Aya Cash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aya Cash
Cash in 2014
Born	(1982-07-13) July 13, 1982 (age 42) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Minnesota (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Josh Alexander ​ (m. 2012)​
Parent(s)	Kim Addonizio (mother)
Relatives	Pauline Betz (grandmother) Bob Addie (grandfather)

Aya Cash (born July 13, 1982) is an American actress known for her roles in popular TV shows and movies. She became well-known for playing Gretchen Cutler in the comedy series You're the Worst from 2014 to 2019. Later, she gained more fame as Stormfront in the superhero drama The Boys (2020–2022). She also starred as Cheryl Peterson in the TV show Welcome to Flatch and recently as Anita in the HBO series The Franchise.

Aya Cash has been recognized for her acting. She was nominated for awards like the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in You're the Worst. She has also appeared in many films, including The Oranges (2011), Sleepwalk with Me (2012), Begin Again (2013), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

Early Life and Education

Aya Cash was born on July 13, 1982, in San Francisco, California. Her mother is Kim Addonizio, a well-known poet and novelist. Her father is Eugene Cash, a Buddhist teacher. Aya comes from a talented family. Her grandmother, Pauline Betz, was a famous tennis champion, and her grandfather, Bob Addie, was a sports writer.

Growing up, Aya's love for acting and movies was encouraged by a neighbor. Her father's family is Jewish, and her mother's family is Catholic with Italian roots. Aya identifies as Jewish.

She attended the San Francisco School of the Arts. After high school, she went to the University of Minnesota. In 2004, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting. This program was connected with the Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program. After college, she moved to New York City to start her acting career. For some time, she worked as a waitress to support herself while pursuing her dream.

Career Highlights

Television Roles

Aya Cash has appeared in many TV shows. Early in her career, she had roles in popular series like Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and The Newsroom. In 2011, she was a regular cast member in the Fox comedy Traffic Light.

From 2014 to 2019, Aya Cash starred as Gretchen Cutler in the FX Network series You're the Worst. Her performance in this show received great praise from critics. Many called her acting in the second season one of the best TV performances of 2015.

In 2019, she joined the cast of the superhero drama series The Boys on Amazon Prime Video. She played the powerful character Stormfront in the second season, which premiered in September 2020. More recently, she starred as Cheryl Peterson in the Fox sitcom Welcome to Flatch, which started in 2022.

Film Appearances

Aya Cash has also built a strong career in films. Her movie roles include The Oranges, Winter of Frozen Dreams, and Begin Again. She had a small but notable role as Janet, an assistant, in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Other films she has appeared in are Game Over, Man! and Scare Me.

Theatre Work

Besides her work in TV and movies, Aya Cash has performed on stage in Off-Broadway plays. In 2014, she starred in the first-ever performance of Zoe Kazan's play Trudy And Max In Love.

Personal Life

Aya Cash is married to Josh Alexander, who is a writer and producer. They met when she was working as a waitress. They dated for seven years before getting married in 2012. The couple lives together in New York City.

Aya was raised Jewish and identifies as Jewish, but she does not strictly practice the religion now. She has a hawk tattooed on her back because she was told that "Aya" means "hawk" in Hebrew. However, she later learned that while it's an old word for hawk, in modern Hebrew, "Aya" means "honey buzzard," which is a different type of bird of prey.

Aya Cash is also involved in charity work. She is a celebrity ambassador for INARA, an organization that helps refugee children who have been injured in war, especially from Syria, get the medical care they need.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations