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Zoe Swicord Kazan ( ; Dictionary.com – Kazan born September 9, 1983) is an American actress and writer. She has acted in films such as The Savages (2007), Revolutionary Road (2008), and It's Complicated (2009). She starred in Happythankyoumoreplease (2010), Meek's Cutoff (2010), Ruby Sparks (2012), What If (2013), The Big Sick (2017), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and She Said (2022). She also wrote Ruby Sparks and co-wrote Wildlife (2018) with her partner Paul Dano.
Kazan made her Broadway debut in the revival of the William Inge play Come Back, Little Sheba (2008). She has since acted in the Anton Chekov revival of The Seagull (2008), Martin McDonagh's A Behanding in Spokane (2010), and the revival of John Patrick Shanley's (2024). Also a playwright, she wrote Absalom (2008), We Live Here (2011), Trudy and Max in Love (2014), and After the Blast (2017).
On television, she acted in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Her other television roles include in the HBO comedy series Bored to Death (2010), the HBO drama series The Deuce (2017–2019), the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America (2020), and the Netflix miniseries Clickbait (2021).
Kazan was educated at the private Wildwood School, Windward School, and at the Marlborough School in Hancock Park, Los Angeles. She attended Yale University, where she was a member of the Manuscript Society, and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre.
In January 2008, Kazan made her Broadway debut opposite S. Epatha Merkerson and Kevin Anderson in a revival of William Inge's Come Back, Little Sheba. Ben Brantley of The New York Times called her performance "first-rate", adding, "Ms. Kazan is terrific in conveying the character's self-consciousness." In the fall, she appeared on stage as Masha in a Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (2008) opposite Kristin Scott Thomas, Carey Mulligan, and Peter Sarsgaard. That year she also had roles as Gal Employee in the drama August with Josh Hartnett, Gretta Adler in the period drama Me and Orson Welles with Zac Efron and Maureen Grube in the romantic drama Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Kazan is also a playwright. In 2009, her play Absalom premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky. The play, about a father's tense relationships with his children, had been extensively read and workshopped since Kazan's junior year at Yale. She ended the year playing Meryl Streep's daughter in the Nancy Meyers romantic comedy It's Complicated also starring Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. She returned to Broadway acting in a production of Martin McDonagh's play A Behanding in Spokane with Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell until June 6, 2010. She also had lead roles in the movies I Hate Valentine's Day and The Exploding Girl, both in 2009.
Kazan's starred in the title role of Ruby Sparks (2012), a comedy-romance film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and starring Kazan, Paul Dano, Chris Messina, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Deborah Ann Woll and Steve Coogan. Kazan wrote the film and served as its executive producer. Eric Kohn of IndieWire praised the film declaring it a "startlingly insightful and whimsical romance". She received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. The following year she starred in the romantic comedy What If directed by Michael Dowse starring opposite Daniel Radcliffe. The film premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival under the title, The F Word. The Hollywood Reporter wrote of their pairing, "Kazan and Radcliffe don’t have physical chemistry so much as an innocent, cheerful alignment of personalities".
In 2014, her third play, Trudy and Max in Love, opened at the South Coast Repertory. Also in 2014, she starred in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge acting alongside Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, and Bill Murray. The role earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series. In 2016, she received critical praise for her performance in the A24 horror film The Monster which was directed by Bryan Bertino.
In 2020, Kazan starred in the limited series The Plot Against America as Elizabeth "Bess" Levin, a version of the mother of author Philip Roth, on whose book the show was based. It debuted on HBO, and also featured Winona Ryder, Anthony Boyle, and John Turturro. Kazan starred in Clickbait, a limited series for Netflix. The following year she starred in the drama film She Said portraying journalist Jodi Kantor acting opposite Carey Mulligan as Megan Twohey. In 2024 she returned to Broadway acting in the revival of the John Patrick Shanley drama acting opposite Amy Ryan and Liev Schreiber. In the play Kazan portrays an innocent nun Sister James who suspects a priest of misconduct. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly wrote of her performance, "Kazan deftly manages to convey Sister James' struggle between innocent naivety and the loss of inner light that comes with considering ugly possible truths". In October 2024, filming began on her adaptation of East of Eden.
2010–2016: Breakthrough and leading roles
In 2010, she had a main role in the comedy-drama Happy. Thank You. More. Please. as Mary Catherine, the cousin of Josh Radnor's character. She also starred as Millie Gately in Kelly Reichardt's independent Western drama Meek's Cutoff (2010) acting alongside Michelle Williams and Paul Dano. In the fall, Kazan played Harper Pitt in Signature Theatre Company's 20th-anniversary production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America. On the small screen, she appeared in four episodes of HBO's Bored to Death as Nina, the love interest of a fictionalized Jonathan Ames, played by Jason Schwartzman. Her play We Live Here, about a dysfunctional family, received its world premiere production from October 12 to November 6, 2011, at the off-Broadway Manhattan Theater Club in New York City. Among the ensemble cast was Amy Irving, and the director was 2010 Obie Award winner Sam Gold.
