Ariel Geltman Graynor(born April 27, 1983) is an American actress, known for her roles in TV series such asI'm Dying Up Here,The Sopranos,andFringe,in stage productions such asBrooklyn BoyandThe Little Dog Laughed,and in films such asNick & Norah's Infinite Playlist,The SitterandFor a Good Time, Call...She also starred as Meredith Davis on the short-livedCBStelevision sitcomBad Teacherin 2014 and asLeslie Abramsonin theNetflixdrama seriesMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Storyin 2024.
Ari Graynor | |
|---|---|
 Graynor at the 2017Montclair Film Festival | |
| Born | Ariel Geltman Graynor April 27, 1983 Boston,Massachusetts,U.S. |
| Alma mater | Trinity College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–present |
Early life
editGraynor was born April 27, 1983, inBoston, Massachusetts,the daughter of Joani Geltman, a parenting expert, and Greg Graynor, a contractor.[1][2]
Her mother is from aJewishfamily; her father is from a Polish andRoman Catholicbackground, andconverted to Judaism.Graynor was raised Jewish.[3][4]Her paternal grandfather's surname was changed from "Gryzna".[5]
She attendedBuckingham Browne & Nichols,a private school inCambridge, Massachusetts(Class of 2001), andTrinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.[citation needed]
During a June 29, 2017, CBS late-night interview withStephen Colbert,promotingI'm Dying Up Here,she mentioned she went to a prom with future congressmanJoseph Kennedy III.
Career
editGraynor first came to prominence asCaitlin Ruckeron season 3 of HBO'sThe Sopranos.Her film credits includeAn American Crime(2007), which premiered in January 2007 at theSundance Film Festival.She also appeared early in the second season of UPN'sVeronica Marsas the daughter of a bus driver. She made her Broadway debut as 'Alison' in 2005'sBrooklyn Boyafter appearing in the world premiere atSouth Coast Repertory.She also appeared inThe Little Dog Laughed.
Graynor played Elvina, a pop star, inCSI: Miami,and was a recurring guest star on the Fox seriesFringe,playing Agent Olivia Dunham's younger sister, Rachel. In 2008, Graynor appeared in the filmNick and Norah's Infinite Playlist,and in October 2009, she also was inWhip It,a comedy film directed byDrew Barrymoreand written byShauna Cross,based on Cross' young adult novelDerby Girl.
In 2010, she appeared in the playTrustat theoff-BroadwaySecond Stage theatre company withSutton Foster,Zach Braff,andBobby Cannavale.In the fall of 2011, she appeared on Broadway in theWoody Allen-written segment of three one-act comedies collectively calledRelatively Speaking.[6][7]She played Nina Roth in Allen's “Honeymoon Motel” segment.
In 2012, Graynor starred in the comedyFor a Good Time, Call...,and is also credited as the film's executive producer.[8]Graynor starred on Broadway oppositeCheyenne Jackson,Henry Winkler,andAlicia SilverstoneinDavid West Read's playThe Performers,which opened November 2012 at theLongacre Theatre.
She appeared inYen,a play byAnna Jordan.Yenopened off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on January 31, 2017, directed by Trip Cullman.[9]
In 2024, she starred asLeslie Abramson,Erik Menendez's lead attorney, in the Netflix crime drama seriesMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Mystic River | Eve Pigeon | Film debut |
| 2004 | Book of Love | Naomi | |
| Imaginary Heroes | Jenny | ||
| Bereft | Louise | ||
| 2005 | Game 6 | Laurel Rogan | |
| The Great New Wonderful | Lisa Krindel | Segment "Emme's Story" | |
| 2006 | For Your Consideration | Young PA | |
| 2007 | An American Crime | Paula Baniszewski | |
| Turn the River | Charlotte | ||
| 2008 | Blues | Tara | |
| Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist | Caroline | ||
| 2009 | Youth in Revolt | Lacey | |
| Whip It | Eva Destruction | ||
| 2010 | Holy Rollers | Rachel Apfel | |
| Date Night | Young Woman | ||
| Conviction | Mandy Marsh | ||
| No Deal | Cassie | Short film | |
| 2011 | Lucky | Lucy St. Martin | |
| 10 Years | Sam | ||
| What's Your Number? | Daisy Darling | ||
| The Sitter | Marisa Lewis | ||
| 2012 | Celeste & Jesse Forever | Beth | |
| For a Good Time, Call... | Katie Steele | Also executive producer | |
| The Guilt Trip | Joyce Margolis | ||
| 2016 | Wiener-Dog | Carol Steinhart | |
| Join the Club | Nina | Short film | |
| 2017 | The Disaster Artist | Juliette Danielle | |
| 2018 | The Front Runner | Ann Devroy | |
| 2020 | Like a Boss | Angela | |
| 2023 | The Anne Frank Gift Shop | Amy | Short film |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Sopranos | Caitlin Rucker | Television debut, recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Missy Kurtz | Episode: "Damaged" |
| 2005 | Veronica Mars | Jessie Doyle | Episode: "Driver Ed" |
| 2007 | CSI: Miami | Elvina | Episode: "Rush" |
| Numbers | Ella Pierce | Episode: "Tabu" | |
| 2008–2012 | American Dad! | Additional voices | Voice role; 5 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Fringe | Rachel/Kelsie | Recurring role; 10 episodes |
| 2010 | The Cleveland Show | BigSkeez | Voice role; Episode: "Our Gang" |
| 2011 | Family Guy | Kitty Hawk Woman | Voice role; Episode: "Amish Guy" |
| 2014 | Bad Teacher | Meredith Davis | Series regular; 13 episodes Also producer |
| Garfunkel and Oates | Cornish | Episode: "Third Member" | |
| 2015 | Kroll Show | Proctor | Episode: "Karaoke Bullies" |
| 2017–2018 | I'm Dying Up Here | Cassie Feder | Series regular; 20 episodes |
| 2019 | SMILF | Emma | Episode: "So Maybe I Look Feminine" |
| 2020 | Mrs. America | Brenda Feigen-Fasteau | Miniseries |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride[11] | Valerie | Episode: "Chapter Nine: Have Fun Storming the Castle!" | |
| 2022 | Surface | Caroline | Main role |
| 2023 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Honey Kaplan | Recurring role |
| 2024 | Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story | Leslie Abramson | Main role |
References
edit- ^"Ari Graynor Biography".Tvguide.RetrievedOctober 3,2013.
- ^Blank, Matthew (September 20, 2011).""Relatively Speaking" star Ari Graynor ".Playbill.Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2013.RetrievedNovember 12,2013.
- ^"Hollywood Now: Chris Pine, Rachel Weisz & Ari Graynor, Plus So Many Babies!".InterfaithFamily.May 30, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 26,2019.
- ^"Ari Graynor talks about 'Holy Rollers' and 'What's Your Number'".Nypost. May 12, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2010.RetrievedDecember 5,2010.
- ^"Ari Graynor on Jewish Mothers and Phone Sex – The Arty Semite".Blogs.forward. August 31, 2012.RetrievedOctober 3,2013.
- ^"Ari Graynor: Anatomy of a Sundance 'it' girl".Los Angeles Times.January 25, 2012.
- ^Yuan, Jada."Ari Graynor on Moving Beyond Best-Friend Roles".Vulture.RetrievedOctober 3,2013.
- ^Lawrence, Vanessa (August 2012)."On the Verge: Ari Graynor".W.Condé Nast: 43. Archived fromthe originalon October 16, 2015.RetrievedNovember 12,2013.
- ^Clement, Olivia."'Yen', with Oscar Nominee Lucas Hedges, Opens Jan. 31"Playbill, January 31, 2017
- ^Burack, Emily (September 19, 2024)."The Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Casting Is So Spot-On".Town & Country.
- ^Breznican, Anthony (June 26, 2020)."Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride".Vanity Fair.RetrievedJune 26,2020.
External links
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