Grouplove and Bad Suns before landing a high-profile support slot on HAIM’s North American tour in 2022, a run that Taylor-Joy publicly celebrated on social media at the time. In the studio, Malcolm has worked with respected producers including Jon Brion and Tony Berg, further signalling that his ambitions in music are serious rather than a side project.

By 2023, the band was recording its debut album in London while Malcolm also found time to attend men’s fashion week in Paris, reflecting how his creative interests have expanded well beyond songwriting alone. Fashion, in fact, has become a genuine second lane for him: he landed a solo cover story for ODDA Magazine and has since worked with luxury houses including Dior, Celine and BVLGARI.

Acting Credits Beyond the Band

Music may be Malcolm’s main creative outlet today, but acting never fully left the picture. In 2022, reports emerged that he had been cast in a planned biopic about the late musician Jeff Buckley, a project that connected his two great interests of performance and music history.

His most widely seen acting role to date came in the Prime Video series Daisy Jones & the Six, where both Malcolm and his bandmate Kane Ritchotte portrayed members of a fictional 1970s psychedelic band called The Winters. Given that the show itself centres on the rise and fall of a rock group, the casting made creative sense, drawing on the real musical chemistry the pair had already built together.

In 2023, Malcolm was also cast in the fantasy horror film Triton, appearing alongside Freya Allan and Raff Law. The role marked a further step back into scripted acting after years spent largely focused on music, showing that his early promise as a child performer has continued to develop alongside his songwriting career.

Meeting Anya Taylor-Joy

Malcolm and Anya Taylor-Joy first crossed paths at the March 2021 premiere of The Queen’s Gambit, the Netflix series that turned Taylor-Joy into a household name. The connection between them was immediate and, by Malcolm’s own account, rather quick to inspire creativity. Just two days after meeting her, he wrote a song about the actress, later released as “Really Want to See You Again.” He explained the origin of the track in an Instagram post, confirming that the song was written specifically with Anya in mind.

Their relationship developed largely out of the public eye at first, though the pair were eventually spotted together in New York City in May 2021, sparking early speculation about a romance. Over the following months, they began appearing at industry events together, including red carpet premieres, gradually confirming what fans had suspected.

By June 2022, engagement rumours intensified after Taylor-Joy was photographed wearing a ring while travelling. What the public did not know at the time was that the couple had, in fact, already been secretly married for several months.

The Secret New Orleans Wedding

Malcolm and Anya married privately on 1 April 2022 in New Orleans, choosing April Fools’ Day for reasons that reflected their shared sense of humour. The ceremony leaned into gothic, vampire-inspired imagery, complete with anatomically correct heart-shaped wedding cakes that guests were photographed biting into. Taylor-Joy later described herself in an Instagram caption as “the vampire Lestat,” a nod to Anne Rice’s New Orleans-set novel Interview with the Vampire.

The couple kept the marriage private for two years. It was only revealed in April 2024, when Taylor-Joy shared photographs and videos from the ceremony to mark their second anniversary. In her caption, she wrote that the day’s magic remained “ingrained in every cell” of her being, and jokingly referred to it as their “second (first) anniversary.”

Speaking later to Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on the Today show, Taylor-Joy explained that the decision to marry in New Orleans was spontaneous rather than long-planned, describing a trip she had always wanted to take that turned into something far more significant once she arrived with Malcolm.

A Second, Public Wedding in Venice

Long after their secret courthouse-style ceremony, Malcolm and Anya held a second, much larger celebration in the autumn of 2023. This time, the wedding was anything but private: the couple exchanged vows at the fifteenth-century Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice, Italy, surrounded by friends, family and figures from the entertainment industry.

The Venice wedding gave the couple the chance to celebrate publicly with a wider circle, in contrast to the intimate, low-key nature of their original New Orleans ceremony. Details of the event were covered by outlets including Tatler and People, both of which described a lavish, star-studded affair befitting Taylor-Joy’s rising profile in Hollywood at the time.

Interestingly, Malcolm and Anya share a birthday, both born on 16 April, though two years apart, making them both Aries. It is a small but often-mentioned detail that fans of the couple have latched onto as a charming coincidence in their relationship.

Life Today

Since going public with their marriage, Malcolm and Anya have continued to balance two demanding creative careers. Malcolm regularly accompanies Anya to red carpet events and premieres, while continuing to pursue his own projects with more* and in acting. He remains active on social media, where he has built a following of more than 100,000 people who track both his music and his relationship with Taylor-Joy.

Despite the visibility that comes with marrying one of the most in-demand actresses working today, Malcolm has largely kept the focus on his own craft, releasing new music and taking on acting roles that stand apart from his wife’s projects. That balance between shared public life and independent creative work appears central to how the couple operates.

Conclusion

Malcolm McRae’s story is far more than a footnote in Anya Taylor-Joy’s rise to fame. From a childhood talent competition in Alabama to a working musician’s desk job in Pasadena, and from an unconventional New Orleans wedding to a fairy tale celebration in Venice, his path reflects genuine creative ambition alongside a quietly unconventional love story. As more* continues to release music and Malcolm takes on new acting roles, his own body of work looks set to keep growing well beyond his identity as a famous actress’s husband.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Malcolm McRae?

Malcolm McRae is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor from Birmingham, Alabama, best known as one half of the band more* and as the husband of actress Anya Taylor-Joy.

2. How old is Malcolm McRae?

Malcolm McRae was born on 16 April 1994, making him a few years younger than Anya Taylor-Joy, who was born in 1996.

3. When did Malcolm McRae marry Anya Taylor-Joy?

The couple secretly married on 1 April 2022 in New Orleans, then held a larger public wedding in Venice, Italy, in the autumn of 2023.

4. What band is Malcolm McRae in?

He is part of the two-person rock band more*, which he formed with musician Kane Ritchotte, a former member of Portugal. The Man.

5. Has Malcolm McRae acted in anything besides music videos?

Yes. He appeared in the short film Brotherly as a child, played a role in Daisy Jones & the Six alongside bandmate Kane Ritchotte, and starred in the film Triton in 2023.

6. Where did Malcolm McRae grow up?

He grew up in the Birmingham area of Alabama before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue music and acting.

7. What did Malcolm McRae do before becoming a full-time musician?

He worked as a paralegal in Pasadena, California, and has said he wrote some early song lyrics while at his desk job.

8. Do Malcolm McRae and Anya Taylor-Joy share a birthday?

Yes, both were born on 16 April, two years apart, making the coincidence a frequently mentioned detail about the couple.

9. Is Malcolm McRae’s band signed to a record label?

Yes, more* is signed to Warner Records and has released several EPs, including their debut in 2020.

10. Does Malcolm McRae have siblings?

He has an older brother, Alexander Keene McRae, an actor and filmmaker, and a sister, Charlotte Rainier McRae.