Meet Taylor Swift's handsome brother Austin - everything to know

Taylor Swift grew up alongside her brother Austin, surrounded by Christmas trees in Cumru, Pennsylvania. In summer, they would spend time at their parents' beach house in Stone Harbour, NJ, cited by the singer as the source of most of her childhood memories.

Taylor and Austin's relationship is solid and they're always together.

Austin studied photography at Vanderbilt University and later enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, where he took acting lessons. When he graduated in 2015, Taylor was right there, sitting in the front row to celebrate her brother's achievement.

As well as taking acting lessons, Austin put what he learned into practice, taking the lead role in projects such as Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Six Characters in Search an Author.

Austin has started to consolidate his career as a Hollywood actor. He recently played a part in Live by Night, sharing the screen with Elle Fanning and Ben Affleck.

"It is a singularly beautiful thing to see magic right in front of your eyes. After nearly three decades of that happening time and time again, the effect hasn’t worn off. I have always had a best friend, a role model, and a caring, tireless, dedicated champion in my corner. You have pulled me out of fires and carried me up mountains. The gift of getting to witness you become the wonderful person you are today has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life," Austin wrote in December 2018 on social media about his sister.

Taylor and Austin get along so well and spend so much time together having fun that photographers having been known to mistake him for the star's new boyfriend.

"I have cats. I'm obsessed with them. They're just a real joy to live with" Taylor has said of her furry friends in an interview with Time. "They're very dignified, they're very independent." Her brother Austin respects and supports the singer’s interest in her pets and has made friends with them too.

Taylor and Austin's parents, Andrea Gardner and Scott Kingsley Swift (a financial advisor and marketing exec) have worked hard to maintain a good relationship with their children. They are happy to see them so close and supportive of one other.

Austin said recently that Taylor is the best sister anyone could ever wish for. "I can't believe you've been riding ponies, making music, playing with cats, and telling stories for almost three decades now.”

"You've always been there for your family and friends no matter what and you're always finding unique and beautiful ways to show us how much you care," Austin wrote in December 2016.

Taylor loves Austin so much that in one of her songs she talks about how much better her is than her. In Best Day she sings: "God smiles on my little brother, inside and out / He's better than I am".

Taylor and Austin have many mutual friends who they enjoy getting together with. Austin has been seen with some of the singer's best friends, such as Selena Gomez and Katy Perry.

In May 2015, Austin posted a picture of himself next to his sister and her ex, DJ Calvin Harris, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan of One Direction, and Ed Sheeran - a night they all referred to as "a wild ride.”

Austin’s most recent project is We Summon The Darkness, directed by Marc Meyers. The first images from the horror movie, which was a big challenge for Austin, were released last February.