2017–present: career expansion
In 2017, Kazan co-starred in independent romance drama film The Big Sick with Kumail Nanjiani, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. The film went on to receive an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination. In 2018 she co-wrote the film Wildlife with her partner Paul Dano, who also directed. The film is based on the Richard Ford's 1990 novel of the same name. The film starred Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. That same year Kazan starred in Joel and Ethan Coen's Western anthology film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, in the vignette "The Gal Who Got Rattled". Many critics considered her performance one of the film's highlights.
Personal life
Kazan has been the partner of actor Paul Dano since 2007. They have two children: a daughter born in August 2018 and a son born in October 2022.
Acting credits
Film
2003 Swordswallowers and Thin Men Samantha 2007 Student Fracture Mona In the Valley of Elah Angie 2008 August Gal Employee Me and Orson Welles Gretta Adler Revolutionary Road Maureen Grube 2009 Ivy Grace Lee I Hate Valentine's Day Tammy Greenwood It's Complicated Gabby Adler 2010 Happythankyoumoreplease Mary Catherine Meek's Cutoff Millie Gately 2012 Ruby Sparks Ruby Also writer and executive producer 2013 Some Girl(s) Reggie The Pretty One Laurel/Audrey The F Word (a.k.a. What If?) Chantry 2014 In Your Eyes Rebecca Porter 2015 Our Brand Is Crisis LeBlanc 2016 My Blind Brother Francie The Monster Kathy 2017 The Big Sick Emily Gardner 2018 Wildlife Co-writer and executive producer The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Alice Longabaugh Segment: "The Gal Who Got Rattled" 2019 The Kindness of Strangers Clara 2021 Cryptozoo Magdalene Voice 2022 She Said Jodi Kantor
Television
2007 Medium Izzy Episode: "The Boy Next Door" 2008 Speechless Stood Up Girl #2 Documentary After Iraq Herself Documentary 2010 Bored to Death Nina 4 episodes 2011 Showing Up Herself Documentary 2014 Olive Kitteridge Denise Thibodeau 2 episodes 2015 The Walker Dotty 8 episodes 2017–19 The Deuce Andrea Martino 8 episodes 2020 The Plot Against America Elizabeth Levin 6 episodes 2021 Clickbait Pia Brewer 8 episodes 2022 The Last Movie Stars Jackie Witte (voice) 6 episodes 2026 East of Eden 7 episodes, Writer and executive producer
Theatre
2006 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Sandy Muriel Spark Acorn Theatre, Off-Broadway 2007 100 Saints You Should Know Abby Kate Fodor Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway Things We Want Stella Jonathan Marc Sherman Acorn Theatre, Off-Broadway 2008 Come Back, Little Sheba Marie William Inge Biltmore Theatre, Broadway The Seagull Masha Anton Chekov Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway 2009 Absalom Zoe Kazan Actors Theatre of Louisville 2010 A Behanding in Spokane Marilyn Martin McDonagh Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Broadway Angels in America Harper Pitt Tony Kushner Signature Theatre, Off-Broadway 2011 We Live Here Zoe Kazan Manhattan Theater Club 2013 Clive Joanne Jonathan Marc Sherman Acorn Theatre, Off-Broadway 2014 Trudy and Max in Love Zoe Kazan South Coast Repertory When We Were Young and Unafraid Mary Anne Sarah Treem Manhattan Theater Club, Off-Broadway 2016 Love Love Love Rose Mike Bartlett Roundabout Theatre, Off-Broadway 2017 After the Blast Zoe Kazan Lincoln Center Theatre 2024 Sister James John Patrick Shanley Todd Haimes Theatre, Broadway
Awards and nominations
National Board of Review Best Cast It's Complicated 2012 Detroit Film Critics Society Breakthrough Performance Ruby Sparks Saturn Awards Best Actress Independent Spirit Awards Best Screenplay 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Olive Kitteridge Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film 2017 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Actress in a Comedy The Big Sick Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
External links
Categories: 1983 Births, 21st-century American Actresses, 21st-century American Dramatists And Playwrights, 21st-century American Women Writers, Actresses From Los Angeles, American Film Actresses, American People Of English Descent, American People Of German Descent, American Writers Of Greek Descent, American Stage Actresses, American Television Actresses, American Women Dramatists And Playwrights, Living People, Screenwriters From California, Writers From Los Angeles, Yale University Alumni, Zoe, 21st-century American Screenwriters
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